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Baby Shark #4
Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border
October 1958. Kristin Van Dijk, a private investigator, is twenty-three and a proven asset to Otis Millett, her veteran partner at the Millett Agency in Fort Worth, Texas. She lives above a pool hall, hustles nine ball in her spare time, and has an on-again off-again boyfriend named Lee, a homicide detective for the Dallas PD. When Otis estranged wife, Dixie Logan aka The Dallas Firecracker, as she was known on the Texas striptease circuit, is found murdered it begins an investigation that pairs Kristin and Otis with Lt. Carl Lynch, a straight-arrow homicide detective with the Fort Worth PD. This blending of by the book and fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants investigative styles leads to results in spite of itself, bringing Kristin up close and way too personal with a ruthless cop-killing gang of bank robbers and their boss, a dreamy maniac who hears voices. Is it simply greed that leads to a string of murders, including Dixie s? That is the suspicion when it is discovered the money that was taken in the bank heist has disappeared. Who has it? Where did it go? And if not greed, what is the motive for the double-cross that gets Dixie murdered and sends Kristin and Otis across West Texas in pursuit of her killer? Once again bad men learn too late they should take Baby Shark seriously. She s not a girl to be pushed around. Here are the scenes the readers of the Baby Shark series want Kristin one-on-one against nasty men with guns who get taught their manners; criminals who run thinking they can get away; and the surprising twists that keep readers guessing and asking for more. This is fast-paced action-crime-adventure, the satisfying stuff that sets the Baby Shark series apart.
287 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2009
3 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Robert Fate
9 books16 followersRobert Fate Bealmea is an American author, best known for the Baby Shark series of mystery novels.
Born in 1935 in Oklahoma City, OK, Fate joined the US Marine Corps after High School. He used his GI Bill to go to schools in the US as well as the Sorbonne in Paris.
Before becoming a writer he worked in various fields and won an Oscar for his work in movie special effects.
Series:
* Baby Shark Mystery
Born in 1935 in Oklahoma City, OK, Fate joined the US Marine Corps after High School. He used his GI Bill to go to schools in the US as well as the Sorbonne in Paris.
Before becoming a writer he worked in various fields and won an Oscar for his work in movie special effects.
Series:
* Baby Shark Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 27, 2013
PROTAGONIST: PIs Kristin Van Dijk (Baby Shark) and Otis Millett
SETTING: Texas
RATING: 3.5
SERIES: #4 of 4
You might think that when you become someone's partner, someone who at times depends on you to watch their back, that you might know everything about them. Twenty-something PI Kristin Van Dijk ("Baby Shark") is partners with a former cop named Otis Millett, and together they run the Millett Agency. He has never really mentioned much about his past. Well, that changes when they are called to the scene of a crime and he identifies one of the victims as Dixie, the wife that he hasn't seen for years. Dixie had always been a wild one; on the stripper circuit, she was known as The Dallas Firecracker. From what Baby Shark and Otis are able to piece together, with the help of Fort Worth PD detective Carl Lynch, is that she seems to have expanded her resume to include "bank robber".
As Kristin and Otis investigate her death, they find that Dixie was holding out on her bank robbing partners and had hidden the loot from their latest heist. Naturally, the bad guys are on the same trail as Kristin and Otis, leading up to some violent confrontations. Baby Shark has never been one to use finesse when a gun speaks louder; when she goes undercover, the bad guys live (or don't) to regret it when they try to knock her around.
JUGGLERS is the fourth book in the Baby Shark series, and may very well be my favorite. There was more humanity to the characters, notably Otis. Dixie had a secret that she hid from him that showed that she still loved him; it was touching. In addition, I found Baby Shark's actions to be far less over the top than in some of the previous books. But don't think that she's gone soft. The action is non-stop, and Baby Shark still kicks butt when she needs to.
SETTING: Texas
RATING: 3.5
SERIES: #4 of 4
You might think that when you become someone's partner, someone who at times depends on you to watch their back, that you might know everything about them. Twenty-something PI Kristin Van Dijk ("Baby Shark") is partners with a former cop named Otis Millett, and together they run the Millett Agency. He has never really mentioned much about his past. Well, that changes when they are called to the scene of a crime and he identifies one of the victims as Dixie, the wife that he hasn't seen for years. Dixie had always been a wild one; on the stripper circuit, she was known as The Dallas Firecracker. From what Baby Shark and Otis are able to piece together, with the help of Fort Worth PD detective Carl Lynch, is that she seems to have expanded her resume to include "bank robber".
As Kristin and Otis investigate her death, they find that Dixie was holding out on her bank robbing partners and had hidden the loot from their latest heist. Naturally, the bad guys are on the same trail as Kristin and Otis, leading up to some violent confrontations. Baby Shark has never been one to use finesse when a gun speaks louder; when she goes undercover, the bad guys live (or don't) to regret it when they try to knock her around.
JUGGLERS is the fourth book in the Baby Shark series, and may very well be my favorite. There was more humanity to the characters, notably Otis. Dixie had a secret that she hid from him that showed that she still loved him; it was touching. In addition, I found Baby Shark's actions to be far less over the top than in some of the previous books. But don't think that she's gone soft. The action is non-stop, and Baby Shark still kicks butt when she needs to.
May 31, 2015
The year is now 1958, the place is still Texas. Otis Millett and his PI partner, Kristin van Dijk (Baby Shark) are enjoying a rest at the home of their friend Henry Chin when a phone call takes them back to Fort Worth. Otis has to identify the body of his wife, who has been found shot to death. Dixie and Otis had not been together for 10 years or so, but never divorced. Dixie had been a well-known stripper, but now appears to have been working in a bank -- a bank recently robbed with a moonlighting cop killed in the robbery. It appears Dixie was killed for double-crossing the other bank robbers. Otis wants to find Dixie's killer, and the police want to find the copkiller and the location of the loot from several bank robberies. Kristin agrees to impersonate Dixie's next of kin to draw the killer out. There is danger around every corner, but Kristin can hold her own in a bar fight, a shootout, or a car chase.
As usual, the book is not for readers who prefer their violence offstage. I'm usually one of those people, but there's something about Baby Shark -- her voice, her insights into herself, her willingness to give the bad guys a chance to back down before she shoots to kill -- that keeps me coming back even as the body count increases. BABY SHARK'S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER also gives us more insight into Otis Millett, one of my favorite characters in mystery fiction; and the villain of the piece is one of the more intriguing I've come across. So, go down to the bookstore and pre-order your copy now.
As usual, the book is not for readers who prefer their violence offstage. I'm usually one of those people, but there's something about Baby Shark -- her voice, her insights into herself, her willingness to give the bad guys a chance to back down before she shoots to kill -- that keeps me coming back even as the body count increases. BABY SHARK'S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER also gives us more insight into Otis Millett, one of my favorite characters in mystery fiction; and the villain of the piece is one of the more intriguing I've come across. So, go down to the bookstore and pre-order your copy now.
July 9, 2009
First Sentence: I was on the floor of an old farmhouse, trussed up like a lamb roast, and attached to a rusty iron bedstead by a length of cotton rope.
Kristin Van Dijk is twenty-three and a private investigator in partnership with veteran ex-cop Otis Millett. Although he hasn’t seen her in a long time, it still comes as a shock to learn that his estranged wife, Dixie, the Dallas Firecracker, Logan has been murdered.
Working with Fort Worth homicide detective, St. Carl Lynch, the search for Dixie’s killer puts Kristin and Otis on the trail of ruthless bank robbers and the suspicion that Dixie may have been the one holding the loot.
For me, in any book, I look first at the characters. I love that Fate creates tough, gutsy, smart women. Even in 1958, from Kristin to “Grandma Bausch” the ladies can hold their own. Otis treats Kristin as a partner and, in spite of referring to her as “Missy” he never condescends to her or minimized her in any way. As partners, they balance each others strengths and play to them. I also like that he depicts the vast majority of the police in a positive light and avoids the cliché of the obnoxious, obstructionist cops.
What I really appreciated in this book was that each characters was fully developed, with just enough back story so you understood who they where and their relationship to the other characters.
Fate created a very strong sense of place and time, including appropriate, and enjoyable, references to Amelia Earhart, Louis Armstrong and other characters of the period. But he also has a sense of humor, such as Otis rather sarcastically asking Kristin, at one point when they were away from any towns, whether she had a phone in her pocket. One day soon, Otis.
The story was very well plotted with plenty of action and suspense, but balanced off with humor and a bit of introspection.
This was a very good read and, for me, the best of the series so far. Enjoy!
BABY SHARK’S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER (PI-Kristin Van Dijk/Otis Millet-TX-1958) – VG+
Fate, Robert – 4th in series
Capital Crime Press, 2009, ARC Trade Paperback – ISBN: 9780979996054
Kristin Van Dijk is twenty-three and a private investigator in partnership with veteran ex-cop Otis Millett. Although he hasn’t seen her in a long time, it still comes as a shock to learn that his estranged wife, Dixie, the Dallas Firecracker, Logan has been murdered.
Working with Fort Worth homicide detective, St. Carl Lynch, the search for Dixie’s killer puts Kristin and Otis on the trail of ruthless bank robbers and the suspicion that Dixie may have been the one holding the loot.
For me, in any book, I look first at the characters. I love that Fate creates tough, gutsy, smart women. Even in 1958, from Kristin to “Grandma Bausch” the ladies can hold their own. Otis treats Kristin as a partner and, in spite of referring to her as “Missy” he never condescends to her or minimized her in any way. As partners, they balance each others strengths and play to them. I also like that he depicts the vast majority of the police in a positive light and avoids the cliché of the obnoxious, obstructionist cops.
What I really appreciated in this book was that each characters was fully developed, with just enough back story so you understood who they where and their relationship to the other characters.
Fate created a very strong sense of place and time, including appropriate, and enjoyable, references to Amelia Earhart, Louis Armstrong and other characters of the period. But he also has a sense of humor, such as Otis rather sarcastically asking Kristin, at one point when they were away from any towns, whether she had a phone in her pocket. One day soon, Otis.
The story was very well plotted with plenty of action and suspense, but balanced off with humor and a bit of introspection.
This was a very good read and, for me, the best of the series so far. Enjoy!
BABY SHARK’S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER (PI-Kristin Van Dijk/Otis Millet-TX-1958) – VG+
Fate, Robert – 4th in series
Capital Crime Press, 2009, ARC Trade Paperback – ISBN: 9780979996054
September 27, 2009
Kristin Van Dijk a/k/a Baby Shark has just escaped from a dangerous situation. She has recovered a bunch of stolen silver and managed to survive a shoot out but she left some bodies behind in the old farmhouse. She was not the only one shooting and she barely survived. She contacts her partner Otis Millett and asks him to meet her at a little café. Kristin told Otis there had been some problems and she needed to get in touch with Lieutenant Carl Lynch of the Fort Worth Police Department. Kristin hadn’t always been prompt in letting Lynch know when she had been involved in a shooting and thought it was to her benefit to notify him on a timely basis this time.
Kristen has her own apartment but feels like Henry’s is her home. When Kristen’s dad was killed, Henry Chin’s son was killed and Kristen was hurt. Kristen lived with Henry while she recovered and learned to love Henry. Otis and Kristen decide to take a break and visit Henry as well as Kristen’s dog that lives with Henry. The visit doesn’t last long because Otis receives a phone call that would change his life. Otis is asked to come and identify the body of Dixie Logan, his ex-wife. Otis and Dixie were divorced but Dixie was never far from Otis’ thoughts.
Dixie was shot but didn’t go down without a fight. It appears Dixie had been involved in a bank robbery and someone wanted to find out where she hid the loot. Dixie managed to get off a shot before she died.
Kristin agrees to go under cover and pose as Dixie’s heir in an attempt to track down her murderer. This hunt for the killer covers many miles and puts Kristin in a lot of danger but Otis is always somewhere in the background to back her up.
As the investigation proceeds, Otis learns more and more about Dixie. Otis finds that he held a very special place in Dixie's heart. The chase for her killer is exciting and includes car chases and jumping from a train.
The author brings many reminders of the 50’s to the reader when Otis lights up a lucky or Kristin asks Otis if he has any buffalos so she can make a long distance call.
This is the fourth book in the Baby Shark series and the books get better and better.
Kristen has her own apartment but feels like Henry’s is her home. When Kristen’s dad was killed, Henry Chin’s son was killed and Kristen was hurt. Kristen lived with Henry while she recovered and learned to love Henry. Otis and Kristen decide to take a break and visit Henry as well as Kristen’s dog that lives with Henry. The visit doesn’t last long because Otis receives a phone call that would change his life. Otis is asked to come and identify the body of Dixie Logan, his ex-wife. Otis and Dixie were divorced but Dixie was never far from Otis’ thoughts.
Dixie was shot but didn’t go down without a fight. It appears Dixie had been involved in a bank robbery and someone wanted to find out where she hid the loot. Dixie managed to get off a shot before she died.
Kristin agrees to go under cover and pose as Dixie’s heir in an attempt to track down her murderer. This hunt for the killer covers many miles and puts Kristin in a lot of danger but Otis is always somewhere in the background to back her up.
As the investigation proceeds, Otis learns more and more about Dixie. Otis finds that he held a very special place in Dixie's heart. The chase for her killer is exciting and includes car chases and jumping from a train.
The author brings many reminders of the 50’s to the reader when Otis lights up a lucky or Kristin asks Otis if he has any buffalos so she can make a long distance call.
This is the fourth book in the Baby Shark series and the books get better and better.
December 4, 2009
There’s nothing like a good PI mystery to while away a Saturday night. Robert Fate’s fourth outing with Kristin Van Dijk a.k.a. Baby Shark is no exception.
In Baby Shark’s Jugglers at the Border, Kristin in now twenty-three years old. The year is 1958. Kristin has been a partner at the Millett Agency in Fort Worth for almost five years. In this episode, her partner’s estranged wife, Dixie Logan, has been found murdered. A grizzly scene that Otis should never have had to view, but nothing would have kept him away.
Dixie has a sordid past. In her younger days, she was a stripper known as the Dallas Firecracker. In fact, once Kristin caught a glimpse of a porn movie when she was just a kid starting the Dallas Firecracker.
Otis and Kristin tag onto the investigation driven by the straight-laced detective Carl Lynch. The trio quickly discovers that Dixie is living way above her means. Could she have been involved in a bank heist? All arrows are pointing in that direction. But where is the money now?
As the investigation creeps forward, Kirstin is abducted by a really nasty man and his two thugs. The bad guys leaders is more than merely mean; he hears voices. Specifically the voices of his mother and grandmother.
Kristin and Otis haul tail across Texas and into New Mexico searching for Dixie’s killer and the loot. Baby Shark’s Jugglers at the Border has a few surprises that will keep readers up past bedtime.
Review originally appeared on www.armchairinterviews.com
In Baby Shark’s Jugglers at the Border, Kristin in now twenty-three years old. The year is 1958. Kristin has been a partner at the Millett Agency in Fort Worth for almost five years. In this episode, her partner’s estranged wife, Dixie Logan, has been found murdered. A grizzly scene that Otis should never have had to view, but nothing would have kept him away.
Dixie has a sordid past. In her younger days, she was a stripper known as the Dallas Firecracker. In fact, once Kristin caught a glimpse of a porn movie when she was just a kid starting the Dallas Firecracker.
Otis and Kristin tag onto the investigation driven by the straight-laced detective Carl Lynch. The trio quickly discovers that Dixie is living way above her means. Could she have been involved in a bank heist? All arrows are pointing in that direction. But where is the money now?
As the investigation creeps forward, Kirstin is abducted by a really nasty man and his two thugs. The bad guys leaders is more than merely mean; he hears voices. Specifically the voices of his mother and grandmother.
Kristin and Otis haul tail across Texas and into New Mexico searching for Dixie’s killer and the loot. Baby Shark’s Jugglers at the Border has a few surprises that will keep readers up past bedtime.
Review originally appeared on www.armchairinterviews.com
January 26, 2010
I love this character. Kristin Van Dijk is about ten times cooler than the treacherous, busted skanks that I mostly seem to know. Though the book is certainly populated with plenty of those, too. Hah hah. West Texas noir, 1950's. This is the third of these I've read. Fate really nails the West Texas accents and the tough culture I grew up around(especially the older people are this way). Otis, and all the random encounters with normal folks: waitresses, barmaids, cops, farmers, oilfield workers etc. are spot on. This even more than the previous book flies back and forth through Abilene, Midland, Lubbock, Sweetwater-towns that nobody that was not from there would know. I am going to write Mr. Fate a letter. Big fan.
June 24, 2009
4th in the series. Bob Fate was kind enough to send me an ARC. It was another amazing read -- Mickey Spillane lives on in Kristin Van Dijk. Non-stop action and talented world buidling. Way to go, Bob!
July 21, 2020
Excellent
I love this series. The characters are well developed, the writing tight and the story line unpredictable. I always look forward to consuming another Robert Fate novel. Baby Shark rocks.
I love this series. The characters are well developed, the writing tight and the story line unpredictable. I always look forward to consuming another Robert Fate novel. Baby Shark rocks.
December 25, 2017
Love this series
This story was slow paced compared to the last 3. The character are strong & its an easy read. I'll continue w the series
This story was slow paced compared to the last 3. The character are strong & its an easy read. I'll continue w the series
July 11, 2021
I like this series a lot. Baby Shark is Kristin van Dijk, working with ex-cop Otis Millett as PIs. Otis gets notified of the murder of his estranged wife Dixie, and Otis and Kristin try to untangle a very complex mystery including more murders, bank heists and a very slippery crook. Lots of fun.
February 5, 2014
Disappointing when compared to the first three in the series. While there is a good deal of action in the middle of the book, it quiets down noticeably towards the end and seems to take a long time to tell a relatively simple story. I am looking forward to number five.
August 29, 2012
I really enjoy this series, and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews