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COLD PURSUIT
by T. Jefferson Parker
Hyperion, April 2003
372 pages
$23.95
ISBN: 0786868058


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

On a rainy January night in San Diego, Pete Braga, the "Portuguese Godfather' is found murdered and homicide detective Tom McMichael catches the case, despite the fact that there is bad blood between the two families. Many years before, McMichael's grandfather had signed on as a fisherman on Braga's boat. At the end of the cruise, Braga refused to pay McMichael and when Frank McMichael started to insist, Pete Braga shot and killed him. A year later, Victor, Braga's eldest son was found beaten, his brain so injured that he became severely retarded. It was generally accepted that Tom's father, Gabriel, had administered the beating.

Pete's head had been bashed in. The nurse, Sally Rainwater, was a suspect, especially when several artworks are found to be missing from the Braga mansion. Sally insists that Pete gave them to her, but she remains a suspect. Meanwhile, Patricia Braga, Pete's granddaughter and Tom had a thing going, but Pete broke it up. Of course, this investigation brings them back together.

Braga had prospered since those tuna fishing days of the 1950s. He was now one of the wealthiest men in San Diego, owner of a successful auto dealership, former Port Commissioner and trustee of some valuable waterfront land. Was his killing politically motivated or common theft. Did it have something to do with the letters he sent to his attorney which have gone missing?

Parker writes very well. His characters do come alive, but his plotting is somewhat mundane. The relationship between McMichael and his father and McMichael and his son are extremely touching. McMichael also feels responsible for Victor Braga after his father's death. Who will take care of this 10-year old in a man's body. And then there is the cop who is in jail who used to drive a truck full of cars to Mexico, to have leather seats installed, and then bring the cars back. Who is he protecting? There are almost too many side stories in this police procedural.

Reviewed by Barbara Franchi, May 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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