The Vulture

October 12, 2015
At the start of Ramsay’s middling 10th mystery to feature Picketsville, Va., sheriff and former CIA operative Ike Schwartz (after 2014’s Drowning Barbie), an explosion kills an undercover cop after he accidentally drives Ike’s car away from a rendezvous. Ike and his wife, Calland University president Ruth Harris-Schwartz, go underground as the sheriff’s department and Ike’s contacts in the CIA, FBI, and NSA attempt to discover who’s behind the bombing. When the search identifies wealthy businessman Martin Pangborn and his militia group, Ike and Ruth travel to his compound in Idaho
for a confrontation. Given the minimal backstory, readers new to the series might wonder about Ike, Ruth, their relationship, and the reasons for Pangborn’s
animosity. Excessive dialogue slows the action without providing insight into characters or their interactions, and Pangborn and his crony, a junior state
senator, fail to transcend ubervillain
clichés. Still, series fans should enjoy
the continuing banter between Ike and Ruth, as well as Ramsay’s scathing social commentary.

December 1, 2015

Ike Schwartz's car is a smoking ruin on a Picketsville, VA, street. As a former CIA operative and the current sheriff, Ike has his share of enemies, but who could be responsible for the bombing? Picketsville launches an all-out investigation aided by Ike's CIA colleague Charlie Garland. This is the tenth in this terrific police procedural series (after Drowning Barbie).

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2015
The sheriff of Picketsville, Virginia, has seen a lot of trouble over the years. But who hates him enough to try to blow him to kingdom come? When Ike Schwartz's car is reduced to a twisted mass of metal on the main street of Picketsville, his wife, Ruth, and his team at the sheriff's office are devastated. Luckily for Ike, a former CIA agent, he drove off in the wrong car by mistake and is still alive and in hiding. Initially, only Ruth and his old CIA pal Charlie Garland know the truth, and they try to keep it that way, especially after Ike and Ruth's getaway cabin in the woods is also destroyed by a bomb. The bomber is caught but keeps mum. But Ike's network of friends in the CIA, FBI, and local police are eager to catch his would-be killer. The clues point to wealthy, politically connected Martin Pangborn, a man with a grudge against the government who has no use for any minorities, including Jewish sheriffs. So Ike and Ruth disguise themselves and head off to Idaho, where Pangborn's New Star Ranch trains anti-government troops and hides an even more sinister secret. Back home, Ike's team continues to look for answers while maintaining the fiction that he's dead. It takes a lot of high-tech tricks to uncover the truth. Ike's 10th (Drowning Barbie, 2014, etc.) uses themes cut from current headlines to ramp up the excitement.

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