The Off-Islander (An Andy Roark Mystery Book 1)

I wasn’t expecting a lot but got more than I expected. This book kind of sucked me in and kept getting better and better with each chapter to the point that once I got to the last page I was disappointed it was over. I immediately went to the author’s page on Amazon and was disappointed there wasn’t an Andy Roark Mystery Book 2. Hope that gets fixed ASAP. The plot’s not that complicated. A private detective is hired by a woman to look for her father who walked out on his family years ago. There’s some action, some characters get killed or beat up, a love interest, and a couple of small surprises as the book builds to a climax. You know, the usual stuff you expect to see in a story like this. The real story is the main character and how the author fleshes him out. I like reading a book where you start caring about a character and want to read more about them.

I thought this was a really good novel for (what I understand was the authors first book). The story line transferring back and forth between the current search for a missing army soldier and the Vietnam war tied together nincely.I look forward to a second book in this series.

A richly textured Philip Marlowe-meets-Jim Rockford thriller, set in 1980s New England. The main character, hard luck, streetwise private detective, Andy Roark, is an all heart rebellious soul that follows his own rules. This novel also paints a vivid picture of the period and region, from the music, the dress, cars, drinks and the general mood of the times. Andy Roark's first-person account gives us a penetrating window into his world, baggage and all. Some of my favorite lines are: "'Whaddayyahwant'. It came out so fast that I almost said, "Bless you'". "I probably would have followed her anywhere. If I was less of a gentleman, I would have goosed her, and if I was more of one, I wouldn't have stared so much."
My only regret is that I tore through this book so quickly. My bet is that my patients will be rewarded, should Andy Roark resurface in a sequel

This is a great story. Colt adds such great descriptions setting up every scene in the book, and continues painting portraits as each chapter develops. No blanks to fill in, and plenty of twists and turns to keep you turning pages. The characters are all very relatable. Awesome job.

I was excited to find a book about Boston, the Cape and Nantucket on a shelf in the Dallas airport, having spent a lot of time at all of those places. Kudos to the author for attempting a mystery novel. It’s no easy task. But I agree with other reviews. The descriptions of the hotel room and bar and his car fill the entirety of the book. He literally calls his car by it type “the Ghia” hundreds of times. I think he said Ghia three times in one paragraph at one point. There is very little to the actual mystery. I’m hoping the end gets interesting and I’ll finish it, but I had to check reviews to see if I was imagining the tedious descriptions of meaningless things. I hate to be negative and I’m sure his writing will improve over time. I keep wondering “how did this book get some of the limited shelf space in an airport book store.”

I really liked this book.

The main character is exceptional! Some flaws, yes but very realistic.

Will read more by this author.

One of the good lines is "he had never seen the Andy Roark who had run down the Ho Chi Minh Trail toward death"

Try a free sample - if you like mystery/detective - this is for you. If you don't try it anyways.

I have mixed feelings about this story.

I liked Andy Roark, the main character, but thought he used his experiences in Vietnam too much as a crutch to explain erratic behavior. What Colt wrote was realistic and probably on-target for what real people experienced serving over there and after they came home. But I think Colt’s use of it was a bit heavy handed.

I never really got a firm sense of when this book was set. There is only one definite reference to the year (which I had to go back and look for). Other than that, only brief mentions of cultural touchstones keep the reader connected to the time when the book is set, and that’s not enough.

The story itself – the search for the missing father of the wife of a political candidate – was engaging even with Colt’s somewhat plodding writing style. He had to tell us step by step how Andy got from here to there and tell us every time he got dressed what comprised his usual attire. Andy pretty much trots along for most of the story but doesn’t really get anywhere. Then he gets the clue that breaks the case wide open and the story is a mad sprint to the finish.

When Andy discovers that clue, Colt doesn’t tell us how he found it, just that he did. It left me (and I’m guessing some other readers) wondering what tripped him to it. On the plus side, it leads to a somewhat surprising (but not unexpected) twist.

I’ll read more of these books if they come my way, but I can’t say I’ll actively hunt for them.

Excellent intro to the life of PI Andy Roark. Has the feel of a classic hardboiled noir detective novel set in a more modern 1980’s Boston. I thought the detours into Andy’s Vietnam service did a great job helping the reader get a feel for him and his mindset. Prequel book of Andy’s tours in Vietnam? The realistic technical details are a great reflection of the authors law enforcement and military background. Can’t wait to dive into book 2!

The whole book is filled with waaaay too much detail, I couldn’t stand another page in fact at page 88 I gave up

it was very tedious reading the minutia of this man’s life. if you remove all the day to day, moment by moment, descriptions of his movements, you are left with one chapter of story.