A container vessel with a hold full of frightened Chinese refugees runs aground on Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay. The vessel's crew have been slaughtered in a manner that suggests Private Investigator Cape Weathers' friend, Sally, may somehow be involved. However Sally, a trained assassin, is missing and Cape must infiltrate the seedy, deadly underworld of Chinatown to find Sally, and to seek answers to a series of mysteries that unfold one atop another with each step he takes. Sally has a dark, secretive past about which Cape knows very little. When he finds a dead body in the trunk of his car and a bomb planted conspicuously underneath he becomes much more directly involved than he'd care to be.

Anyone who enjoys private detective novels and murder mysteries.

Characterization and character interaction.

As this is not normally my preferred genre I started reading this book with an open mind, not really knowing what to expect. Most of the main players are introduced rapidly in half a dozen short chapters. Though the characters must weave their way through a few dodgy metaphors, I found myself enjoying the pace. Initially the jumps back and forth in time were a little irritating but once I'd progressed further into the story it became much more gripping. San Francisco and Chinatown came alive for me,and I enjoyed the spotlights of wit and humor that lightened the mood. Maleeny has come up with a great set of characters who move smoothly through the story, interacting wonderfully with each other. The outcome was perhaps a little predictable and there were no real surprises in the ending, but overall a nicely written and colorfully set tale. A very good debut.

A new Cape Weathers Investigation, entitled "Beating the Babushka", is due for release in October 2007.

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Created Aug 05, 2007 at 1:44pm • Submit your own review...