Friday, March 7, 2008

Goodbye Sister Disco-James Patrick Hunt

Goodbye Sister Disco
James Patrick Hunt
St. Martin's, Mar 2008, $23.95
ISBN: 9780312361563

In an affluent part of St. Louis, attorney Tom Myers and wealthy Cordelia Penmark attend a Christmas Party thrown by his firm’s senior partner Sam Fisher. They leave the gala and go to his BMW5. While she waits in the passenger seat, he puts the key into the driver’s side door when she notices two men seemingly come out of nowhere on each side of the car. The one on Tom’s side pulls the trigger of his gun twice killing him. They abduct Cordelia,

St. Louis police detective George Hastings is selected to work with the FBI because of his recent work exposing a bad Fed (see THE BETRAYERS) on the homicide-kidnapping case that has very few clues as money is not the prime motivator though Cordelia’s dad is wealthy; apparently political posturing is. Hastings investigates family members of both victims hoping to find a clue that will lead him to the culprits and save the life of the young woman, but most are not forthcoming with the truth. Still he prods each of them motivated by knowing how he as a divorced father with custody of his stepdaughter would die if this happened to her.

GOODBYE SISTER DISCO is a fascinating police procedural starring a likable lead character who diligently works the case with a law enforcement team distrusting of one another and two seemingly disinterested families. The story line is fast-paced with plenty of action that grips the audience as the hero begins to slowly out together the true motive. Although the support cast is stereotypically weak, sub-genre fans will enjoy James Patrick Hunt’s entertaining tour of St. Louis.

Harriet Klausner

No comments: