Reid Bennett is the entire police force in tiny Murphy's Harbour, Ontario, Canada. Of course he gets a lot of help from his German Shepherd, Sam. While he's on vacation, he's approached by a woman who asks him to find her son, who's joined an outfit that supposedly trains mercenaries. Bennett is a little reluctant, but he agrees. Before long, he's on a wilderness adventure that involves lots of shooting and a serious wildfire. He recovers the son, but that's just the beginning, as Wood starts springing the plot twists. If you're looking for villainous villains, lots of action, a little sex, and a very cool dog. You've some to the right place. There are a few plot problems, not the least of which is the faithful Indian companion deus ex machina, but Wood's writing is strong and his pacing is exemplary. Bennett is a hero like Jack Reacher, tough, strong, and sure of himself. I'd think Reacher's audience would like him a lot.
Ted Wood is a Canadian author who had a good bit of success in the U.S. with this series. I believe there were ten books in all. He wrote a couple of others as Jack Barnao, and I liked those, too. He might not be completely forgotten, since I believe the books are available for Kindle. Cheap copies of the paperbacks abound, too.
6 comments:
I'm a big fan of this series too. It took me a long time to get the last book, A CLEAN KILL, but I picked one up cheap on ABE and read it a couple of years ago. I've only read the first of the three Jack Barnao books so far but...one of these days.
Jeff
Oh, I meant to add that the one you reviewed is #6 in the series. If anyone wants to start at the beginning (as they should), the first is DEAD IN THE WATER.
Jeff
I've read only the first Jack Barnao book, too. It was pretty good, as I recall.
I went ahead and reserved this one and DEAD IN THE WATER.
DEAD IN THE WATER is a popular title and was used by Ngaio Marsh, Stuart Woods, Franklin W. Dixon, Carola Dunn, and Dana Stabenow.
I read the first three or four books in this series and liked them a lot. It's one of the series I never got around to finishing, though.
The entire series is:
Dead in the Water, Murder on Ice, Live Bait, Fool's Gold, Corkscrew, When the Killing Starts, On the Inside, Flashback, Snow Job and A Clean Kill
I managed to get them all in Canadian hardcover, and have read them all a couple of times. Honestly, I like the first 3 or 4 the best.
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