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Chris Klick #1
Dead Aim
Chris Klick just wants to relax. He prefers the quiet life of rural Idaho, far from his past in the fast-paced music industry. Yet, when a woman named Nicole Russell tells the amateur sleuth about her missing husband, missing Labrador, and missing $50,000, Klick’s suddenly up to his ears in mystery. Aided by former basketball star and best friend Lyel, Klick pursues Nicole’s husband, dog, and lost cash in corrupt Snow Lake. Can the two help Nicole recover her money without losing everything?
Originally published under the name Wendell McCall from 1988 through 1999, author Ridley Pearson’s Dead Aim, the first installment in the three-book Chris Klick Mysteries series, retains all of its hard-boiled wit, grit, and sense of adventure today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ridley Pearson is a New York Times bestselling author with over 24 novels published. His work is extremely diverse, from children’s fiction to crime novels, paranormals, and adventure. His novels often incorporate a compelling combination of realistic high-tech forensic wizardry and hair-trigger suspense. One of his best-known crime novels, Undercurrents, contained cutting-edge forensic ideas that helped solve a real-life homicide case. Another, Chain of Evidence, was the first to raise the possibility of a “crime gene”—which later became the focus of a high-profile genetics conference. He has published several popular crime series featuring recurring characters, as well as standalone novels under his own name and the pseudonyms Joyce Reardon, Ph.D., and Wendell McCall. His latest thriller, The Red Room, featuring John Knox, appeared in June 2014.
Pearson was the first American to receive the Raymond Chandler Fulbright Fellowship at Oxford University, the site of his research for best-selling novels No Witnesses and The Angel Maker. He was also a founding member and bass player for the Rock Bottom Remainders, a band comprised of best-selling authors including Dave Barry and Stephen King.
Originally published under the name Wendell McCall from 1988 through 1999, author Ridley Pearson’s Dead Aim, the first installment in the three-book Chris Klick Mysteries series, retains all of its hard-boiled wit, grit, and sense of adventure today.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ridley Pearson is a New York Times bestselling author with over 24 novels published. His work is extremely diverse, from children’s fiction to crime novels, paranormals, and adventure. His novels often incorporate a compelling combination of realistic high-tech forensic wizardry and hair-trigger suspense. One of his best-known crime novels, Undercurrents, contained cutting-edge forensic ideas that helped solve a real-life homicide case. Another, Chain of Evidence, was the first to raise the possibility of a “crime gene”—which later became the focus of a high-profile genetics conference. He has published several popular crime series featuring recurring characters, as well as standalone novels under his own name and the pseudonyms Joyce Reardon, Ph.D., and Wendell McCall. His latest thriller, The Red Room, featuring John Knox, appeared in June 2014.
Pearson was the first American to receive the Raymond Chandler Fulbright Fellowship at Oxford University, the site of his research for best-selling novels No Witnesses and The Angel Maker. He was also a founding member and bass player for the Rock Bottom Remainders, a band comprised of best-selling authors including Dave Barry and Stephen King.
- GenresMystery
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1988
45 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 11, 2025
Chris Klick is an interesting hero and the author provides both an intriguing mystery (fooling me a number of times along the way, which I like) and an interesting background. Klick is a sometimes songwriter turned unofficial private eye cut somewhat in the pattern of MacDonald's Travis McGee. His major occupation is finding musicians who are long-owed royalties and helping them obtain those royalties for a percentage. This is often sad as he finds a down and out musician.
However, in this situation, he is approached by a woman who is looking for her dog, and incidently her missing husband. Klick doesn't really want to take the job, but he is immediately smitten by this woman and soon finds himself puzzling over his absence. He soon suspects that a body thought to be the missing husband is actually a local rancher and that the switch is not an accident.
The dog? It comes crawling home with a butt filled with buckshot.
And the mystery-- it is most assuredly not what it seems to be, but the actual mystery is hinted at for the perceptive reader-- I like the way that this writer plays fairly with the reader.
However, the heartsick emotions expressed within, while making the novel deeply emotional, at times got in the way. The author uses the heartsick emotions of Klick to continue to compel him to pick away at the mystery-- but at times he is so besoughted with infatuation that the story is marred.
I liked the resolution of the mystery, but not the final pages of the novel. It certainly left me almost angry, when I suppose I should have felt sorrow.
However, in this situation, he is approached by a woman who is looking for her dog, and incidently her missing husband. Klick doesn't really want to take the job, but he is immediately smitten by this woman and soon finds himself puzzling over his absence. He soon suspects that a body thought to be the missing husband is actually a local rancher and that the switch is not an accident.
The dog? It comes crawling home with a butt filled with buckshot.
And the mystery-- it is most assuredly not what it seems to be, but the actual mystery is hinted at for the perceptive reader-- I like the way that this writer plays fairly with the reader.
However, the heartsick emotions expressed within, while making the novel deeply emotional, at times got in the way. The author uses the heartsick emotions of Klick to continue to compel him to pick away at the mystery-- but at times he is so besoughted with infatuation that the story is marred.
I liked the resolution of the mystery, but not the final pages of the novel. It certainly left me almost angry, when I suppose I should have felt sorrow.
September 12, 2019
An older book, from a series I've been trying to lay my hands on.
Wendell McCall is Ridley Pearson in disguise, an author I've followed for many years, starting with his Seattle cop series.
Enjoyed this one, too...yes, it's somewhat dated, but it was written 30-some years ago?
Chris Klick is a musician turned private investigator, sorta. He tries to find long lost musicians who are owed royalties in order to distribute said royalties. It can be dangerous. He's got the physical battle scars and long recoveries to show for it.
He spends his downtime at his friend's guest cabin, sort of a part time caretaker. Said remote cabin is wired to the gills, all kinds of monitors to ward off surprises by visitors.
And in this opening episode, Nicole begs Klick to help unravel the mystery of her missing husband and missing money. Was he cheating on her, did he embezzle, where is he, is he dead??!!
Wendell McCall is Ridley Pearson in disguise, an author I've followed for many years, starting with his Seattle cop series.
Enjoyed this one, too...yes, it's somewhat dated, but it was written 30-some years ago?
Chris Klick is a musician turned private investigator, sorta. He tries to find long lost musicians who are owed royalties in order to distribute said royalties. It can be dangerous. He's got the physical battle scars and long recoveries to show for it.
He spends his downtime at his friend's guest cabin, sort of a part time caretaker. Said remote cabin is wired to the gills, all kinds of monitors to ward off surprises by visitors.
And in this opening episode, Nicole begs Klick to help unravel the mystery of her missing husband and missing money. Was he cheating on her, did he embezzle, where is he, is he dead??!!
December 16, 2016
A western mystery set in Idaho, Dead Aim proves to be a good novel with a slow middle. McCall is a pseudonym of Ridley Pearson who has written much better books in his own name. I was intrigued by the lead character's job --hunting for musicians who are owed back-royalties-- but this book is about a more conventional mystery. Too bad.
November 26, 2025
Ridley Pearson writing under Wendell McCall! Ridley Pearson! I love his books. This is the first of a series and although the dialogue seemed a little cheesey at the beginning, the back story for Chris Klick definitely piqued my interest and then the storyline grabbed me! I will definitely be checking out the 2nd in the series.
August 5, 2016
This is a Ridley Pearson 1988 mystery written under the name Wendell McCall. Pearson can deliver the goods, but this book is missing that definitive spark. There are some good plot twists, and the narrative has some wonderful descriptive moments, but the book lacks that solid pull. It's as if the story needs to be fleshed out with just a few more turns, and the characters with just a bit more flavor.
September 12, 2016
Author Wendell McCall is a pen name of Ridley Pearson. I've read several of Ridley Pearson's books and enjoyed them. This one was good but not among my favorites. It's felt a bit dated, it was written in 1988.
September 30, 2015
Great read
It was easy to see who was the "bad guy" but the interest was in how he was finally brought down. The was some romance, just enough, intrigue, and good western excitement.
It was easy to see who was the "bad guy" but the interest was in how he was finally brought down. The was some romance, just enough, intrigue, and good western excitement.
October 8, 2015
First Chris book
Very disappointed, way too much detailed description of fighting, tracking. I am returning the next two books without reading. Will read more of the Lou about books as I've read quite a few and liked all except one.
Very disappointed, way too much detailed description of fighting, tracking. I am returning the next two books without reading. Will read more of the Lou about books as I've read quite a few and liked all except one.
Want to read
December 30, 20071999
Read
December 8, 2012boring, too involved, ridiculous
March 20, 2017
Meh
I don't know what to say. It wasn't bad -- even good at some points. Just not good enough for me to read the series
I don't know what to say. It wasn't bad -- even good at some points. Just not good enough for me to read the series
September 3, 2016
Pretty good mystery/thriller set in Idaho.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews