Lair of the Dragon

Rating:
Summary: Lair of the Dragon
Review: A good read! Fast-paced, interesting characters, lots of excitement. An easy to read and follow story, with a more complex plot, with lots of twists which keeps the reader wanting to read another chapter, another chapter, and yet another chapter. There was a little something in each character that I recognized in people that I have personally known which made the book even more interesting. I will definitely keep my eyes open for more of this author's books.

Rating:
Summary: Pulls the reader through a maze of criminals
Review: A retired detective lieutenant, Frederick Price spent thirty-three years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department. He spent time in everything from patrol to special investigations, and investigated cases ranging from organized crime to terrorism. Lair of the Dragon is his first mystery.

Every portion of police work involves the writing of reports. Combine this with the years spent in dangerous situations with bad guys, some life tragedies, and an overbearing captain and you have the beginning of Lair of the Dragon. Chad Belmontes is a Metro Detective who is still mourning the loss of his wife and child. When his supervisor threatens punitive action if he doesn't catch up on his caseload, he fakes some reports to save his hide, never dreaming that his faked report sets up an alibi for a murderer. As he and his friend Stan begin to dig, they uncover an organization of Triads, a Chinese mob, run by Benny Chi:

"Returning to his chair, Wu accepted Belmontes' offered cigarette. 'Chad,' he began again, 'these are real fanatics you're dealing with. Triad rites and ceremonies are based upon 36 Hung Mun oaths. They are...' 'Hung...what?' Belmontes interrupted. 'Blood oaths,' Wu answered. 'These oaths basically demand allegiance by all members to the Triad. As part of their initiation ceremony, new members drink a mixture of their own and other initiates' blood. It's supposed to make them bound for life.'"

Chad Belmontes is a marred cop who is lovable in spite of his warts. The one thing that stands out is his basic sense of honesty and decency...even to the point of putting his life in jeopardy for a system all too ready to pounce on one mistake. Frederick Price does a bang-up job of creating a real police environment, which translates to overworked men who are expected to be superhuman in their pursuit of crime and organizations. They are often outgunned and out manned, and they have to use their wits to get the better of their adversaries. Price reminds us, via Belmontes' character, just what a thankless and dangerous job police work is. Lair of the Dragon pulls the reader through a maze of criminals and murders that is exciting and frightening. A great read!

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: Review by a cop.
Review: At the recommendation of a friend, I bought this book. To make a long story short, I started it one evening and finished it the next day, as I couldn't put it down. I loved it. It kept me going the entire time. Both the adventure and realism were there. Anyway, I hope that the author does a sequel with the same characters, as I'm hooked.