Thursday, April 7, 2011

Book review for "The Corruptible: a Ray Quinn Mystery" by Mark Mynheir

The Corruptible: A Ray Quinn Mystery
 





When reviewing books for publishing companies, I primarily select nonfiction. This time, for a change, I chose a book I normally would not have considered: a murder mystery. I must confess that it was a pleasant novelty to simply sit back and read purely for entertainment without necessarily “improving myself.” The book I chose, “The Corruptible” by Mark Mynheir, was pure dessert. Not something you want to make a complete diet out of but just that piece of chocolate after a healthy dinner. Something one can curl up with, relax and decompress at the end of a long, tiring day.


I enjoyed “The Corruptible” because it had all the right ingredients to make an interesting mystery. Each chapter was relatively short but provoking enough to propel you into the next chapter. It kept me going to the very end because I really wanted to know how everything was going to fall into place.

“The Corruptible” is one of a series of mystery stories by Mark Mynheir about Ray Quinn. I haven't read any of the other books in the series but in this book Quinn has retired from the police force and is currently working as a private investigator. Quinn is a hardened former narcotics undercover cop who has a jaded view on life. The fact that his retirement from the police was enforced by a shoot out that left him crippled and in constant pain hasn't lightened his outlook any.

So Quinn is now trying to make it as a private investigator. He has a sidekick, Crevis, who is training to get accepted into the police academy. Crevis is physically and mentally qualified for the Academy but has failed the written test a couple of times due to a deprived family background and a learning disability (he's dyslexic).

To further complicate his life (Quinn's), Crevis is being tutored by Pam, a woman who is forever grateful to Quinn for clearing her murdered brother's name in a previous case. The gratitude doesn't bother him so much as the fact that Pam keeps insisting on praying for him. She even asks to pray with him- something that, as an agnostic, Quinn is not inclined to do. He has more faith in his close companion, Jim Beam. (That's a whiskey for all of you that aren't from the South). Old Jim helps Quinn forget the chronic pain from a leg that's held together by nuts and bolts. Still, even though Quinn doesn't want to admit it, he likes that fact that a smart, attractive woman cares about him even if he hides those feelings under a gruff and sarcastic exterior.

Quinn is hired by a big wig CEO to track a worker who took off with some highly classified files. These files hold personal information about clients that could compromise their security if made public.

Typical formula. Someone steals something, someone ends up dead-read to the last chapter to see who did it.

What makes this story interesting is watching Quinn in action as he methodically works with forensics teams, the police department, SWAT team and one by one ticks off every possible suspect until he gradually puts each piece of the puzzle together and the whole picture materializes.

Mynheir worked as an undercover narcotics agent, SWAT team member and recently retired as a detective from the Criminal Investigations Unit in Central Florida (where his stories take place) which explains his thorough attention to the details involved in a murder investigation. His personal experience is not only his source of inspiration but allows him to be his own technical adviser. (For more information on Mynheir go to http://www.copwriter.com/)

One negative: On a couple of occasions (and they were rare) Mynheir uses what I would call “soft” swear words. Not everyone would agree with me about that but the words are unarguably vulgar and he could have left them out and nobody would have missed them. My objection to these words is that I do not like hearing them and I certainly choose not to use them but when I read them in a book, I have been forced to mentally speak them. Since the author is a Christian writing from a Christian perspective I think that he would do well to discard any profane speech. (Ephesians 5:4 )

One last negative: Mynheir uses the word, “smirk” too much. Everybody smirks. Mr. Mynheir, sir, please get a thesaurus and exchange some of those “smirks” for an equally effective but different descriptive word. (Mr. Mynheir, if you're actually reading this I hope you're not offended. Remember Proverbs 9:7-12)

On a positive note: Mynheir does not paint a pretty picture of life as a cop and the world they are exposed to. His protagonist Quinn is every bit as cynical about life as your average cop would be without any faith in God. The only Christian in the book is Pam and she hardly comes into play at all. When she does enter into a scene, however, her faith throws into sharp relief the darkness that it penetrates. Mynheir presents an honest Christian witness without being preachy or manipulating the story so that everything “comes out all right in the end.” Every character is believable.

Another positive note: Unlike most murder mysteries that use the corpse as a stage prop by which to build a story, Mynheir's murder victim was somebody with a multifaceted personality. Someone to have compassion on, whose death is mourned by the characters in the book and also by the reader.

So with the positives outweighing the negatives my verdict is if you need a good, entertaining read before turning out the light, “The Corruptible” will fit the bill.

This book was given to me by Blogging for Books. in exchange for my honest review.
If you buy the book please do so through my link below so I can receive a small percentage of the cost.  Thanks!



Please take the time to rank this review, thanks!!

22 comments:

Gandergelf said...

I reviewed this book a little while ago. Because I read a lot of mysteries, the plot came across as a litle bit clichéd, but Quinn was an interesting character.

Sharon Wilfong said...

You're probably right. I don't normally read this kind of literature so I try to be as unprejudiced as possible when I review it.

Mrs. Tuna said...

Hey now, thanks for stopping by today and following my blog. :)

Anonymous said...

Seems like an interesting book. Will look out for this. I love reading as well and usually read everything that comes my way..

Thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting. The door is always open :)

Sharon Wilfong said...

Capturedalive: Thanks for visiting back. Have a great weekend!

Sharon Wilfong said...

@ Mrs. Tuna: Thanks for visiting back and following!

LifeBelowZero said...

Happily Following U Back!
Life Below Zero
http://casinofreebies3.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Sharon, I appreciate the review of a "dessert" book! (And i love that image of a book as a piece of chocolate...I was recently in the middle of a pretty dark (even though it was a middle grade book) and needed to put it down for a much lighter piece of chocolate myself!) I liked the review and Quinn sounds like a good character--I always follow the characters. For me, plot is almost secondary... - Wendy Lawrence

Cinny said...

Very nice! Thanks for stopping by and following. I'm now following back!

Sharon Wilfong said...

@ Lifebelowzero: Thanks! Have a great weekend!

@kidlit: You know, that's a very good point about the plot being secondary. I think you're right that it is really the characters that make the book enjoyable-or enthralling- not the storyline.

Sharon Wilfong said...

@ CinnyBBS Have a great weekend!

Becky McNeer said...

Interesting book review. Thanks for stopping by and following!! http://homesandbabies.blogspot.com

Sebab said...

Wonderful review. And I think I will check this book out. Usually it takes me a long time to finish one book.

Krissy said...

I am your newest follower from the weekend blog hops! Hopefully, you can visit us and follow back! Have a great day!

Krissy @ Mommy Miscellaneous

Sharon Wilfong said...

Sailor: Thanks for your feedback. I think that it's actually better to take a while to read a book. You savor it more and thus enjoy it longer. Have a great weekend!

Sharon Wilfong said...

@Krissy: Thanks for visiting and following. I'll definitly come by.

Unknown said...

Thanks for following!
I am your newest follower.
Blog Hop Directory
More Than a Blog Hop Directory
:)

Sharon Wilfong said...

Thanks, Bonny. Have a wonderful week!

Unknown said...

Sharon;
Enjoyed this review. You described the book well and gave the reader a reason to want to read it.
Mike

PS Stop by my blog again, I'm having a giveaway of "The Lucky One" By Sparks.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Thanks, Mike. I will stop by your blog!

Unknown said...

Hi - I'm a new follower. I just posted my review of this book and unfortunately it's a negative one. This book seems to have reviews that are all over the place from negative to positive ones. I did add a link to your review so those reading mine could get another take on the book.

I originally requested the book because it sounded so interesting and I love a good crime/mystery novel from the Christian viewpoint and other than a few small sentences didn't really see anything. Maybe that'll come in later books in the series.

I'd love to have you stop by when you have a chance. Ella from Mymcbooks and I are having our first blog event for Children's Book Week and we'd love to have you share your favorite Children's book in a review that week and host a giveaway if you're interested in joining us. See: http://ow.ly/4CbZC for more info.

Thanks! Tina "The Book Lady"

Sharon Wilfong said...

Hi Tina, thanks for following. I fully appreciate why someone would write a negative review and people should read both before deciding on a book. Frankly, I don't normally read this sort of book so I try to put myself in the shoes of someone who would. It definitely had its positives and negatives.