Collateral Damage

October 10, 2011
Griffin’s sixth mystery featuring Florida lawyer Matt Royal (after 2010’s Bitter Legacy) draws the reader in instantly by making clear that newlywed Jim Desmond, who’s staying with his bride at the Hilton in Longboat Key, isn’t long for this world. Sure enough, a sniper shoots Desmond while the honeymooner is jogging on the beach, the first in a series of mysterious killings. Desmond’s father, Charles, an old Vietnam War buddy of Royal’s, asks Royal to investigate his son’s murder. The older Desmond aims to turn up some leads by filing a civil suit, though without a defendant, the strategy appears doomed from the outset. Royal tries to use his close, and increasingly closer, relationship with Longboat Key’s lone (female) police detective, J.D. Duncan, to advance the probe. While the ending pulls some punches, the relatively sophisticated plotting makes this one of the better series entries.

November 1, 2011

A conspiracy plot centered in unlikely little Longboat Key, FL, brings boomer lit to life. Semiretired lawyer-turned-beach bum Matt Royal is hired by Doc, his old Marine buddy from Vietnam, to find out who killed his son. Can a trio of deaths on a nearby dinner cruise ship be linked? The well-connected Matt brings in Jock, a multitalented federal agent, to help figure out what is going on, since signs point inexplicably to a Laos connection that might involve drugs. Soon the guys are under siege, diving in the sand to escape gunshots and knifings. VERDICT Truly an action lover's delight, this terrific sixth series entry (Bitter Legacy) radiates energy as intense as Florida's August sun. Combine a strong sense of place with plenty of over-the-top but exciting situations, and you've got a winner. Try this with your Robert Crais fans and for those who mention John D. McDonald's Travis McGee mysteries with a wistful look.

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