The Black Squall

by Lori Stone

Jean Pearson, a 29-year-old veterinarian from Youngstown, Ohio, arrives in Fort Lauderdale to arrange for the funeral of her father and uncle. It appears that they died in a typical gasoline engine boating explosion until Jean learns that the blast was caused by bomb. She hardly has time to react to this news when she is pursued in a high-speed car chase, and barely escapes being kidnapped. Frightened and alone, Jean meets a girlhood friend, a wealthy Anglo-Mexican socialite who invites Jean to stay aboard her yacht. Together they set out to investigate the murders, and they soon uncover a web of treachery that leads to government corruption, tangled conspiracies, cocaine smuggling, and a billion-dollar land fraud scheme. Targeted for assassination, they find themselves being hunted by both the villains and the police as they careen through Florida in a desperate gamble to find the only evidence that will ensure their survival. They make their way to a battered women's shelter, Jean kills a corrupt police officer, their world turns upside down, and they roar off on a motorcycle stolen from a gang member as they ricochet toward their first adventure's startling conclusion.

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The father in question here was an aging shambling beach bum (but still with plenty of the quick) with a penchant for taking his retirement in instalments who lived on a houseboat he won in a card game. The uncle in question was an economist who lived on the houseboat next door.
Do they sound familiar? The impression is given that they're intended to and that this book is at least in part homage to and continuaton of John D MacDonald's Travis McGee series, Jean Pearson being his daughter, hence use of colour in the title.
Bit of a cheek, you might think, but it's entertaining enough and has it's own merit.
We all homage in our own way.