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Jeff Shelby Wicked Break (Noah Braddock Mysteries, No. 2)
Onyx 20070601 0451412419 / 9780451412416 MM Very Good
0451412419 0451412419 From Publishers Weekly San Diego PI Noah Braddock interrupts his surfing for a missing persons case in Shelby's action-packed follow-up to Killer Swell (2005). Noah isn't eager to take on new clients, but he's moved by Peter Pluto's pleas to find younger brother Linc, a college student, whose apartment turns out to contain a stash of guns. The tension escalates when Linc's neighbor is shot after being questioned by Noah. Soon after, Noah's untimely arrival at Peter's ransacked house in a quiet cul-de-sac irritates a couple of vicious skinheads. Noah awakes in a ravine, left for dead, and a bit too cozy with Peter Pluto's corpse. Later, accompanied by his pal Carter, conveniently six-foot-nine, Noah boldly wades into plenty of life-and-limb"threatening situations, including verboten gang territory and a secluded skinhead gathering. Strong characterization and wonderfully biting humor compensate for a straightforward plot that's overly generous with tough guy posturing. (July) Copyright ? Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From The Washington Post The hero of Jeff Shelby's Wicked Break is a "Surfer PI," which sounds like he'll be catching a gnarly wave and listening for the killer's name in the surf or some such New Age hokum. But, thankfully, surfing -- while adroitly handled -- occupies only a tiny portion of this novel. For a detective series to work, the writer must create a character readers want to follow book after book, and with this follow-up to last year's bestseller Killer Swell, Shelby has done that well. Noah Braddock, PI, comes across as both rough and tender, his tough-guy veneer occasionally cracking to reveal a vulnerable core. The novel begins when Peter Pluto approaches Braddock at the beach and hires him to search for his missing brother. The action unfolds fast and furiously: By page 35 there's already been an extortion attempt, a shooting and a beating by murderous skinheads that leaves Braddock within an inch of his life. In fact, he spends a great deal of the book being beaten up, nursing injuries and replying to a lot of "What the hell happened to you?" questions. Personally, I take to a character who absorbs a beating or two, licks his wounds and keeps at it. One problem I had with Robert B. Parker's Spenser was that he was too cool a customer, too bulletproof; invulnerability isn't an attractive character trait. Braddock is emotionally and physically fallible but ultimately resolute -- another reason to get behind him. Into the faithful sidekick role steps Carter, Braddock's streetwise childhood pal. The majority of the novel's humor comes from their exchanges. Here they are observing a skinhead rally: " 'Can I just pick 'em off,' Carter asked. 'One by one?' " 'That would probably be Plan Z.' " 'What's Plan A?' " 'We lie here and see what happens.' "He glanced at me. 'You are so boring.' " 'One of my best qualities.' " 'Said the really boring guy.' " Braddock and Carter have more than one obstacle to hurdle -- violent drug dealers, shady lawyers and an uncooperative police force -- but their chief foes are a gang of white supremacists, an underworld faction that Shelby appears to have researched well and that he details chillingly. He also works the reader through the unfolding mystery dexterously, introducing new characters and possibilities while keeping an eye on various subplots that no doubt will continue to develop over the course of this series. Does it all work? Not totally. The subplot involving Braddock's alcoholic mother is an attempt at family drama that feels tacked on; the novel bogs down during these chapters. A few logical inconsistencies intrude as well, such as the episode in which Braddock and Carter shoot up a white supremacist compound with illegal machine guns, killing several residents, only to have the police let them go after some halfhearted questioning. (In Shelby's defense, a 10-year prison hitch would severely derail Braddock's investigation.) Finally, there
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1.69 USD
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