In seven books, Reed Farrel Coleman has taken Moe Prager from the 1970s to present day, aging him from his 20s to his 60s. Many authors having taken many more books to age their protagonists less. Yet, this series is still cohesive and readers don’t feel like they’ve missed anything.
Hurt Machine takes place two years after Innocent Monster. It begins with Moe emerging from his oncologist’s office. The news is not good. He’s outside a restaurant where a local reception dinner is being held for his daughter’s upcoming wedding, several weeks away in Vermont, when he sees his estranged ex-wife/ex-PI partner, Carmella. Her sister, Alta, has been murdered and she pleads for his help in finding the killer. She assumes it relates to an incident in which Alta and her on the job partner, Maya, EMTs, refused to help a restaurant patron who was having a heart attack.
Of course there’s more underlying the brutal murder and maybe more astute readers would see the ending earlier in the book than I did, but I didn’t see it coming. There are enough twists and turns and misdirections to delight even the most stubborn mystery reader.
But it’s Moe that steals the show. Always philosophical, he’s even more so as he contemplates illness and possible death, the shortness of life. This book is all Moe. Our favorite characters make fleeting if any appearances: Israel Roth, Sarah, Carmella (maybe because many of them have died and not been replaced by new favorites). However, Coleman has brought in an intriguing new character, Detective Fugua (a new series in the making if I were Reed Farrel Coleman….hint, hint, Reed!).
Coleman has said that he’s working on a prequel and possibly a ninth book. While there are certain detectives whose authors should send them out while they’re on top (Mr. Connelly, it’s time to retire Harry Bosch and Robert Parker should have retired Spenser years ago, really), I personally am not ready to see Moe Prager drift off into the sunset.
So, as I’ve said before…treat yourself. Start with Walking the Perfect Square and read the series through to Hurt Machine. You too will have a new favorite gumshoe.
Two Heads Together 
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