A NEW PROSPECT receives a 4.5 review from You Gotta Read Reviews

Apr 1, 2011 by Etherion

Sam Jenkins has just become a favorite character of mine. I generally have a weakness for cops but Sam is not your ordinary hero.

The character development throughout the book was very strong. By the end of the book, I felt as though Sam were a friend of mine. I really wish there had been more scenes with his interaction with his wife. She was one very funny secondary character.

Brimming with countless suspects, I was trying to figure out the killer from the very beginning. The plot line was phenomenal and I loved that this story put a spin on a situation that wasn’t all that it seemed to be. Mr. Zurl presents a situation that we, as a society, are conditioned to accept as an offense, in a different light. I don’t want to give away any of the ending but it’s a really juicy ending.

If you love a good suspense, I highly recommend you [read] A New Prospect. It’s a book that you don’t want to miss.

To read the entire review click here.

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Another good review for A NEW PROSPECT

Apr 1, 2011 by Etherion

…a mysterious, wonderful read. Wayne Zurl has a marvelous imagination and is very creative with details. Leaves you at the end…with a sense of justice, if you believe that some laws should be bent and karma always gets their man.

Stacy Eldridge
Way2Kool Reviews

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A NEW PROSPECT reviewed by Ephraim Rodriguez at Authonomy.com, Harper-Collins’ website

Apr 1, 2011 by Etherion

A NEW PROSPECT is a pure breed of its genre – crime fiction.

To say that the beginnings, middles and ends are strong and definitive is an understatement. They cut with precision, clear and clean.

The voice and style read effortless and consistent.

The dialogue accents the style, comes off as natural.

Much of the main character’s “way of being”, his relationships, both personal, with the town and in relation to the world of the story are dispensed in sober well-humored bits – Wal-Mart morality, Jimmy Stewart’s gun, the Charlie Chan kiss good-bye, the dog vs the nails, Agatha, annoying flies and gnats.

Despite being dispensed with laid-back ease, the pace is a quick draw and the plot doesn’t step out of sync. The reader has confidence that A NEW PROSPECT is plotted well through and through.

What makes A NEW PROSPECT feel different from other crime fiction is that the main character is domesticated. There are faint traces of Hardboiled Noir fiction mixed with the style and quiet humor of a Western. The title, A NEW PROSPECT, even reads like a Western title.

The best way I can think of to explain its originality is that it has an alarmingly warm welcoming down-to-earth friendly pitch that lends itself to the growing and well retrained sense of impending danger that the genre demands.

I’d say more good things about what I’ve read but I’m afraid I’ll ruin one of the strongest features of the book – it’s humility.

The reveiw is shown at:
http://authonomy.com/books/32632/a-new-prospect/#comment_761679

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About A NEW PROSPECT, the author, Wayne Zurl, and his main character, Sam Jenkins

Apr 1, 2011 by Etherion

Zurl’s spare style quickly captures his hero’s nature, but the characters are also offered in condensed and pithy bites. These descriptions [show] Zurl’s eye for the old style in a modern world.

Jenkins retains his hard-nosed, wise-cracking style of detectives such as Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe. [But] like all remarkable characters, this…tough guy has his sentimental side.

[Zurl’s] experience helped him master writing in an authentic, laid-back, hard-bitten police procedural style.

—US Reviews

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Praise for A NEW PROSPECT

Apr 1, 2011 by Etherion

A New Prospect” by Wayne Zurl is a recommended read for anyone liking mystery stories with excellent characters. Zurl has set this novel in the perfect place, the mountains of Tennessee. Here we find true-to-life characters, an inside look at the ‘good ole’ boys’ network, still active in many rural counties.

The plot grabs you from the onset and holds you. I found Zurl’s dialogue to be realistic as was his descriptions.

Zurl has created an excellent protagonist, especially for us southerners. A New York detective retires and moves to the country. That in itself paints an interesting picture. However, lessons well learned up north come into play, but disrupt the locals way of life.

Zurl uses each character like an artist uses colors and creates a tense story that will keep the reader reading…that’s the mark of a great novel.

Robert Lee Carey, Jr. Author of GABBY

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