The Blue Cheer

by Ed Lynskey

Book Overview

P.I. Frank Johnson has moved to Scarab, West Virginia, drawn by the promiseof lazy days and the lure of its tranquil mountains. What he finds instead is aStinger rocket exploding over his back yard. His ensuing investigation uncoversa cult called the Blue Cheer, a racist group with ugly terrorist plans. Asevents heat up, blood starts to spill, and for Frank it all gets real personalreal quick. With the help of his bounty hunter pal, he sets out to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0809556677
• ISBN13: 9780809556670
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Wildside Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 16 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 11 and higher

Customer Reviews

Great Read!

Author Ed Lynskey truly takes us on an unexpected ride in his new work "The Blue Cheer," staring our famous PI Johnson. Searching for some relief from the taxing life he has led, Frank Johnson moves to West Virginia to a quiet mountain community; or is it? Awaken to an exploding Stinger rocket in his backyard was not something he had envisioned occurring. In his investigation, Frank is pulled into a secret that will rock his world and those around him. And in an attempt to keep this concealed deaths soon occur and Frank is more determined than ever to find out the real truth. I believe in this work our author shows a new side of PI Frank Johnson. Although he is still as some would call, rough around the edges, this work allows a small insight into the heart of the man. This was a good touch as it draws you more into the series of this work and its main character. This story is not a creeper but moves along at a fast clip, dropping surprises and throwing in characters as red and shiny as a ripe apple and as sour as a bad one. It has mystery, murder and heart, and quite a fulfilling conclusion. All in all a very good read. Well done, Mr. Lynskey.

Deep and dark

There exists a false premise --- implied, but real nonetheless --- that noir detective fiction must be limited to metropolitan settings; that only big cities, preferably on a coast, contains the requisite breadth of plot and cast of characters required for the genre. A number of novels shows this not to be true: THE LAST GOOD KISS by James Crumley and THE ICE HARVEST by Scott Phillips immediately come to mind --- and now, THE BLUE CHEER by Ed Lynskey. This book is set in rural West Virginia and features the return of Frank Johnson, Lynskey's bloodied but unbowed PI. Johnson has moved to Scarab, West Virginia, hoping to leave the tumult he experienced in Virginia behind him while he leads a quiet day-to-day existence in the middle of nowhere. All is well until a mid-air explosion occurs literally above his head one night. Johnson quickly discovers that the cause of the fireworks is a Stinger missile, but his self-congratulations is short-lived due to his being knocked out almost immediately. When he comes to his senses, the evidence is gone and his car has been vandalized. The local police have little interest in Johnson's report and in fact go to extraordinary lengths to discourage him. Old Man Maddox, Johnson's enigmatic friend and neighbor, is there to help, along with Robert Gaitlin, a crackerjack defense attorney whose abilities don't end in the courtroom. Their assistance, however, may not be enough against the Blue Cheer, a racist organization that has taken root in the West Virginia hills and appears to have connections even in the most unexpected places. Johnson's unofficial --- and officially unpopular --- investigation seems to point to the Blue Cheer as the source of the Stinger launch that exploded over his yard, and he quickly comes to realize that the group has far more in mind than some innocent target practice. Johnson finds himself in a race against time that is played out against the isolated and dangerous backdrop of the West Virginia hills, even as he learns that his enemies have allies who he never would have expected. THE BLUE CHEER may well be the novel that brings Lynskey the attention he deserves. Though the book starts slowly, he demonstrates soon enough that he is capable of catching readers totally off-guard. Lynskey also is not one to shy away from controversy, and before the story ends, he touches on an issue of racial politics --- not a simple topic by any means --- that is rarely raised or discussed but that is integral to one of the novel's more challenging subplots. His talent runs deep and dark, revealed full force in a tale you will not forget. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

In James Lee Burke's footsteps

Private investigator Frank Johnson has recently moved to Scarab, West Virginia, a lazy town in the Appalachians. One evening a Stinger rocket explodes over his cabin and Frank and his neighbor, Old Man Maddox (a retired CIA agent), begin to investigate. The investigation quickly turns personal when Old Man's wife, Jan, is found murdered in their home. Frank and Old Man get no help from local law enforcement so they press on themselves, soon uncovering a racist cult called The Blue Cheer with big plans. Frank calls his old pal, Gerald Peyton ("bounty hunter extraordinaire"), in for backup and then things start to get really ugly. This is the second novel featuring P.I. Frank Johnson but he's been around for awhile now, having appeared in over forty short stories. With this novel, Lynskey is treading a similar literary path as James Lee Burke, exposing the dark underbelly of red state America. He has a fine ear for dialogue, draws distinctive characters, and neatly renders the rural West Virginia atmosphere in all of its somewhat less-than-enlightened glory.

Not far from the truth.

It's there in most small towns, we just choose not to see it. Dirty cops, and even dirtier "upstanding citizens". Now maybe it's not as blatant as the author describes it, but it still happens. An easy read that keeps you flying through the pages until the end.

Gritty, dark, and couldn't put it down...

Hard-edged, dark, well-written detective novel... The Blue Cheer by Ed Lynskey. I'm not sure where I got the idea to pick up this book, but whoever/whatever gave me the tip, thanks... Frank Johnson is a private investigator who is running from his past and looking for some down time. He ends up in a small West Virginia town, and all appears to be going well until he witnesses the firing of a Stinger missile on his property. When he goes to investigate, someone cold-cocks him from behind and removes the evidence. His nearest neighbor and friend "Old Man" Maddox comes over to help him figure things out. But apparently someone (or someones) want the matter dropped, and they brutally murder Maddox's wife. The small-town sheriff doesn't appear to be putting much effort into the investigation, and in fact may be part of the whole conspiracy. Throw in a corrupt police department, a town distrusting of strangers, and a shadowy group called The Blue Cheer, and Johnson has his hands full avenging deaths and staying alive... This is one of the grittiest novels I've read in a long time. The writing is dark, reminiscent of those 50's style police pulp novels. Lynskey paints detailed pictures of the surroundings and actions, without getting overly caught up in his writing. The only problem I had is that this is part of a series, and I haven't read the earlier books. I'm sure that would explain more about the demons in Johnson's life, as well as his relationship with Maddox. But I can't fault the writer when I come in to the middle of a story. I'll definitely be going back and catching up with the adventures of Frank Johnson...