Review: Murder, he wrote
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 28, 2014
PM Browne appears to making his novel debut with the murder mystery JUST ANOTHER BAD NEWS. There is little to no biographical information on him so we are left to judge his background by judging his product. He does give us an indication of his interest in crime novels: `Crime fascinates me...greatly. I not only want to learn why Mr. Gunslinger chose to do what he did and how he did it, I am very interested in the outcome, or result of his breaking the law. He was eventually caught, how? Did he make a slip? Was his plan foolproof or he lacked some basic 'criminal' instincts? These things preoccupy my mind and I find myself always wishing, waiting, hoping, for that slip that was so inevitable.'Though there are a number of fine thrillers and mystery novels available to the public to read today, especially with the convenience of the eBooks contributing a portable library to people who would rather read in airports or at lunch than do the social media communication that seems to consume most of the waking hours of the public. But writing a crime novel with the approach that Browne takes is rather refreshing. In addition to having his main character Larry Hayes encounter multiple murders, he allows him to become a suspect to a murder/suicide  - an opportunity of sorts to see just how crime is devised, committed, caught, punished  - or not. In having Hayes involved on that level allows him to move in the direction of perpetrators' thinking, the admixture of finding clues and puzzle pieces, the stumbling blocks of coincidences, and those inevitable flashes of light that reveal the holes in the perpetrator's conception. How Hayes steps into the trap of moving from the role of dubious suspect to the role of target for a mysterious murderer, discovering peripheral facets of the cases as they unfold, all the while allowing Hayes to become romantically involved so that we can identify with this man-about-crime and in that way become deeply involved in the unraveling of this rather well produced story is what makes Browne's book enjoyable. PM Browne accomplished on this first outing the goals he set for himself. It will be interesting to watch his output, hoping that a bit more polish to writing style will develop to accompany his talent for devising interesting tales. Grady Harp, March 14