In the Doors' great moody song "Riders on the Storm," we learn "there's a killer on the road." In Riders on the Storm, Ed Gorman's 10th Sam McCain mystery--all of which are inspired by song titles--there is indeed a killer on the loose. But who is he?
In the last book in the series (Bad Moon Rising), small-town lawyer Sam had been drafted into the Vietnam War. An accident prevented him from going to war, and after a stint in a military hospital he's now back in Black River Falls, Iowa. One of his very best friends, Will Cullen, who did go to Vietnam, is back and he's not doing well. Sam attends a political reception where Republican Senator Patrick O'Shay announces that a "true man and a true patriot," Steve Donovan, will be running in the local Iowa congressional election. Will, recently active in the anti-war movement, shows up and is brutally beaten into unconsciousness by Steve. Later, Steve is found dead by his car, wheels slashed, struck in the head by what appears to be a tire iron.
All fingers point to Will; he's found with the weapon. Sam must call on his legal knowledge and his sharp investigative skills to protect his friend, whom he believes is innocent. Gorman captures the time period perfectly--the politics, the emotions, even the sometimes snide attitudes toward women (Sam says only "a feed bag could hide" his secretary's body). With Sam--aloof, smart, cynical--Gorman cleverly transplants the classic elements of noir into the quiet cornfields of Iowa. --Tom Lavoie, former publisher