Never Look Down

Cal Claxton #3

by Warren C. Easley

"Lawyer Cal is an appealing knight in rusty armor, seeking justice for the most vulnerable...Easley exquisitely captures Portland's flavor, and his portrayal of street life is spot-on. Readers of John Hart and Kate Wilhelm will delight in trying a new author." —Library Journal

In his first case in private practice, Oregon lawyer Cal Claxton came to the aid of a tagger calling himself Picasso, a Banksy-like figure in Portland. Dividing his time between a wine-country town and the city, the ex-L.A. prosecutor now encounters another urban teen at risk, Kelly Spence, also a tagger. Using climbing skills learned from her much-loved deceased father, a mountaineer, Kelly places angry tags in visible, hard-to-reach places. A runaway from an abusive foster home and alternative high school student, she lives with her father's former girlfriend.

Kelly is four stories up at 3:00 one morning when she looks down and witnesses the brutal murder of a woman in the parking lot below. Unluckily the killer spies her but Kelly escapes. The police soon seek her as a witness. Desperate to stay anonymous, she seeks help from someone on the street she trusts. Too soon she finds his mutilated body and becomes even more afraid.

Cal is drawn into the case by his volatile Cuban friend and landlord who is devastated by the murder: the dead woman had just become his fiancée. Her ex is the obvious suspect, but Cal's instincts lead him in a different direction where he will run into Kelly. Can he get her to talk, or will the killer find her first?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

312 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2015

About the author

Formerly a research scientist and international business executive, Easley lives in Oregon where he writes fiction, hikes, skis, and fly fishes. As the author of the Cal Claxton Mysteries, he received a Kay Snow national award for fiction and was named the Northwest's Up and Coming Author by Willamette Writers. His fifth book in the series, Blood for Wine, was short-listed for the coveted Nero Wolfe Award and his eighth book, No Witness, won the Spotted Owl Award for the best mystery written by an author living in the greater Northwest, including Canada.

Reviews

[Chrisl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started the first six of Mr Easley's books. Finished three. This is my favorite of the series. Learned some interesting things about the dark side of guns'industry/culture. Enjoyed the artistic characters.
Five stars for setting. Three for story.

[Robert Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm beginning to really like the Cal Claxton novels. In this one he faces the aspects of gun control, homelessness, foster parents, drug use, overzealous law enforcement, crooked law enforcers, talented teens and teenage angst. In so doing one gets a picture of how "street" people exist.

[Alonzo Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good series entry for a pretty good series -- one that feels like it ought to turn into a Netflix thing. Cal Claxton, our ex-DA with a social conscience, depleted bankbook, happy dog and rotating girlfriend issues, helps his Cuban PI friend find the killer of his fiancee. But, this time, he shares his first person narration with the point of view of a street urchin and daring graffiti artist, who witnesses a murder through no fault of her own. Naturally, they all end up working the same case, and the tension is less around whodunnit, and more can our hero Cal keep our personable little fearless street girl from getting killed by the right wing bad actors.

Really, this is 3.5 stars, for the skilled execution of a somewhat ordinary plot, but downgraded some because of its protracted solution. Got to say, though, that this series has food descriptions that begin to rival the Rex Stout books featuring Nero Wolfe.

[Michelle Conniff · Rating 4 out of 5]

While manly detectives, PIs, etc are not generally my thing, Warren Easley’s attorney Cal lives in the Willamette Valley and pokes around cases in Portland. I enjoy this. He also does pro bono work for street kids, and actually portrays them well.
This case involves a teen girl tagger/ climber, who witnesses a murder while high up on a building. The mystery was good, characters well developed, and locale was great.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a 3.5. star that I rounded up because it had so many of the qualities I enjoyed in the other books of this series. It wasn't quite as complex or well paced as some of the other entries, but still was an engaging & good read. Anyone who loves the Pacific NW will appreciate the way this author captures the flavor of the region.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been thoroughly enjoying this series - love the characters and the clever twists in the puzzles that Cal is left to solve. Wish there didn't have to be a "cliffhanger" at the climax of each - but that's my only criticism. And, as an Oregonian, I love relating to the places he describes!

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The contemporary theme of urban tagging and the detailed descriptions of life in and around Portland Or make this a story particularly fun to read. The characters and the story are plausible which makes for a good and easy mystery story.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in two days, so obviously, I found it very engaging. I enjoyed the plot, especially the main characters and the writing. I probably would have given it five stars except I thought the ending was just a little strangely rushed.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like his stories..

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing story telling and every chapter had me guessing what would happen next!

[Kathryn Bigelow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads contest. I really enjoyed the mystery and the writing of this novel. The back and forth between the two main characters was well done and kept the story moving forward. The information was delivered very well keeping the mystery going until the end. All the clues did finally come together and in a way that both made for a satisfactory ending and also a somewhat unexpected ending. Looking back on the clues and hints did make the ending plausible. The only thing I didn't pick up on was why the first murder occurred. I missed this point but it didn't detract from my enjoyment and was likely just my own oversight while reading.

The writing style was interesting. I doubt I have ever read a novel with one character written in first person and the other in third. And while I did notice the effect, it didn't bother me or come across as unwieldy or annoying.

If you like mysteries, this was a great read.

[CL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cal Claxton is an Oregon lawyer in private practice. His friend’s fiancée is murdered and they think his friend may have done it. His friend had only recently been engaged to the murder victim but is devastated and asks Cal to help find who did this. As more details are exposed it becomes evident that the tagger who tagged the neighboring building may have been a witness to the crime. They are not sure if it a guy or a girl but as more and more details come to the surface Cal will need to assist the tagger to make sure they are safe and expose the true killer.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third Cal Claxton book has arrived! Cal is back in Portland helping solve a murder for his friend. This connects him with the street youth and especially a young tagger. She witnesses the murder and needs protection. Cal comes to the rescue and solves the murder plus an extra bonus (won't spoil the ending.) Warren continues to write great mysteries that take place in Oregon. His caring for the homeless youth is evident in this book once again. He gives a face to the youth that many people ignore. Bravo!!

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Claxton hjt

This is the 3rd Claxton mystery I have read and enjoyed. Being from Portland myself, I enjoy recognizing most of the mentioned landmarks. That is just a bonus to an intriguing plot and interesting characters.

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating would actually be a 3.5. What I liked about this book is all of the Oregon references. I live here, I know some of the places. Fun stuff. I will probably see if the library has books one and two.

[Ouillma Douthett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great suspense

Love Cal Claxton, another very enjoyable book. The characters are very well developed and it was wonderful to have old friends like Picasso and Nando back.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10 topic: PDX graffiti and homeless population

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kelly Spence is hurt and angry. Her beloved father was killed in a climbing accident and Spence is now a teenager on the run from foster care. She takes out her anger at society by climbing to rooftops and painting tags on places that it seems impossible to reach. Although her crime is mostly irritating, that doesn't mean she wouldn't be prosecuted if she was discovered. Worse, she would be sent back into the foster care system she escaped.

Cal Claxton is a former prosecutor who lives in Portland where Kelly is tagging buildings. Claxton is now in private practice and also devotes a lot of time to pro bono work with the homeless. His path unknowingly intersects that of Kelly when she witnesses a murder on the street while she is on a rooftop above. The murderer sees Kelly but has no way of reaching her. That doesn't mean he isn't looking for her. Cal gets pulled into the case when it turns out the woman murdered is the fiancee of one of his best friends.

Cal and the murderer are both looking for Kelly, one for good, one for evil purposes. But Kelly fears both of them and is determined to hide from both. She tries to find the man she saw commit the crime, figuring she can turn him in if she can only determine his identity. Can Cal find Kelly before her dangerous game turns disastrous?

This is the third novel is Easley's series about Cal Claxton. Cal is a sympathetic character with his emphasis on helping those who cannot help themselves. He has retreated to Portland after the loss of his wife and while on the dating scene, the book is not filled with unlikely sexual encounters like so many detective novels seem to be. Readers will be interested in the case and in Claxton and will be interested to read more about his work. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: A Cal Claxton Mystery