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Steve Brewer is a damn good storyteller with a strong sense of place. I loved his END RUN, featuring Albuquque sports writer Drew Gavin. Now BOOST adds another string to his New Mexico bow. Sam Hill is a car thief, one of the best in the business when it comes to boosting vehicles. He's got two sidekicks -- little Billy and the giant bouncer Way-Way. And they're called into action when Sam nicks a car and finds a dead body in the trunk. Before long, most of the law enforcement people in the state have fetched up on Sam's doorstep and are ready to make trouble. But he's in even more trouble, having fallen foul of Phil Ortiz, a drug dealer with expensive tastes when it comes to collecting classic cars. Ortiz wants Sam off his patch, and isn't too fussy about how he achieves that. Cue chases and scams by the garage-full as Sam tries to extricate himself from a sticky situation and return to his relaxed way of life. This is a quick and entertaining read that you'll zip through in top gear. The blurb on the back rather overstates the book's humour -- this is a likeable romp, rather than 'nurse, nurse, my sides!' roll-around funny. Oddly, perhaps, I found the supporting cast more interesting than Sam. We're told he's a prankster and a smart-arse, but Brewer doesn't quite bring that through -- there's a touch too much tell and not enough show, in effect, certainly when it comes to character development. But Billy "call me William", who is desperate to be taken seriously, Way-Way, who likes nothing better than some violence to keep himself entertained, and Robin Mitchell, who has inherited the family garage and really wants to go straight, are all well-rounded and fun creations. So if you like the thought of good baddies taking on bad baddies, choose BOOST.
Reviewed by Sharon Wheeler, October 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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