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John Caine #3
Emerald Flash
In his third adventure, private eye John Caine is in trouble again--only this time it comes looking for him. After saving a California woman and her corporation from certain ruin and acquiring his new home, a classic sailing vessel christened Olympia, he's back in his Hawaiian paradise, working hard at relaxing on the beach and trying to keep to the peaceful side of the street. But a woman named Margo Halliday is about to turn Caine's peaceful world upside down.
One night, as Caine is leaving a neighborhood restaurant/bar, Chawlie's, he encounters a naked woman fleeing from a man who is shooting at her, but fortunately not doing a very good job of hitting his target. Caine easily disables the man and ushers the woman back into the restaurant. The woman, he discovers, is Margo Halliday, and the man, who quickly fled the scene, was her abusive ex-husband.
Caine has almost forgotten about the incident when, months later, he reads about the murder of Margo's ex, who has been found shot to death in her exclusive Hawaii Kai condominium. And the next thing Caine knows, Margo is at his doorstep begging him to hide her from the thugs who murdered her ex and who she now thinks are after her. Desperate to get off the island of Oahu, Margo enlists Caine's help and unknowingly lead him into a lethal game that begins with shots aimed at them with high-powered rifles and leads them deep into the jungles on the island of Kauai, alone and outnumbered against the deadly assassins.
One night, as Caine is leaving a neighborhood restaurant/bar, Chawlie's, he encounters a naked woman fleeing from a man who is shooting at her, but fortunately not doing a very good job of hitting his target. Caine easily disables the man and ushers the woman back into the restaurant. The woman, he discovers, is Margo Halliday, and the man, who quickly fled the scene, was her abusive ex-husband.
Caine has almost forgotten about the incident when, months later, he reads about the murder of Margo's ex, who has been found shot to death in her exclusive Hawaii Kai condominium. And the next thing Caine knows, Margo is at his doorstep begging him to hide her from the thugs who murdered her ex and who she now thinks are after her. Desperate to get off the island of Oahu, Margo enlists Caine's help and unknowingly lead him into a lethal game that begins with shots aimed at them with high-powered rifles and leads them deep into the jungles on the island of Kauai, alone and outnumbered against the deadly assassins.
304 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Charles Knief
6 books3 followersCharles Knief is a former airborne soldier, pilot, and engineer. He has traveled widely and lived in Hawaii for a number of years. His first John Caine adventure, Diamond Head, won the SMP/ PWA contest for Best First Private Eye novel in 1995. He and his wife currently live in Irvine, California.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
August 23, 2009
I enjoyed the previous novel in this series much better than this one. Billed as a mystery, there really is no mystery in this novel. It is pretty much action all the way.
Caine is something of an imitation of Jack Reacher (from author Lee Child's books).. ex military, all around tough guy with a soft heart for damsels in distress. He is clever, witty, and at times brutal.
Knief is a good enough writer. He does a good job of describing the setting, the action, etc. However, one expects a mystery novel to actually contain a mystery. There was no puzzle, no red herrings, nothing to cause the reader to scratch his head and think how clever the author was in his plotting.
Caine is something of an imitation of Jack Reacher (from author Lee Child's books).. ex military, all around tough guy with a soft heart for damsels in distress. He is clever, witty, and at times brutal.
Knief is a good enough writer. He does a good job of describing the setting, the action, etc. However, one expects a mystery novel to actually contain a mystery. There was no puzzle, no red herrings, nothing to cause the reader to scratch his head and think how clever the author was in his plotting.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review