Cliché-Laden But 'More Than Decent'

Archer Mayor tries his hand at writing crimes in the Asian community - and disappointingly adheres to some stereotypical conventions (secretive/reluctant victims; tattooed 'Tong' & 'Triad' tropes; gang-rape to shut up witnesses; etc) - but he's pretty good at it. The plot progresses nicely through a twisty-turny case that proposes multiple plausible motivations and takes on international flavors.
Less fortunately, Joe Gunther's personal involvement proceeds from conducting a routine stop for speeding.. through investigating a home invasion.. to machine-gunnings, bombings, and multiple gruesome murders (what - exactly - is Gunther's role in the Battleboro PD? I mean, is he a traffic cop? A homicide detective? Vice? All of the above? If the town is so small that individual police officers are responsible for *everything*, this sweeping Big-City case is hilariously implausible for Gunther's fictional home base). At times, it's awfully hard to suspend disbelief and just enjoy the crime-tale.

Thankfully, reader Tom Taylorson makes the immersion easier with a spot-on performance. His French-Canadian pronunciations are occasionally chuckleworthy, but he avoids the temptation to try Asian accents (an incredibly judicious decision) - and his diction, timbre, cadence, and tone are characteristically unsurpassed (Mr Taylorson was a brilliant choice to read the 'Gunther' series of novels on Blackstone Audio's part).

Altogether, 'The Dark Root' is a creditable addition to Mayor's Mystery-Thriller catalog. Provided you can adjust to the timeframe (this story takes place 30 years ago.. but only occasionally feels dated), the book merits a solid 7.5 stars out of 10.
If you can likewise - as I did - get it as part of the 'Plus' initiative.. you should absolutely do so. If they ask for a Credit, however, other books in the series are far better.

[Incidentally: Lieutenant Gunther is essentially guaranteed to get shot at/stabbed/run off the road in each investigation - often twice - and this one is no different.. someone should invent a drinking game]

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Good

Nice try on pronouncing the French street but good story overall. Enjoyed the performance… missed hearing Gail

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This one made me smile quite a lot

I quite enjoyed this one, but as a Montrealer, I might’ve been biased. I laughed at a lot of the mentions of Montreal and some of the pronounciations.
The story was different enough from the earlier books to make me want to keep going…that and the narrator’s voice

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