The Fractal Murders

by Mark Cohen

Book Overview

Jayne Smyers, a math professor specializing in fractal geometry, is shocked to learn that three professors with the same speciality have died amid mysterious circumstances. With the help of Pepper Keane, the investigation moves from the rocky terrain of Colorado to Mexico, Boston and Nebraska in search of the killer.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892967994
• ISBN13: 9780892967995
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Mysterious Press
• Length: 311 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Couldn't put it down

I am new to the mystery genre and fiction for the most part. I picked up Bluetick Revenge at the library a few months ago and really enjoyed it. I couldn't wait to pick up Fractals. I wasn't disappointed. Cohens characters are fun and interesting and the locations let my imagination wander. The Fractal theme wasn't very technical and I believe I may have actually learned something useful from a fiction novel. I found it to be a nice reprieve from non-fiction world news and such. Anyway, it was a real page turner for me. I look forward to reading the next Buck and Wheat adventure ;)

A GREAT STORY - Don't worry about the fractals

Seldom do you feel like a book has been specifically written for you, especially when it is a first novel by an unheralded author published by Muddy Gap Press in Boulder, CO. However, in my quest for mysteries by new authors I was intrigued by the uniformly glowing reviews for THE FRACTAL MURDERS, and after the first two paragraphs I knew that I was hooked.This is hopefully the first in a series of Pepper Keane mysteries, a former prosecutor turned PI as he deals with his existential anxieties by reading Heidegger, listening to country music and Credence Clearwater, running and working out at his brother's gym, and hanging out with two great dogs in his mountain Colorado home, and hoping for enough interesting cases to support himself. And a mathematical and business angle to boot, two things with which I am familiar enough to increase my appreciation of the story but not essential to your enjoyment. ( The author's explanations are very clear and concise and a detailed understanding is not at all crucial to the story line.)Doctor Jane Smymers, a professor at the Boulder campus of the University of Colorado learns of the recent apparently unrelated deaths of three specialists in fractal mathematics, and her knowledge of statistics convinces her that the provbabilty of these being random events is extremely small. She involves the FBI but is dissatisfied with their decision to close the case, having found no relationship between the individuals, the modes of death being very dissimilar, and the geographic locations being widespread (East Coast, West Coast, and midwestern college campuses). Despite his reservations, Jane convinces Pepper to conduct a preliminary investigation of his own, and his interest is heightened by the fact that one of the FBI agents on the case is someone whose history is a source of great aggravation to Pepper. The author is a former JAG lawyer and now a municipal court judge in Boulder, so he knows the law, the FBI, and the area, and captures the essence of them all. He never writes down to the reader, and we get to feel that Pepper is someone who we would enjoy getting to know. (A western version of Robert Parker's Spenser with more existential angst.) And, as you may guess, Pepper becomes increasingly attracted to Jane and this plot line adds another dimension to the story.A few examples of some of the great lines,"A girlfriend once told me that I spent too much time thinking about things. I'd thought about that a lot over the years.""How was Wall Walla?" asked Scott. "It's the city so beautiful they named it twice.""This trip has been a real education," Scott said. "First I find out that there's a National Forest in Nebraska. Now I learn that there are black squirrels in Kansas." "I think that the politically correct term is 'squirrels of color'." And one last thing, you'll have to read the book to discover how to communicate in E-Prime. A true delight, a real education , and a good mystery all in the same book..It was

An auspicious beginning

Here is a first novel that is written with great assurance, good humor and intelligence. Pepper Keane is--I have to hope--going to be a highly likable series hero. What makes The Fractal Murders notable is the lack of macho posturing, an absence of violent scenes that so many mystery writers feel are necessary to validate their hero's status as someone out of the ordinary. Pepper Keane is a thinking man, with a good heart and a gentle sense of humor. His dealings with females, particularly Jayne Smyers (the professor who hires him to look into the deaths of three fellow mathematicians), are refreshingly honest and discreet. The author spares the reader graphic details--again that so many writers feel are needed when they are not. Most readers have functioning intelligence and don't need to be spoonfed details we can readily supply via our own imaginations. It appears that author Cohen has grasped this significant fact and has written from the heart, without undue embellishments. He also manages to impart information on the somewhat arcane field of fractal mathematics without leaving the reader glassy-eyed--no small accomplishment.Nothing is telegraphed; there are no stock characters. This is fresh, thoughtful writing that supports a new private eye who holds the reader's interest (and affection) through his personal honesty, good heartedness and intelligence.My only quibble is a rather amateurishly done page layout and less than perfect proofreading--neither of which problems detracts from this well-done book.Highly recommended.

Exceptionally clear writing makes it a great read!

A Denver native, Mark Cohen graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, then attended law school at the University of Colorado. He practiced law in Nebraska, served as an Air Force Judge Advocate, and now resides in Boulder, Colorado, where he serves as a municipal judge. He has written several articles, and probably many more briefs. The Fractal Murders is his first mystery.Pepper Keane is a retired attorney and former Federal Prosecutor who is now living and working in Boulder with his two dogs, Buck and Wheat. He is hired by Jane Smyders, a math professor at the University of Colorado when three of her colleagues who specialize in her area of expertise, fractal geometry, are either murdered or die by suspicious means. Pepper has enough of a background, having been a former Marine JAG, and connections galore from past and present affiliations, to find the common thread that connects the deaths. Pepper is an interesting man, with an affection for Diet Coke, rock and roll, reading Philosophy, and exercise; an unusual observation of sizing people up (often associated with what they are wearing); and an encyclopedic knowledge and grasp of many subjects. Then there is the attraction he feels for his new client, Jane Smyers:"We continued running and I thought about Jayne Smyers. She was pretty, no doubt about that. And she was certainly smart. But some other quality was drawing me to her. She possessed a certain perky optimism - something I felt I lacked. I tried to put her out of my mind, but I kept hearing that Sam Cooke song. Maybe by being an A student, I could win her love for me.The Fractal Murders is an intensely entertaining book that is simply delicious to read. The action is well-paced, Pepper's character is a nice package of enough brawn, brains, experience, logic, and sensuality to make him a hero of sorts, but with enough flaws to make him a believable character. The plot is well charted and covers many areas where Mr. Cohen has something to teach that is interesting without overshadowing the story. Pepper Keane is a nice mix of sensitivity and intellect, with just enough experience to give his character depth. Cohen does a superb job of keeping the reader guessing, and even the end poses a bit of a love puzzle. Cohen leaves us clamoring for more. Exceptionally clear writing makes it a great read!...

Murder, Math, Humor, Philosophy -- This Book has it All!

The Fractal Murders follows lawyer turned private-eye Pepper Keane as he seeks to learn what connects the seemingly unrelated deaths of three math professors -- all specialists in fractal geometry. Keane is an exciting character, a bit of a contradiction. He is a former Marine JAG that flirts with vegetarianism, drinks Diet Coke by the gallon, and knows more rock 'n roll trivia than most any man should. When an attractive math professor, Jayne Smyers, discovers that three specialists in fractal geometry are dead, she alerts the FBI. When they tell her it was just a coincidence, she hires Pepper Keane. With his sidekick, unemployed astrophysicist Scott McCutcheon, Pepper leaves no stone un-turned, and comes up with more suspects than he bargained for. I could not put this book down. It was that good. The humor was great, and Pepper Keane's wisecracks reminded me a lot of Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels.