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Cordell Logan is a flight instructor who is really struggling to make ends meet and can't even afford to do the necessary maintenance on his small plane. Help comes from a most unlikely source. His ex-wife, Savannah, shows up to let him know that her second husband, Arlo Echevarria, has been murdered in Los Angeles. Cordell and Arlo served in an elite military unit together, but their relationship fell apart when Arlo made moves on Savannah. Logan has never forgiven him but does feel some sort of obligation to look into what caused his death. The obligation becomes a reality when Savannah's father pays him a sizable sum to conduct an investigation. No one is willing to believe that Echevarria and Logan were part of a top-secret team of government assassins formed after 9/11 who terminated individuals across the globe who were deemed threats to the homeland. Could Echevarria's death be related to that work? There does appear to be a connection to Russian intelligence agencies. Logan follows a long-winding trail to the truth, finding himself a target along the way. Freed does a great job of developing an interesting plot and presenting a very authentic view of the world of private aviation. Logan is a likable character who has a great sense of humor. For me, the only deficiency in the book is his relationship with Savannah. He lusts after her constantly to the point of obsession. I was unconvinced that there was a possibility that they might reconcile. They didn't get along particularly well, and there was not a lot of love being shown. The appeal seemed to be mostly physical. FLAT SPIN is a debut novel, and Freed has everything that it takes to be hugely successful as a crime fiction writer. Other than the Savannah fixation, he has done everything well. The writing is assured and leavened with great doses of humor. Freed is a reporter who shared the Pulitzer Prize for his writing about the Rodney King riots. His military and flight background contributed to making FLAT SPIN authentic and engaging. § Formerly a training development manager for a large company, Maddy is now retired and continues to enable the addiction of crime fiction fans as owner of the online discussion group, 4 Mystery Addicts(4MA), while avidly reading in every possible free moment herself.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, May 2012
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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