Review: Cool character, fun book
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 22, 2012
After pilfering all Mr. Rain had written(to date) of Samantha Moon I figured I'd give some of his other characters a try.  Knowing Jim Knighthorse from the Vampire For Hire series I figured he'd be my next stop.Jim Knighthorse is 'just' a PI much like Samantha Moon is 'just' a PI.  He's not a vampire but he's an ex high school and college football star who could have gone pro if it weren't for a catastrophic leg injury 8 years ago in his senior year.  He's also the estranged son of a father who was never there for him as a kid because, like Jim, Cooper Knighthorse is also a PI, only his company is much bigger.  Jim's mother was the victim of a seemingly random murder when he was ten years old.  He's got a lot of baggage but he's also very good at his job and he knows it.  Much like he knows he's built like a brick outhouse and is quite the handsome devil..something he doesn't mind mentioning time and again, usually in reference to his charming smile.  He's not an ego maniac though.  He's got a good moral compass and he loves his long time girlfriend Cindy dearly.Jim Knighthorse is also flawed, which makes for an interesting character.  He deals with his baggage by drinking..alone and in secret and he's also got a scary temper.  Oh, he also talks to Jack...a homeless man he meets at McDonald's....who claims to be God...not A god....THE God...As far as the story goes, it's a pretty interesting whodunnit with a good rogue's gallery.  A high school girl is found murdered in front of her home and the police find the knife in the boyfriend's back seat.  He being the only black student in the whole school doesn't help much, but the police aren't looking any further than him.  Enter Jim Knighthorse.  His job is to prove the young man's innocence.  In his investigation, Jim will run into a high school band teacher that likes to maintain VERY close relationships with his students, a vice principal who's seemingly tough as nails but is holding something back, an abusive spouse and a hit man that wants Knighthorse off the case..or else.All in all a fun and fast read as one would expect coming from the keyboard of JR Rain.  I found a couple of inconsistencies that left me scratching my head a little bit and Jim wanting to possibly rekindle his dream of being an NFL fullback after an 8 year hiatus of not having played on any level a little on the implausible side, those are minor quibbles and don't take away from what is otherwise a fast paced murder mystery with witty dialogue and a very cool supporting cast.  Now, off to read book #2!