Art and Murder

September 7, 2015
This is the ninth Jack Taggart mystery by Easton (The Benefactor), whose 20 years as an undercover agent with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) lend his books a gritty authenticity informed by the dark realities of his experience. This installment opens as RCMP operative Jack rescues a call girl informant from the hands of three sexual sadists. He discovers that the thugs are linked to an international crime ring led by the mysterious “Ringmaster,” but in the process, a French undercover policeman, Kerin Bastion, is murdered when he tries to warn Jack that the criminals are on to him. The story charts Jack’s extended chase over several countries to seek revenge for Kerin’s death and expose the Ringmaster’s operation. Fortunately, he has something the Ringmaster wants back: a stolen painting. This intelligent cat and mouse game pits the fearless Jack and his team against seemingly impossible odds. How does a naked agent in the wilds of southern Italy overcome six assailants? The answer, and the whole tale, will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

November 15, 2015
The ninth Jack Taggart mystery finds the Royal Canadian Mounted Police undercover operative pulled into an international crime ring. A fellow cop, an Interpol agent, has been murdered, and Jack will do whatever it takes to bring the killer to justice. The author, a veteran undercover cop, brings a high level of realism to a story that many writers would have difficulty matching. Taggart is a well-designed character, too, an experienced police officer whose dedication to solving his cases often borders on self-destructive obsession. Crime-fiction readers who haven't yet discovered the Taggart series would be well advised to plug that hole as soon as possible.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)