Amos Walker is asked to locate an old buddy, Barry Stackpole, with whom he served with in Vietnam by Stackpole's girlfriend. Then, Stackpole's employer (a Detroit newspaper) is desperate to have him appear in court, but he has disappeared without a trace, perhaps due to his investigative reporting. Even the bewitching book editor Louise Starr, a holdover character from the previous Walker novel Sugartown, wants Stackpole who has promised to deliver a book. Walker is tenacious and mixes it up with all sorts to solve the mystery, aggravating some and cajoling others along the way. ( )

To paraphrase author John D. MacDonald (Travis McGee series); Estleman's Amos Walker is "one of the few characters who would be comfortable communing with his Ft. Lauderdale knight in shining armor". High praise indeed from one of the "Masters" of the genre.

With the recent demise of most of my favorite mystery authors (Robert B.Parker,Dick Francis,Phillip R. Craig, William Tapply and Stuart M. Kaminsky)I'm extremely gratified to find Loren Estleman who I've somehow missed during my 62 years of existence. I'm in the process of rectifying this oversight with great pleasure.

He writes some fantastic Westerns as well! Look for his Page Murdock series and a superb stadalone entitled "Sudden Country". ( )