Blood Trail

Ben Tails (aka "Mr. Slide") leaves a bloody trail indeed in Cook's gripping tale of a modern warrior's journeys from Montana to Vietnam and other parts of Asia, always returning home, always searching. His skills as hunter and marksman turn him into a deadly sniper, while his Vietnam War experiences leave him disillusioned and aware that he has been manipulated for evil purposes. He stays for years in Asia, where he learns Mandarin and does his best to suppress the violent side of himself he calls Mr. Slide. Tails's core values make him far more interesting than the run-of-the-mill action hero, and when one of the rare people he trusts lures him from Montana to Japan for a simple job selling motorcycles—and sussing out bad guys—Mr. Slide may have to reappear. Tails soon discovers that he's being used as a pawn in a deadly and vicious high stakes game. Graphic violence, penetrating, incisive analysis of complex cultural and historical events and one man's heroic defiance make Cook's long overdue second novel (after 1988's Graveyard Rules ) an event to celebrate. This is a writer with something to say and immense skills with which to say it. (May)