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Manfred Blinkoe is sure that someone is trying to kill him. When a woman dining at the same restaurant is murdered, he decides that he wants police protection. Unfortunately the police do not believe his claims. Blinkoe has his own reasons for not going to the FBI, so he turns to PI Charlie Moon for assistance. Moon is busy working on his two ranches and attempting to look after his personal life. Moon accepts a deposit but before he has a chance to investigate, Blinkoe is killed in a boat explosion. After identifying the body, Blinkoe's widow disappears. Then Moon's aunt, Daisy Perika becomes involved with the investigation. Someone blows up her trailer and she is forced to stay with Moon. Moon does not seem to do much investigating, yet he manages to piece together a good idea of what happened to Blinkoe, his wife and his aunt's trailer. Moon must act quickly to stop the killer before he can get away scot-free. I was somewhat hesitant to read SHADOW MAN. Frequently when Native Americans appear in novels, they are either noble or are belittled for following a dead lifestyle or hold some sort of new age mystical power. In reality, these are stereotypes. While it is very true that society has not been fair to any minority group, most members of said minority have many of the same struggles that everyone else does. SHADOW MAN does not deal with any of these issues. While Daisy Perika is a shaman and tribal elder, she is the only one that has stereotypical characteristics. Charlie is more concerned with everyday survival than any of the struggles or mystical powers. For the most part, Charlie seems a down to earth type of a character. One of the things that is frequently stated about this series is the relationship between Charlie and his aunt and how it is vital to the series. Personally I find Daisy a slightly annoying character. She is an older woman who is interested in making her own entertainment. Daisy is not a nice old woman but she is not a bitter old virago either. While Charlie and his friends are very tolerant of Daisy, I cannot say that I find her endearing or approachable. Basically Daisy appears to be one of those old women little children are scared of even though she mostly means well. This book would be a much different book without Daisy; yet, I would still be interested in seeing her excluded.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, April 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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