Dallas PI Lee Henry "Hank" Oswald has more problems than his hackle-raising name in his second violence-filled outing (after 2005's Still River
). A throwback PI, Hank can take a beating and frequently does; he's turned in a friend on principle; he sleeps with clients (pretty, female); and he has friends and enemies on both sides of the law. An alcoholic Baptist minister starts Hank on a journey to recover a file, while a state senator hires him to play bodyguard for a friend's daughter. Hank's friends include a "six-foot-six quasi-psychopathic homosexual shit-kicker" who's also an arms dealer. His enemies include a psychopath who seems to be everywhere and unstoppable. It's sometimes hard to tell the good guys from the bad as Hank tools around in a borrowed Bentley trying to make sense of the constantly shifting players seeking the file. A bit of humor leavens the tough-guy action, but mostly it's macho mayhem to the max. (July)
