Review: Broken Ice by Matt Goldman

Author: Matt Goldman
Publisher: Forge Books
Date of publication: June 2018

Nils Shapiro has been hired to find missing Linnea Engstrom, a teenager from the small northern hockey town of Warroad, Minnesota. Most of Warroad is in Minneapolis for the state high school hockey tournament, and Linnea never returned from last night’s game. Linnea’s friend Haley Housch is also missing—and soon found dead.

After Nils is shot through the arm with an arrow at the Haley Housch crime scene, only the quick work of medical examiner Char Northagen saves Nil’s life. 

Nils should be in the hospital recovering from his near fatal injury, but he knows that the clock is ticking. Linnea could be anywhere, and someone doesn’t want her found. Is Linnea a victim, or is she playing a dangerous game? As bodies start piling up, the clues lead Nils north to Warroad, a small, quiet town with many secrets to hide.

Broken Ice is the second book featuring Nils Shapiro.  I enjoyed the first book so I was eager to check out the second book.  This one picks up about a year after the evens of the first book.  Nils is now working with his friend, Anders Ellegaard in a PI business.  They are hired to find two missing girls.  The search leads Nils to be shot by an arrow and he narrowly escapes death.

That's all I will say about the book.  It kept me guessing and I did not figure it out until the reveal.  I actually think that I liked this one better than the first book.  I felt like I got to know Nils a bit more.  His intuition is usually spot on and seeing him work through a case was fun to watch.  I liked the contrast between Nils and his partner, Ellegaard.  Both of them want to get to the truth, but Nils is the one willing to break the rules to get there.  Ellegaard is more of a "by the book" kind of guy.     There were a few other characters introduced that I also enjoyed.  It would be a shame not to have them show up in later books.   This is a great addition to the series and I hope the next Nils Shapiro book comes out soon.

Review: Gone to Dust by Matt Goldman

Author: Matt Goldman
Publisher: Forge Books
Date of publication: August 2017

Set in Minnesota, Gone to Dust is the debut private-eye murder mystery from Emmy Award-winning Seinfeld writer Matt Goldman.

A brutal crime. The ultimate cover-up. How do you solve a murder with no useable evidence?

Private detective Nils Shapiro is focused on forgetting his ex-wife and keeping warm during another Minneapolis winter when a former colleague, neighboring Edina Police Detective Anders Ellegaard, calls with the impossible.

Suburban divorcée Maggie Somerville was found murdered in her bedroom, her body covered with the dust from hundreds of emptied vacuum cleaner bags, all potential DNA evidence obscured by the calculating killer.

Digging into Maggie's cell-phone records, Nils finds that the most frequently called number belongs to a mysterious young woman whose true identity could shatter the Somerville family - but could she be guilty of murder?

Gone to Dust is another recent audio-book that I listened knowing very little about it going in.  The story follows private investigator, Nils Shapiro who is hired by the police department ti help solve the murder of Maggie Somerville.  The scene is odd because it is covered in dust from several vacuum cleaner bags.  

I enjoyed the mystery.  I was definitely kept guessing as there are a few red herrings and false paths.  So, I was surprised in the end at the reveal.  More than the mystery, I really like Nils's character.  He was really interesting and very smart. I enjoyed his no-nonsense wit and  quick ability to throw out funny barbs to enemies and friends.  He came across as genuine; not a PI cliche.  He is definitely a character I would want to read about more int he future.  If you are looking for a good solid PI mystery, I do recommend this one.