If the level of the quality of novels published in January 2016 continues to hold throughout the next 11 months, then this year is going to be a fabulous one for genre fiction. I present as an important example of this trend WHERE IT HURTS by Reed Farrel Coleman. Coleman has written over 20 novels and garnered critical acclaim from his fellow authors; the term “writer’s writer” should be applied to him. He also has been tapped to relaunch Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series, giving it a new luster and appeal while staying true to Parker’s vision. None of the above, however, will prepare you for his new novel. At a point where he could satisfy his loyal audience of some two decades with even a half-hearted effort, Coleman has given us the book of his (and just about anyone’s) career.

Gus Murphy is the first-person, world-weary narrator of WHERE IT HURTS. Gus was a well-liked, well-respected Suffolk County police officer until personal tragedy --- the worst that a person could have --- cost him his marriage and career. As the book begins, Gus resides and is employed at the downtrodden Paragon Hotel within hailing distance of Long Island MacArthur Airport. He spends his time driving a courtesy shuttle bus between the hotel and airport at night and serving as security for the hotel bar on the weekends. He is otherwise caught in the morass of his own grief.

"Where Coleman really shines is in his grim and dead-on appraisal of the people and places that inhabit the back end of Long Island, minutes away but a world removed from the wealthy areas normally associated with that piece of geography."

That, however, begins to slowly change when he is approached by an ex-convict named Tommy Delcamino during the cold, gray stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Gus has a history with Tommy, having arrested him a number of times as a policeman. As Tommy notes, however, Gus always treated him fairly, which is why he attempts to retain him to look into the brutal murder of his own son, a homicide that seems to be all but ignored by the Suffolk County police. Gus initially roughly rebuffs Tommy, thinking that the ex-con is trying to take advantage of his own similar and longstanding grief. When he subsequently regrets this rejection, he attempts to seek out the man, only to stumble upon Tommy’s own execution.

Gus begins an unofficial investigation into the murders of father and son, only to be warned off not only by his former colleagues on the police force but also by street-level hoodlums. The warnings only serve to cause Gus to dig deeper, even as they --- and the physical attacks --- escalate. He quickly learns that there are only two people he can truly trust: a longtime friend with unexpected ties to both sides of the street and an otherwise quiet --- and very mysterious --- co-worker of his at the Paragon. He will need them both, repeatedly, as the novel races to a tumultuous and surprising conclusion, which lingers in the memory long after the story has ended.

WHERE IT HURTS has a plot that is complex but not overly so, nicely balanced by a group of interesting and memorable secondary characters who support but never overwhelm Gus, a physically and emotionally damaged individual whose greatest asset is his persistence. Where Coleman really shines is in his grim and dead-on appraisal of the people and places that inhabit the back end of Long Island, minutes away but a world removed from the wealthy areas normally associated with that piece of geography. Fans of great literature, in the mystery genre or otherwise, should get this book and read it immediately.