Matters of Doubt

August 5, 2013
Easley’s unremarkable debut introduces Cal Claxton, a former L.A. prosecutor who has moved to Oregon wine country following his wife’s death and is now content to handle small-time cases. But when a tattooed Portland street kid, Danny “Picasso” Baxter, who looks about 20, asks Cal to help solve his mother’s murder, Cal reluctantly agrees to do so. Picasso tells Cal that his mother, Nicole, disappeared mysteriously eight years earlier and that her skeletal remains were recently found in the Deschutes River. Picasso is sure the killer is Mitch Conyers, a sleazy Portland businessman who was once his mother’s boyfriend. Cal digs into Nicole’s life and work—she was a reporter for The Oregonian—and finds unsettling connections to all manner of deceitful dealings involving some of Portland’s most notable citizens. Easley brings alive the world of street kids and the alternative social groups they form, but the mystery, such as it is, lacks punch.

August 1, 2013
A lawyer turns sleuth to help a homeless youth uncover the story behind his mother's murder. Attorney Cal Claxton moved to Dundee to take it easy after he retired from working for the city of Los Angeles. Though Cal anticipates that he can spend time working on his fly-fishing now that he's deep in Oregon, his plate is soon full of the jobs you'd expect to find in a small town. When a teenager comes to Cal begging for him to investigate a case, Cal tries to explain that investigating's not in his job description. The kid, a rebellious Portland youth who goes by the name Picasso, wants someone to look into his mother's death since he knows the police aren't taking the case seriously. Picasso is convinced his mother's former boyfriend Mitchell Conyers is the one responsible for her death, and he is ready to back up his beliefs with action. Cal tries to soothe Picasso while trying to find out if Mitchell's sleek exterior hides more sinister motives. Meanwhile, Picasso spends his nights with other transients and his days painting a mural of hope on the exterior of a local free health clinic. These days of freedom may be over when he stumbles on a murder for which he is the prime suspect. The motives and murders in Easley's debut fit together like a set of nesting dolls, with each resolution leading to a new case. Cal comes across as an average guy who's just trying to lend a hand.

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August 1, 2013

Attorney Cal Claxton has relocated from Los Angeles to a small town near Portland, OR, and is adapting to a quieter lifestyle. Or he was, until a young muralist from Portland named Danny Baxter (better known as Picasso) comes to him for help. Turns out Picasso's mother, investigative journalist Nicole Baxter, disappeared when her son was quite young, sending him into a rabbit warren of foster homes and, eventually, life on the street. Now, eight years later, Nicole's body has been recovered from the bottom of a reservoir. As the cold case thaws, Nicole's former boyfriend is murdered, and Picasso is the prime suspect. Cal, ever the Good Samaritan, wades into a complicated story filled with high-profile bad guys and vulnerable innocents. VERDICT Easley's legal thriller debut, the first in a projected three-book series, is perfect for John Grisham fans. Although heavily draped in character stereotypes and social issues, his briskly paced and satisfyingly complex David vs. Goliath story will hold readers rapt from start to finish.

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