Red Stick One

The 1974 murder of Tom Jay Harding, a Florida Fish and Game officer, triggers a quest for revenge in Kirkeby’s taut thriller. Flashbacks to 1958 provide the backstory of Harding’s deepening relationship with Virgil Cleary, a 10-year-old boy he first encountered trespassing. Impressed by Virgil’s gift for tracking wildlife, Harding gives Virgil a chance to work off any potential fine by helping out at the Fish and Game office doing odd chores. Gradually, Harding moves into the role of surrogate father to the boy. Meanwhile, a little girl goes missing, and Harding wants to make use of Virgil’s skills to find her, despite his youth and the inherent threat posed by her abductor. Virgil later embarks on a search for his benefactor’s killer that takes him to Casper, Wyo., where his growing feelings for a woman he encounters there complicate his hunt. Kirkeby skillfully blends suspense and character, though readers should be prepared for some heavy dialect (“We could ’a been friends, you ’n me”). [em](BookLife) [/em]