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Rating: 
Summary: A lyrical trip to the high country --
Review: I was drawn to this book because somewhere, there was reference to a musical background in the story. Well, the music is mentioned, certainly, but it is by no means a major player in the book. Nevertheless, I was certainly not disappointed in any way at all. This book isn't exactly a mystery, and it isn't exactly a romance, nor is it exactly a western. It has bits of those genres, and also bits of southern gothic, techno-thriller, adventure, hard-boiled hard-edged 'mano y mano', and not a little bit of travelogue. In fact, the more I read, the more reminiscent the book became to a series by one of my favorite authors of all time--John D. MacDonald. The series, of course, is that colorful one featuring Travis McGee. This is not to imply that Dead Aim is in any way a take-off on the Travis McGee books, even though Chris Klick, the main character of this book, is very like Travis in many ways. Size, temperament, inclination--an electic mixture of things that make him very endearing. Like most big men, he is basically a very gentle person, sensitive (remember this was originally published in 1988, written even earlier), and caring. He is also an outdoorsman, who appreciates nature and most living creatures, is not overly concerned with the acquisition of 'stuff', but one who won't take very much guff from anyone, either. And, he does know music. My kinda guy, entirely. He has no fixed abode (no 'Busted Flush' for example) but house-sits in various locations, enjoying and guarding the properties belonging to his friend and sometimes partner, James Chandler Wilshire Lyel III. Lyel is even bigger, smarter and wealthier than Chris, whose income is derived from restoring royalties to 'lost' musicians. For a fee, of course. As this story opens, Chris is in Idaho, watching a pair of mergansers, when his idyll is interrupted by Nicole Russell, whose husband has disappeared and she wants him back. Thus we're set off on a wide-spread search, in which an amazing amount of plot elements are developed, dropped, picked up, discarded temporarily, then picked up again. The wise reader will make a serious attempt to remember them all, because sooner or later, you'll come across them again. There is no such thing as a 'throw-away' line here, because everything is utilized to good advantage. Especially Idaho, itself. It cannot ever have been displayed in a more appealing fashion. Almost makes you want to call your travel agent. All in all, this was an extremely engaging book, one I suspect I'll re-read at some future point. But only after I've read the other two books featuring these lovable--but very dangerous--guys, all the while keeping my fingers crossed that the author is busily working on the next one!
Rating:
Summary: The Slacker of All Trades
Review: So, I read this book because I share the fairly amusing, yet compelling name of its hero. Happily, I found the book to be well-written, and Chris Klick to be HIGHLY likable. Symbolism here is deftly and intelligibly employed. The hero is fleshed out well enough for me to identify with him (alright, the name helped, too), but is also familiar as a classic private eye. New to the genre, and very welcome, are the P.I.'s sensitive take on women, and the rural setting. The climax of the story is riveting to anyone who's ever held a gun or has tried to remain undetected. Give it a 4.5 and round that up to 5 stars.
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