Review: Bagmen by William Lashner

A Mysterious Review of Bagmen by William Lashner. A Victor Carl Mystery.

Review summary: There are elements of this mystery that are entertaining, but the storyline is far too complicated, and is compounded by the book being at least 100 pages too long. Fans of the series will no doubt welcome the return of its central character, but first time readers may not give him another chance. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Bagmen
William Lashner
A Victor Carl Mystery
Thomas & Mercer (August 2014)

Publisher synopsis: Victor Carl is back, and back in trouble. At a low point in his lowly career, Victor finds himself skulking through the streets of Philadelphia carrying a bag full of money for an ambitious politician. It is a rotten job on the wrong side of anyone's line, but with bag in hand Victor is suddenly hobnobbing with the city's elite, filling his bank account, and having sex with the politician's gorgeous and deranged sister.

But just when Victor begins to think he's got a future in the political game, one of his payoffs ends up in the pocket of a dead woman, and Victor goes from bagman to fall guy. Now Victor's only way out might lie with a brotherhood of shady characters with sacks full of cash, bad fedoras, and their own twisted set of rules. Will Victor's new friends help him find a killer or bury him deep?