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4.0 out of 5 stars
Not quite there . . ., May 25 2001
It should come as no surprise that the second book published by an author is frequently not up to the same high quality of the first one. After all, that first one (probably) was not written to a deadline, but was, rather, fueled by the inner passion of the author. It's not at all uncommon to finish writing that first book, heave a tremendous sigh of relief, and vow to never touch another typewriter, or computer, as the case may be. Thankfully, in most cases, that latter sentiment doesn't last long, (although in some instances, it doesn't last long enough!) and in a day or so, the author is inspired enough to begin the second book. Even with luck, however, if there is a contract staring him or her in the face, time can interfere with the creative process. I don't know if that happened with this book, but it has certainly happened to many others. I LOVED McCalls's first book Dead Aim, and vowed to read all his others. It appears there are only three, so far, with just a year or two between the first two, but several years between the latter two. Not that this book is in any way insufficient, mind you; it just isn't quite sufficient enough. Chris and Lyel are still in Idaho, still loving--and enjoying--the countryside, while indulging in the occasional bit of work, as necessary. For Chris, this is tracing lost musicians to whom royalty payments are due. Lyel's work is mostly clipping coupons. And not the cents-off-at-the-grocery-store-variety, either. After a fatal crash at the local airport (and the two buddies are volunteer firefighters, providing us with vivid descriptions of such an activity) Chris is asked to help a local woman find her missing sister. And thus begins the chase. That's the really good part, with the loving look at souped-up 50s and 60s hot-rods (if you're old enough to remember when this was being done, you'll really cherish this part of the book!) and a bit of spy-type activity in California as Chris looks for the owner of a building who doesn't want to be found. Published in 1990, the book is still up to the minute, with environmental concerns mixed with politics, and, underneath it all, the steadily beating heart of an appealing, yet lonely man. Now, to find that third book, and hope for a fourth. And a fifth. Maybe even a sixth?
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