Devil May Care (Mac McKenzie #11) is a PI Mystery. McKenzie is approached by the granddaughter of a locally powerful man to find her missing boyfriend. She is certain he didn’t ghost her. McKenzie starts to believe he is a ghost…or at least not the man he sold himself to be.
Bottom line: Devil May Care is for you if you like hard punching PIs who do what’s right, even if it’s gonna hurt a little.
Strengths of the story. As the star of the show, McKenzie is a strong leading man. His morals and ethics repeatedly lead him into the heart of trouble. His quick wits and fast actions get him out. He is a hero that is fun to cheer for.
The series contains a cast of characters that makes reading the next McKenzie book feel like visiting old friends. From McKenzie’s girlfriend Nina, to his best friend Bobby and his family, they round McKenzie out as well as fill in the gaps and smooth out the rough edges.
Housewright’s development of a plot that has more switchbacks than a mountain pass means that the reader is never bored and rarely goes where we think we are. The pacing matches my preferred style of fast and driving, moving forward with every chapter.
Where the story fell short of ideal: McKenzie always drives his own story and the logic of the arc holds up, so nothing to pick on here. The boyfriend McKenzie is looking for, Juan Carlos Navarre, is a character some readers will hate and others respect. That’s the sign of good writing when, even buttoned up, things aren’t black and white.
TG Wolff 