Ohio State University Buckeye Bad Boy Andy Hayes is back in THE THIRD BROTHER by Andrew Welsh-Huggins. This is the fifth title in the Andy Hayes mystery series.
Our bad boy, smart-ass leading character is a bit down and out, with 2 kids, 2 ex-wives; always short of cash; always looking for a lucrative case as a private investigator. Point-shaving while a star OSU quarterback does not merit him much popularity in a city where Ohio State and especially Ohio State football reigns supreme.
In a supermarket parking lot, Andy is outraged at the treatment/the abuse aimed at a Somali woman and her children. He intervenes in her behalf. The altercation puts him on the radar of the Somali community and he receives a request to look for a missing boy who some believe to be a terrorist.

The Ohio location gives this series a great ‘sense of place’. Having been born in Columbus, I like reading about German Village, The Book Loft, Ohio State campus, Short North, Dublin, Arlington and all the neighborhoods that make up this midwestern city.
I like Andy’s character. He is maturing and has quite the ethical streak, despite his earlier transgressions.
Additional characters in the series provide interest, tension and factual background.
(I was interested to read that Columbus has the 2nd largest Somali population in the US. after the Twin Cities of Minnesota. The missing boy in THE THIRD BROTHER is part of this community which garners suspicion because of its Muslim faith.)
I like the factual expertise that the author gives to his books. Andrew Welsh-Huggins is an AP journalist working in Columbus, and has written several non-fiction titles in addition to his mystery series.
I like the book cover. (I always look at book covers.)
The mystery, the plot tension is very good.
I like Mr. Welsh-Huggins’ writing style and often note certain sentences that resonate with me.
“The contrast of the electronics-heavy room with the rest of the drab house was striking, like finding a chemistry lab aboard a clipper ship making a run to Cathay.”
“….wondered what conditions I would ever drink a Mountain Dew.” (I am in constant wonderment how anyone could drink it!)
“Bibles, books on religion, and family photos crowded a bookshelf behind the pastor’s desk. The walls were covered with more photos, along with framed diplomas and the quintessential Columbus office accessory: a framed poster-sized picture of Ohio State Stadium on game day.” (How many times have I seen that same poster? In offices, bedrooms, Ohio State TV rooms, living rooms, public buildings. It might be a law to have such a poster!)

I enjoy this series very much and would definitely recommend it. (Just like a clerk at The Book Loft recommended the series to me many years ago.) ( )