Review by Booklist Review
Sultry, savvy Ms. Tree and her thrilling detective adventures gave indie comics fans 15 straight years of tasty noir jolts starting in the 1980s, setting the record for longest-running private-eye comic book. Now creator Collins has given Michael Tree new roots in a seedy yarn that should sprout into a series. Ms. Tree (she likes the pun, so deal with it) takes over her husband's Chicago detective agency after he is murdered on their wedding night only to get a shot at avenging him a year later during an investigation into several deaths that might have been Mob hits in disguise. Collins propels the narrative forward with dark wit and a light touch; it only stumbles once, and that jarring note is tossed in for good reason. As Ms. Tree recounts the investigation to her psychiatrist, most readers will see the ending coming. But it's such a cracking good story, they will savor the chapters leading up to the big reveal. Collins elevates what should be throwaway material into a memorable ride. The steamy cover by original Ms. Tree artist Terry Beatty ain't bad either.--Sennett, Frank Copyright 2007 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The wife of a prominent accounting firm executive has just been arrested for the murder of her husband and his afternoon pay-per-playmate, but the Chicago PD have their doubts about the open-and-shut case. It's up to longtime Collins heroine, Ms. Tree, the sexy brunette PI star of his graphic novel series, to clear the forest of red herrings and uncover the conspiracy beneath; of course, her tricky investigation is soon beset by deadly antagonists. Tree slips effortlessly into her first all-prose incarnation, though "graphic" is not an inaccurate description for this exceptional novel: "Mike was sprawled on his back... his bare chest puckered with entry wounds and blood pooling beneath him, glistening with neon reflection." A psychiatrist Tree seeks out (for help with recurring nightmares) provides a framing device that keeps her complex tale unspooling smoothly, and Collins skillfully ties up a multitude of branches into the big, bloody bouquet one would expect from the author of The Road to Perdition. Sharp and satisfying, this is another must-have for fans of the Hard Case Crime imprint. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Michael Tree suspects a conspiracy when a wife murders her cheating husband in this adventure based on the graphic novel Ms. Tree by the author of Road to Perdition. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
