Pederson's second PI Mason Adler novel is a delight. 1940s Phoenix is brought to life, as his his crew, interior decorator Walter, gal pal Lydia, and police detective Emil.

After a dead body is found in a railway trunk, Adler is hired by the father of the trunk's owner. Subterfuge, sartorial choices, and scotch all collide in this adventure.

Bring on book 3!

A little more hard-boiled than a quozy
4.0/5

This second book in the private detective Mason Adler mystery series, set in post-war Phoenix, AZ, has a brisker pace and more focused murder mystery than the introductory book in the series, "Murder on Monte Vista". The same core cast of characters are present here - Mason Adler, an attractive, well-dressed 50-year-old gay detective (with a nod to Dave Brandstetter), his best friend Lydia, the flamboyant interior decorator Walter, and friend Detective Emil Hardwick.

The mystery involves a woman murdered and stuffed in her roommate's trunk and delivered to Union Station prior to the roommate leaving for California on the Golden State Limited. Both Mason and Emil work the case and share details along the way and bit by bit the various elements of the crime are identified, and finally solved, after a few twists along the way.

Where this story really works is in the 1946 setting at a time when air conditioning was rare, your phone lived out in the front hall on a special stand, two women cohabitating and running an apartment building could rather successfully claim to be "sisters," complimenting and coordinating colors for male attire was an art form, and at the Cactus Cantina you could get the regular supper for sixty-five cents, with tamales, enchilada, frijoles, tortillas de maiz and sopa de arroz.

The murder/mystery is an homage to a 1931 Phoenix murder, and many of the locations are old Phoenix landmarks. I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and look forward to the next one (which I suspect may involve Walter, Mason and a weekend trip to Palm Springs). 4 stars.

Having read and enjoyed a number of the author's Heath Barrington books, I was looking forward to this, the second in his new series featuring the private detective, Mason Adler.

Unfortunately I was not very taken with this tale of a body found in a trunk at Union Station in Phoenix.

It took too long for the plot to get underweigh, and there were too many repetitions of information which did not progress the investigation. Adler's friends Lydia and Walter were largely irrelevant and the latter's arch conversation and ultra-campness were grating.

For me the perpetrator and motives were obvious, and while this is not necessarily a minus in a mystery, the rest was not sufficiently gripping or entertaining to hold my interest.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the digital review copy.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It's the first I've read from this author, I would like to read more. I love crime and mystery so this story had everything I wanted. I would be very happy to give this book 4 Stars.

Interesting old-school detecting with a quirky cast of oddball characters.

The story captures the time perfectly from the tech (or lack thereof) the way of thinking and speaking. I liked how the pieces of the puzzle came together and I was still surprised by the ending.

The supporting characters really shine in the story. The MC Mason’s best friend, the free-spirited Lydia proves herself a true ally, and the hilariously camp Walter provides a note of fun against the backdrop of the murder investigation.

Mason comes off as somewhat ahead of his time, but not too unbelievably. On a related note, I didn’t know the term “lesbian” had been around for so long!

An enjoyable whodunnit with a fast-moving storyline and a satisfying resolution. Recommended!

My rating: 4.75 stars

I received this ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Murder at Union Station is a throwback to the golden age era of locked room mysteries. The novel opens with a body found in a steamer trunk. Mason Adler, our distinguished older private detective, questions a myriad of suspects that range from the baggage porter who found the body to the previous landlords of the victim. With each encounter, Adler learns more of the circumstances that framed the young victim's final hours. Along this investigation, we meet Adler's trio of quirky friends that include his sassy single neighbor, Lydia; his ostentatious flamboyant best friend, Walter; and his by the book frenemy, Police Detective Emil. The narrative moves quick as dialogue between Adler and his suspects are the main driving force of the story, though there are bouts of unnecessary repetition when Adler relates his previous interrogations to his friends. Overall, this was a fun, quick read that was reminiscent of the golden age mystery.