Customer Reviews

Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption

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The third in the action crime Baby Shark series opens in May 1957. Kristin, aka Baby Shark, is still wielding guns and pool sticks with deadly accuracy. She is still working with Otis and the latest case and resulting plan of action were supposed to be relatively simple. Travis Horner has a girlfriend who got into some sort of trouble and is currently up in Oklahoma. She isn't kidnapped exactly, but she isn't free to leave either. In exchange for some money, Otis gets to bring the girlfriend back to Travis Horner. Kristin is supposed to lurk, provide support, and deal with anything unexpected that comes up.

Something she does very well and normally she is on time. However, as usual in May in Oklahoma, the weather is atrocious. A tornado that traveled through the vicinity has delayed her arrival by some two hours making the drive up from Fort Worth, Texas even harder.

Plenty of time for things to have gone badly and they have. Kristin never wanted any part of rescuing the girlfriend of a bootlegger, no matter how pretty or how well she can play the piano. Now, she has to rescue Otis also which will require violence. Violence is something Kristin has become very comfortable with the few years since her father died in front of her and she was brutally assaulted. Nobody does violence better than Kristin, aka Baby Shark, and there are serious consequences for those stupid enough to get in her way.

Featuring the same occasionally funny one liners, plenty of violence, and more break neck adventure, Robert Fate has penned another winner. Morality, always present in this series, plays a bigger role as Kristin in considers two major problems. One is the ease she steps into and out of violent actions which often leaves others dead in the chaos and wreckage. Truth be told, she likes it when circumstances force her into acting violently because she no longer knows any other way. Violence to those who interfere is simple while relationships and love are far more complicated. If violence is the answer, where does that leave the romance between herself and Lee, a detective with the Dallas PD?

Questions that have no easy answers much like what to do with the gorgeous redhead bootlegger's girlfriend, who is responsible for the waves of bad guys coming after them, and the major question as to the why of everything. Like the other books in the series, the motives of others, beside shooting at them is vague and unstated and Otis and Kristen have to survive long enough to get any answers at all. What is clear from the chaotic opening under an Oklahoma sky pulsing with jagged lighting to the final chaotic shoot out in a hospital in Fort Worth, Robert Fate's latest novel in the series easily is equal to the first two books. Another clear winner and one sure to please his growing legions of fans while recruiting new ones.


Advance review copy was graciously provided by the author directly.


Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008

"In a spine-jolting crunch that flattened me against the steering wheel, the Mercury slid under them and their car came down on my hood, leaving my horn blaring and my engine roaring...I spun around in the seat, used both feet to push open the door, moved fast...and started forward with my pistol in my hand." (p. 137)

Like Fast-paced? Like strong female PI's?

Meet.... Baby Shark!

I came in on the "third act" of Baby Shark, in High Plains Redemption, but I'll be going back to pick up the first two books...and continue on with this hot series by Robert Fate! Baby Shark reminds me of Geena Davis in my all-time favorite action movie, The Long Kiss Goodnight! If you loved Geena in some of her outrageous acts in that movie, then you'll certainly want to meet Baby Shark:

She can take it:

"He grabbed me by my hair and pulled me around so hard I thought my neck would snap. He jammed a hand between my thighs, picked me up by my crotch and the hair of my head, swooped me up shoulder high--and then I was falling..." (p. 130)

And she can dish it out:

"I moved instantly, swinging my hands out as I fell forward, chopping my blades into their necks as if I were striking cymbals. The first cuts were to the bone, but I slashed up and pressed in, doing even more injury as I withdrew, leaving their neck wounds open wide and their heads nearly detached from their bodies." (p. 251)

High Plains Redemption takes Kristin Van Dijk, aka Baby Shark and partner, Otis Millett into bootlegging country and two warring mountain clans, as they are hired to find and return Savannah, daughter of one of the clan leaders--hired, but not by her own family!

Baby Shark is as confused as everybody else as they try to determine exactly what is happening and who is leaving the trail of bodies behind as Savannah is located and then lost again. Baby Shark knows only one thing--she must protect Savannah! No matter what or who gets in the way.

Unfortunately, that could actually be her lover, Lee, who happens to be a law officer who expects her to follow all the legal rules that he does in protecting the innocent! It is a constant struggle, for Baby Shark knows, "we work on the edge of the law, and...it gets blurry out there were Otis and I deal with things." (p. 198) And Baby Shark just doesn't think she can trust Lee...

Admit it, readers! This sounds like that exciting novel into which you want to escape this weekend! Well, you'll be right! This book is highly recommended for lovers of action thrillers!

So, excuse me, now...I'm going back to start reading: Baby Shark--first book in what I expect will be Robert Fate's fantastic series! You might want to start at the beginning... but, no problem, High Plains Redemption stands alone as a great addition, so wherever you meet her, I think you'll thoroughly enjoy Baby Shark!


G. A. Bixler

May 1957. Baby Shark--a former pool hustler turned Texas private eye--is backup in a ransom deal. Her partner, Otis Millett, is the front man in the cash for girl exchange they were hired to do by a powerful Texas bootlegger. His mistress found trouble in Oklahoma that ended with a ransom demand. It is planned to be a simple deal, but Baby finds trouble in the parking lot of the seedy tavern where the switch is to take place and when she ducks it she finds Otis inside taking a beating from a couple heavies.

Baby is quick on her feet and it doesn't take long for her figure the deal and wedge it open, but it is only the beginning. Otis is certain they were betrayed, but the real question is why. And when thugs and hired guns keep coming at them they decide they need to figure the scam, and quickly, if they're going to stay upright.

BABY SHARK'S HIGH PLAINS REDEMPTION was a major surprise, and a good one at that. It opens running hard and Mr. Fate not only keeps up the pace, but actually shifts it into a higher gear as the climax approaches. To use a cliché, the pace is unrelenting--the body's pile-up around the protagonist nearly as quickly as the pages turn and the action scenes are perfectly developed with a sparse noir style:

"`Who dies first?' I said, and stopped about a dozen feet away from them. Even a bad shot could kill at that distance, and they both knew it. My hands were steady. They could see that, too."

The plot is very nearly pitch-perfect as it takes the action and reader across the sprawl of Texas and Oklahoma. The characters are neatly defined and uniquely developed with a seemingly simple style and limited backstory; enough background to develop the characters without slowing the story. The major players--Baby and Millett--are cast in a dark filament glow that paints them somewhere between villain and hero. And smartly gives them foibles, weaknesses and more than a few strengths. They are both very much worth rooting for.

The overall tone and style of the novel has the feel of an old black and white film mixed with the ultra-violent sentimentality of modern noir. The subject matter is far from unique, but Mr. Fate gives it a fresh and invigorating narrative that amps it past the average crime thriller. BABY SHARK'S HIGH PLAINS REDEMPTION should be high on every crime reader's list for the simple reason that is very good.

-Gravetapping

In Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption, Kristin Van Dijk ventures from Texas soil to the Oklahoma High Plains. But she's not on vacation. She's after a young girl who's disappeared. Woe be to the men who've taken her. Kristin is armed with guns and knives and, like a shark with sharp teeth, she knows how to use those deadly weapons.

Unlike some characters in books who've been trained to fight and kill, Kristin keeps an eye on her moral compass and is strong on both the outside and the inside. Author Fate has even managed to give her a softer side which allows her to see beyond her job as a hard-nosed and lethal PI.

Now, if Fate could only write faster!

High Plains Redemption is Robert Fate's third book in his Baby Shark series. Baby Shark is Kristin Van Dijk, a private eye in partnership with Otis Millett. She got the nickname Baby Shark when she hustled pool as a young girl, working the circuit with her father.

The locale is the Oklahoma and Texas badlands, set in the 1950's. Otis and Baby Shark have been hired to deliver a ransom for Savannah Smike. Savannah is the girlfriend of Travis Horner, a powerful gangster. She has been kidnapped and Travis wants her back badly enough to pay ransom for her. The ransom attempt goes awry, and two rival groups attack each other, with Baby and Otis in the middle of the conflict. They end up with Savannah, and deliver her back home to her bootlegging family.

Both sides in the conflict come after Baby Shark and Otis. The action is fast and furious and the reader is kept on edge, unable to put down the book before discovering what happens next and how the pair will escape the latest scrape.

Fate has created a rarity; a female protagonist that is believable as something other than a shrinking violet. That he can do so in the locale he picked is even more remoarkable. Readers won't soon forget Baby Shark, and will eagerly await her next adventure. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Baby is back and she's just getting better! Kristin(Baby Shark) and Otis are on the job, and they are doing it like they been taught! This is our third round with Kristin and Otis, and we open with Kristin coming in as backup as Otis, but a couple hours late because of a tornado. The job is to pick up a kidnapped (stray?) girlfriend and a suitcase of money and return it to an acquaintance of Otis' as a favor. What Kristin comes into is Otis tied up and bloody with the redheaded girlfriend practically naked playing the piano without a hitch during the fist and gunfight. After being taken by surprise by the redhead's brother, Kristin and Otis wind up following and rescuing the redhead again after her brother is killed by another group of gunslingers. Kristin takes the lead with Otis and Savannah (redhead) miles behind when Kristin spots more gunslingers who think that Kristin has the girl. Kristin manages to setup a showdown in an oasis, but with only her shotgun and her wits against two heavily armed men, will she live to tell about it?

By the time Otis and Savannah arrive on the scene, Kristin is alive but out of ammo, and the other two have taken off for parts unknown. But what Otis has discovered is far more important: Savannah does not want to go back to Travis Horner, the bootlegger who hired Otis to find her. This, of course, makes the job a lot more difficult, but Otis is the type of man who will look after a woman - and respect her wishes. The change in plan is to return Savannah to her daddy - Bull Smike. Turns out Bull Smike is the other bootlegger in the area. And Otis and Kristin just stepped in it big.

Fate has got it all, though - he's got Henry, Jim (needs more Jim, though), Lee, some flirting with Kristin, and he was able to get more billiards in with Baby Shark, which was great. There is definite character development but not anything overwhelming and plenty left for a lot more books. More time out with Henry would be cool. I liked Cooty and Edna and the side touch - the personal touch in the middle of the terror.

But these books aren't for people who don't like blood or violence - there is plenty of both in them. The slight historical aspect is always on the edge - in the description of the cars or the guns, bringing you to their world - or in the fan that always runs in their office. I highly recommend these books. All of them.

Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption is the third entry in Robert Fate's Baby Shark series. However, this is the first book in the series that I've read. I certainly wasn't disappointed. High Plains Redemption is a fun, fast-paced mystery with lots of action.

Baby Shark is the nickname of Kristin Van Dijk. Kristin works as a private investigator, but she also enjoys a side career as a pool hustler. Kristin's background is traumatic. She has no biological family left. She witnessed the murder of her father and endured a brutal assault. As a result, Kristin vows to never be a victim again. This information is the key to understanding her character. Without knowing something about Kristin's background, readers would likely see her as shockingly cold. Kristin has no qualms about killing the villains (and there are plenty of villains), but her background explains her attitude.

High Plains Redemption is an action-packed mystery. Fate sets the pace with the opening chapters. Kristin and her partner, Otis, attempt to deliver ransom for Savannah Smike, a bootlegger's girlfriend. The disaster that ensues lures Kristin and Otis deeper into a turf war between two bootlegging clans. The action takes place throughout Texas and Oklahoma. Most of the mystery stems from the conflict between the Smike family and Travis Horner. Both sides are engaged in illicit activities, and Savannah is caught in the middle. Kristin and Otis know that they have been dragged into something much bigger than they originally suspected.

Horner's thugs seem to be searching for something very important throughout the book. Of course, Kristin eventually finds it, but the search drives much of the plot. I won't spoil this element of the mystery, but it does seem a bit obvious when the mystery begins to unravel. In fact, this revelation was somewhat disappointing. There was a big buildup surrounding the object, but it really doesn't factor into the novel's climax. However, it does provide a nice humorous moment.

There is a lot of carnage in this novel. High Plains Redemption is written in the style of pulp novels from the 1950s. Think of it as "Texas Noir". It is definitely a very dark novel. Kristin proves to be one tough cookie. She kills multiple men in a variety of ways. She faces numerous life or death decisions throughout the novel. Basically, she leaves a trail of death and destruction as she searches for the truth. Kristin searches for both the missing object and the men who nearly killed her and Otis. At times she seems almost too driven in her search. She takes unnecessary risks because her pride is on the line as well as her life.

High Plains Redemption is an entertaining throwback to the pulp novels of the 1950s. The characters are fascinating, and Baby Shark is an intriguing heroine. This is definitely not written for the faint of heart. The body count is rather high for just 287 pages. The action moves fast, but it is easy to follow. Robert Fate knows how to capture his readers' attention. If the other books in the series are anything like this, I'll definitely pick them up as well.

Dueling bootleggers and a child-like nymphomaniac take private investigators Kristin Van Dijk and Otis Millett on a wild ride from Texas to Oklahoma City with dead bodies and lots of questions along the way. For one, Kristin wonders what's really going on. And second, after she avenges the shooting of her partner who is lying in the hospital, she wonders if killing is getting a little too easy.

This outting brings back some of the great characters from Bob Fate's first book, Baby Shark. He tells a great story, peopled with characetrs that stay with you, at least those that remain alive.

Always a great read, Robert Fate can turn a phrase and exact an emotion with ease. And with book number three, Bob lets us look a little deeper into Kristin's soul.

Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler, and Dashille Hammett may be dead, but the PI novel lives on thanks to Robert Fate. The new edition in the Baby Shark series, Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption, is what ever reader wants: a great read. While I missed some of the back story by starting with the third book in the series, it was not detrimental to keeping my rapt attention in this fast-paced novel.

Baby Shark is ahead of her time. A gun-toting PI in 1957 isn't the career most young women aspire to. Then on the other hand, neither is pool hustling. However, Kristen Van Dijk, a.k.a. Baby Shark, isn't your ordinary young woman. Her only family is her partner, Otis; a dog named Jim; and a man whom I couldn't quite figure out named Henry. A platinum blonde who dresses in black all the way down to her boots, Kristen packs more guns and knives than any of the modern bad guys on "Law & Order."

Kristen and Otis are supposed to deliver the ransom money for a beautiful, yet simple, young Oklahoma gal, Savannah Smike. When Kristen shows up at the rendezvous site, guns start blazing. Savannah's brother, Lester, is killed in the shootout along with a host of other bad guys. Caught in the crosshairs of rival bootleggin' gangs, Otis and Kristen grab the red-haired gal and hightail it out of there. They don't go alone though. There are at least two sets of bad guys after them, but Kristen and Otis outsmart them all.

The novel's action takes place between Otis and Kristen's office in Fort Worth and Savannah's parents' home in rural Oklahoma, near Broken Bow. There is lots of shooting, fighting, fast driving, and all-hell-breakin'-loose action.

While Otis may be rather stereotypical of the private investigator, it's okay. Kristen's uniqueness lends a new beat to the tune. When Otis is sidelined and almost dies from bullet wound, it's up to Kristen to put all the pieces together and figure out what's really happening.

Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption has a bit of a wandering narrative problem, but not enough to cause too many problems. The pages flew as fast as the bullets.

Armchair Interviews says: Fast, fun read.

I have to admit that I was new to the Baby Shark series. Probably this made me naive to certain inside jokes but, at the same time, also made me approach this installment with a fresh perspective.

The action of this noirish novel starts early on and never lets go. The characters range from cool and interesting to cliched caricatures but what eventually gums up the flow is both the script-entrapped dialogues and the spelling that follows the...idioms and the accents.

If looking for a fast paced, action-packed and violent novel (and you are willing to overlook certain shortcomings) HIGH PLAINS REDEMPTION can be a good choice.