Review: Great read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 11, 2013
This was one well written, solid book. Loads of action.Jake Scarne is a NY City PI. He's been a PI for eight years.Jake also worked as a cop for the NYPD. He kinda sorta got kicked off the force when he almost threw a city councilman off a balcony at City Hall.The councilman bribed a witness in one of Jakes cases. The rapist, who was the cousin of a major contributor to the councilmans campaigns, got off. Jake still thinks he should have thrown the councilman off that balcony.Jakes orginally from out west. He was raised by his grandfather when his parents were killed in a plane crash. His grandmother died shortly after so it was he and gramps.Jake is part native American via his grandmother and Italian through his grandfather.Jake was a marine in the current set of wars. He was captured, tortured and escaped. He's got medals. They sit in his bureau drawer. He never talks about that war. To many memories.The book starts off with a couple of assassins who kill a guy fishing in the surf on a Florida beach.Everyone thinks his death was an accident. Everyone but his dad. Sheldon Shields.Sheldon is the older brother of Randolph Shields the head of one of the largest media companies in the nation.Sheldon asks Jake to meet him for lunch. Jake hasn't got a clue why but meets the man.Sheldon and he talk about many things. One of those things is Joshua Lawrence Chamberlaine.I applaud the author for included Joshua Lawrence Chamberlaine in this very good story.Anyone Civil War buff immediately recognizes Chamberlain.As the author states, Chamberlain was a Civil War General. He's one general I greatly admire. He and his 20th Maine held Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg. He and the 20th Maine saved the battle and quite possibly the war for the Union. Chamberlain was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his day on Little Round Top.One of the amazing things about Chamberlain is that he was a college professor. He knew nothing about being a soldier. He taught himself about tactics and soldierinig by reading everything he could find on the subject. He was one amazing man.Chamberlaine is someone Sheldon so admires that he named his son after him.He tells Jake that he doesn't think his sons death was an accident. He thinks Victor Ballantrea, the current darling of Wall Street, had him killed. Josh was a reporter working on a story about the Ballantrea organization.Jake is taken aback by this but decides to go to Florida and do some checking. He really likes Sheldon Shields and hopes he can find enough evidence to prove Josh's death was an accident and put the mans mind to rest.Boy how wrong Jake turns out to be. This is one hell of a who dunnit. There are assasins, underworld figures, death, murder, attempted murder and a femme fatale who knocks Jake right off his feet.One great read and well worth those skimpy five stars.