Review: Would Make a Great and Exciting Action Movie
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 12, 2013
In an attempt to avoid spoilers I'll try to be vague.Jake Scarne is an ex-cop turned private investigator hired by grieving father Sheldon Shields to investigate the death of his beloved son, Josh.  The police believe it was an accidental death, or possibly a suicide, but Sheldon refuses to accept this.  Jake begins investigating the death and soon learns that things are not as straightforward as they seem.While working as a reporter for a Florida Newspaper, Josh investigated a financial group run by Victor Balantrae, and learned something about it that might have gotten him killed.  Jake eventually discovers what happened to Josh and wraps things up in a satisfying fashion.Along the way he falls in love with Alana Loeb, Balantrae's chief of staff, a woman who is deeply immersed in all the activities of her company.  I would have loved for Jake and Alana to have somehow made it as a couple, but the author wisely chose not to pursue such an unrealistic scenario.  The final scene where they are together (along with some bad guys) is strangely moving, despite its conclusion.The characters in the novel are varied, interesting and well rounded, although some of the mob characters seemed a little clichéd. The book would make an incredible movie, at least on par (see what I did there?) with Jason Bourne.