Port City Shakedown

July 1, 2009
In this first installment of a projected new series by the author of the Jack McMorrow mysteries, a Portland, Maine, man, Brandon Blake, finds himself the target of violent revenge. Blake is putting himself through school, and right now hes taking a class in law enforcement. During a ride-along, he helps a police officer break up a fight at a funeral home. Turns out one of the people involved is a convicted criminal who decides that Blake needs to be taught a lesson. Blake is a resourceful fellow, but is he a match for a determined convict with a single-minded mission of destruction? Brandon Blake is a solid series lead, a likable man with what appears to be a complicated past (including a mother who disappeared under suspicious circumstances), and we get the impression that Boyle has barely scratched his surface here. It will be interesting to see whether he takes Blake in the usual amateur-sleuth direction or if he has something a bit more unusual in store for him. Keep your eyes on this one.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)