Following a huge April snowstorm that closed pretty much
everything, I spent the weekend holed up with a bunch of new
books, including _White Devils_ by Paul McAuley,
_Midnight Mass_ by F. Paul Wilson, and the newest Max Freeman
novel, _Shadow Men_ by Jonathon King.
I can remember reading King's debut, _The Blue Edge of
Midnight_ and thinking it had best debut Edgar written all
over it. So I was excited when his second book came out.
Unfortunately, I wasn't quite as impressed by this second
novel, _A Visible Darkness_. In moving the action away from
the Everglades, where his character, Max Freeman, an
ex-policeman turned private detective lived in virtual
isolation, a lot of the magic of the debut was lost.
Apparently, King learned from this because book three is a
real keeper.
_Shadow Men_ involves the search for three men, a father and
his two sons, who may have been killed 80 years before during
the construction of the first road across the Everglades. All
that one of their descendants has to go by are a few letters,
which hint at some rather nefarious goings-on at the work
site. Apparently, the company which has hired the men isn't
so willing to let them go, once they become disenchanted with
the tropical heat and the clouds of mosquitoes.
Someone in the present day isn't too excited about Max and
his lawyer friend, Billy Manchester, digging into this old
mystery. Apparently, if the chain of evolution can be
uncovered, a modern corporation can be held liable for
something done decades ago.
The action in the novel moves around a lot, but it remains
firmly focused on the Everglades themselves, as Max and the
old Gladesman Nate Brown, who made an appearance in the
second book, search for what may or may not be the final
resting place of the three men. There are some great,
atmospheric sequences that take place out in the swamps and a
memorable scene has Max and Nate crawl into the darkness of
an abandoned alligator hole to hide from a couple of men who
are tracking them.
Coupled with a subplot that involves Max's policewoman
girlfriend and a friend of hers, also a policewoman, who is
being stalked by her abusive policeman boyfriend, a subplot
that connects directly to Max's past, the book literally
flies along. It is very fast- moving and, ultimately, very,
very satisfying. Easily one of the best mysteries I've read
this year.
Craig Larson Trinidad, CO
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