Hunt, James Patrick 1964-

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Hunt, James Patrick 1964-

PERSONAL:

Born 1964.

ADDRESSES:

Home—OK.

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

CRIME FICTION

Maitland, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2005.

Before They Make You Run, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2006.

Maitland under Siege, Five Star (Waterville, ME), 2006.

The Betrayers, St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

James Patrick Hunt lives in Oklahoma, but the setting for his crime novels is Chicago. The books feature a former police detective, Evan Maitland, who now runs an antique business with a partner and moonlights as a bounty hunter to make some extra money and keep his law enforcement skills sharp. Hunt's first novel in the series, Maitland, follows the hero as he attempts to track down bail-jumper Barry McDermott, a Chicago attorney who was arrested for having sex with a minor. Maitland tracks McDermott to Oklahoma City, where his married girlfriend lives, and there discovers that in addition to issues with his love life, McDermott is involved with the local drug dealers as a money launderer. McDermott is killed in a shoot-out, and Maitland gets injured as well for his efforts. A contributor for Kirkus Reviews remarked that Hunt's effort offered "a nice eye for the difference between professional and emotional involvement, and almost too much action for Maitland to handle." Wes Lukowsky, in a review for Booklist, wrote: "This is an extraordinary debut that harkens back to Elmore Leonard's classic City Primeval: High Noon in Detroit."

Hunt followed up his debut with Maitland under Siege, a sequel that once more sees Evan Maitland leaving behind his day job in Chicago to chase a bail-jumper. Thomas Hicks is a high profile, dangerous killer who jumps bail after shooting two men who were beating him. Maitland follows him to Union City, Kansas, where the police chief has a double homicide of his own to deal with—and to cover up. A contributor for Kirkus Reviews labeled the book full of "even more tough, expertly staged action than Hunt's strong debut." Barbara Fister, in a contribution for Mystery Scene Online, noted that "Hunt creates complex and interesting characters caught up in the kind of rural nightmare that is Noir's country cousin." In a review for the Chicago Sun-Times, David J. Montgomery wrote: "Hunt writes with a nice economy of language, and the book is packed with juicy action scenes." Wes Lukowsky, again reviewing for Booklist, said of Hunt: "It's clear we have a nascent star on our hands."