To Leave a Shadow (Pete Stone, Private Investigator Book 1)

This mystery was set in Wichita, Kansas. I went to high school in Wichita, and very much enjoyed following the protagonist, Pete Stone, around territory that was familiar to me as he interacted with a variety of characters and attempted to solve a murder. This is not a frightening or deplorable plot, but rather a well-written one that pulls the reader gently from the front cover to the back cover. The only thing better than reading it is to have the good fortune, as I have had, to hear the author read parts of it in person, in his rich, deep voice. I look forward to the next Pete Stone mystery, which I'm told, is coming soon!

Michael D Graves writes like he came from the 1930's. The detail, the speech, the atmosphere makes you feel like you were there, with him, and that makes it very difficult to set it down, and stop reading. I loved this book! Pete Stone was what I would think to be a true detective, an ordinary gumshoe, (as he calls himself), with wit and street smarts. He won't quit, until he gets the job done. I have a feeling this won't be the last of Pete Stone I will be reading about. Michael D Graves will be in my search bar, on a regular basis. In full discloser, this is my brother.

I really enjoyed the old style private eye mystery! A little romance kept it interesting and his wry humor was fun. I look forward to reading the next installment!

I took a chance - didn't know the author and saw only 5 reviews - all of them were five stars - the first one by the brother of the author. Hmmm. I confess I was a bit suspicious. But - I got it free on Amazon Prime (digital), so what the heck? Started it one morning, and had it finished early (4 am) the next morning - I wanted to finish it after my work day and stayed up to get it done. Put it down once or twice, but couldn't sleep and started reading again. Page turner? Yes. Well written - in "good" English? Yes. No editing problems or typos? Nope - None that I noticed (and I am VERY disturbed by so much bad editing in e-books I try to get through these days). This is a very nice - well-told and well-published - almost philosophical noir-style "yarn".Did I see "it" coming? No more than the author himself anticipated I might. Do I want more of this character and his "girl Friday"? Yes. Why?It is a solid, well-written mystery with believable main and tangential characters set in the late 1930's Midwest (hope "Midwest" is the correct term - I'm an east-coast boy - it is a story expressly of "Midwest regional appeal" according to the publisher) with a little - just enough, really - (non-graphic) sex and violence to suit the story - there is perhaps a bit of 21st century sensibility observable but not too intrusive - with a good story-line - the only thing I find a bit confusing is the quote at the beginning ("... not to leave a shadow on the wall") and the last word ("... not to forget me.") as they seem to conflict. Zen?I also must observe this - which is not really a spoiler I don't think: we flash-forward at the end of the book 25 years (to 1961) to what may be the deathbed of the "hero" of this story - in a sweet and melancholy epilogue that fills in a few gaps in an artful and interesting way - but I came to really like the guy as a younger fellow - a detective of the 1930's - and having befriended him, I am somewhat bothered by his suddenly getting old - there is a difference between coming to know a character and growing with him through a story (or - perhaps - stories) versus reading his story that takes place in his vibrant days and then, when it ends, to flash-forward to his (apparent) decline. If there are to be sequels - which I don't often crave but do with this tale - I would rather grow old with the hero (as with the Sherlock mythos) than see him grow old before my eyes in the first take. Don't get me wrong - this is an entire and complete story with a beginning, middle, end and an afterword that constitutes a fitting finish to an all-inclusive novel with a one-time hero - but if this is intended to be the first of several stories about this fellow - as I hope it might be - then I am sad at having peeked at his last days (if indeed they were - there is room for doubt) before an "end" that may be yet to come (this is, Mr. Author, a jab in the ribs to consider a sequel). Certainly not criticism, this is praise - because I like the hero of this book and want more of him before he takes "The Big Sleep" (couldn't resist).Oh - "mebbe" a little too much "detail" of the day sprinkled here and there (arcane car models and daily baseball scores and players and plays and similar reference that might seem just a little forced). These lend some "reality" and show depth of research, and they do play into the story for the most part, but perhaps are a little heavy-handed - and perhaps there is a bit too much about the smoking of cigarettes - several redundant references (is "several redundant" a redundancy?) to lightings of the ladies' cigarettes - these are my only real peeves - my parents were of that era and I know the smell of cigarette smoke all too well - it was ubiquitous in the times written of - but there were LOTS of lightings of cigarettes in the narrative over the few days that made up the time-frame of the story and it got a little tedious after the first several times the hero lighted hers and lighted his and lighted her and lighted his and ... yeah, I know ... but that's really all I have to complain of, and it's not much.I truly enjoyed this book and - having obtained it on a whim and having had no "clue" about this "mystery" novel ("I slay me") before downloading it - I was very satisfied and can recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good old black-and-white dialogue-driven mystery film or a well-written adult story in a Chandleresque or Hammett-like ambiance. Well-done - a solid FOUR STARS. Why four stars? Because five is for Shakespeare and Twain - this is excellent writing - but maybe not Shakespeare.

I kept hearing Dick Powell from "Murder, My Sweet" in my head while reading Graves' "To Leave a Shadow." There's a a sense of a flippant tough guy who is a private detective because he has to be, not necessarily that he wants to be one. He's not perfect, gets beat up and bullied. But his back story is fascinating and the fact that it takes place in Wichita (as opposed to New York or L.A.) gives it a fresh uniqueness. This feels like an Old School hard-boiled mystery and that alone makes it worthwhile to me. Not many writers would delve into a 1930's Midwest milieu and come out looking good.

I enjoyed the slapstick humor, familiar setting, attention to detail, and the reminders of life in simpler times. In the absence of today's technology, detectives of that era needed to use their wit, wisdom, intuition, tenacity, along with a touch of luck. I had forgotten how common smoking and having a daily brew (or two) was in those days; it seems like everyone lived life on the edge, even if they didn't know they were doing so!I look forward to reading more of Peter Stone's trials and tribulations!

I completely enjoyed this book. The tone is great - I read it in a voice comparable to that of the opening credits on Dragnet (I don't know why, but this book gave me those feels!). I couldn't put it down and wanted to know what happens next. I've never been much for murder mystery style, but this definitely caught my interest and kept it. The characters are unique and interesting. Very much enjoyed!

The main character in this story reminded me of Philip Marlow or Micky Spillane. It was really refreshing to go back in time with a really good detective story. I highly recommend this book