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BLACK RIVER
by G. M. Ford
Avon Books, July 2002
308 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 0380978741


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Some things just never go away. The Black River, for example. Although its water level was lowered by nine feet when the Lake Washington Ship Canal was dug, it simply refused to die. Instead, it went underground, bubbling up occasionally in marshes and sloughs. "It is a river's nature to remain a river," says a Cambodian character in G. M. Ford's latest Corso novel. And everything must be true to its nature.

It's in Nicholas Balagula's nature to scorn the law. The former Russian gangster

will stop at nothing to escape conviction and continue running his criminal empire in California. Frank Corso, as the single non-participant allowed to observe Balagula's third trial and the author of an expose about the crime boss, may very well end up in the line of fire.

Balagula would love to make Corso go away. The reclusive writer of true crime fiction, disgusted by Balagula's previous trials, has made it his goal to figure out exactly what went wrong, when, and how. The Russian does not want anyone poking around in his business right now, and Corso is becoming a major problem. Will he live to write the final chapter of his book?

This is Ford's follow-up to Fury, the first Frank Corso book. His other series, featuring Seattle P. I. Leo Waterman, has been widely read and critically acclaimed. With his new protagonist, Ford's writing reaches an entirely new level. Darker, grittier and much more engrossing for the reader, Mr. Ford has turned serious.

Set against the grey backdrop of rain-soaked Seattle, this novel takes the reader down a bleak path filled with secrets, lies, cover-ups and death. The characters are compelling. The darker elements are unsettling. The pace and plot are unrelenting.

I really enjoyed the edgier, more concise feeling conveyed in BLACK RIVER. There are no easy answers in this book, no neatly rulered lines separating black from white. There is just clean prose, clear imagery and a skillfully woven story that will keep you thinking long after you've finished reading. I hope Frank Corso doesn't go away. If this series remains true to its nature, our next meeting will be something to look forward to.

Reviewed by Jenifer Nightingale, November 2002

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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