|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
California Fire and Life works on many levels. As a mystery, it has the investigation of the murder of Pam Vale, wife of Nicky Vale, who died in a house fire that investigator, Accidental Bentley, is calling a tragedy, but which claims investigator, Jack Wade is calling murder, especially when he uncovers evidence of the fire being intentionally set. Also, the victim's half-sister, Letty Del Rio, an officer in the sheriff's department, also says that her sister was murdered. The book takes the reader through the route of how a fire is investigated by the insurance company. While going with the investigation, the reader sees the background of Jack Wade, and how he comes to the point where he is now investigating this crime. There are glimpses of Jack in fire school, where he strives to be the best in the class, and also scenes of Jack in the sheriff's department. Then there are the flashbacks to the case where Jack is discredited on the stand during a trial, showing the bad blood between him and Bentley. Jack comes across as a person with lots of flaws, but strong character, as he always says, "I don't make deals." Nicky Vale is another strong character. Nicky's real name is Diatznik Valashin, a Russian emigre who remade himself in the land of California. The reader gets glimpses of Russian life through Nicky, as he goes from working for the KGB in Afghanistan, to where the KGB sent him into a Russian prison to infiltrate the Two Crosses, just so he could be sent to America to steal money from the Americans. The most vivid scene is in the prison where Nicky kills the head of a rival group when he is first thrown in. Two men, Dani and Lev, then protect him from retribution, and Nicky brings them along to America with him. Once in America, Nicky moves up the ranks of the Russian mafia, finally taking over after a blood bath of a war. Soon, Nicky quits sending money to KGB, marries an American woman, has two children, and is doing well. Then his wife sobers up, threatens to divorce him, and Nicky is feeling pressure from the mob to strengthen his resources. Meanwhile, as Jack is investigating Nicky, he uncovers a scam involving the replacement of antique furniture with copies, which went up in the house fire. Going to see the furniture copier, Jack finds three dead bodies in another fire that destroyed most of his evidence. To say more would give the story away. There are many scenes which introduce the reader to various problems and scams in the insurance industry. Also, the story contains scenes of loyalty between Nicky and his comrades from the Russian prison. By the end, just about everyone is involved in Nicky's plans. The ending scene worked in a realistic way, but be warned, it is not what one would expect to happen, in a neatly tied up solution.
Reviewed by Steven M. Sill, January 2003
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
|
