In the late 1970s, Keane's biography of L.A. bounty hunter Ralph Thorson became a bestseller and was made into a movie starring Steve McQueen called The Hunter. In 1994, Thorson was killed by a car bomb planted by one of his captures, Q.D. Reese, who then set out to murder Thorson's wife, Dottie, and daughter, Brandi. The two women resolved to carry on Thorson's business, although they faced an enormous obstacle as women in a profession regarded as an all-male preserve and often had to work at cut rates. This is less the saga of their adventures tracking down bail-jumpers than it is the story of how they themselves evaded Reese; they were aided by Robin, a young girl tougher than either of the Thorsons, who had been placed in Dottie's custody by a judge. Also figuring in the drama is their wealthy friend Myrna, an alcoholic and drug addict whom Reese took as a mistress to get closer to his goal. In a confrontation, Reese was shot by Brandi and is now serving a life sentence. Their story would make an exciting, suspenseful sequel to the film, as it does to the earlier book. (June)
