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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Explosive Mix of Idealists, Politicians, and Rednecks, July 16, 2005
Wyoming cop Antonio Burns is at a crossroads in his career, having been recently demoted from a top undercover agent to a mere scout. His unofficial new job description consists of cruising the backroads of Wyoming, searching for clandestine methamphetamine labs. One afternoon, while searching for clues of illegal drug manufacturing,, "Ant" hears shouts at the Badwater river, goes to investigate, and ends up diving into the river in an attempt to rescue a 10-year old boy who has fallen into the river. Although Ant manages to pull the boy out of the water, the young drowning victim is declared dead on arrival at the hospital. Anton questions the people on the scene who witnessed the boy's fall into the river and finds out that the young boy and two of his cousins were harassing tourists rafting in the river by throwing rocks at them from the cliff above, and Jonah Strasburg, a New York musician, became involved in a shoving match with the boys and accidentally pushed the victim off the cliff.
However, with the political climate in town and the local townspeople's hunger for revenge for the boy's drowning, Jonah quickly finds himself being charged with first degree murder. And Antonio Burns finds himself assigned as the lead investigator for the prosecution. Antonio is a good cop at heart, though, and feels that a first degree murder charge is way too trumped up for an accidental death. The drama of small town politics quickly unfolds in this excellent story. Author McKinzie does a great job of making the small town characters seem true to life.
Besides his burning desire to see real justice served, Antonio Burns also has a burning passion for rock climbing. In particular, Burns is determined to conquer what he believes to be the most difficult "fat crack" in the world in a canyon near Badwater. I enjoyed the technical details of the climb as well.
This was the first Antonio Burns novel that I've read, although it is the fifth one written by McKinzie. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I plan to go back and read the others. If you're looking for a great police procedural set in the West, I highly recommend this book!
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
WHY ISN'T CLINTON MCKINZIE ON THE BESTSELLER LISTS???, May 18, 2005
I've been a fan of Clinton McKinzie's books since I picked up Edge Of Justice at Borders on a whim. His thrillers all feature tough, but misunderstood cop Antonio Burns. Burns was once a hotshot, but after a series of events that culminated in him going into Mexico and killing the drug dealer who crippled his brother. With is career in the toilet, he spends his days traveling the back roads and woods of Wyoming looking for drug labs. I'm not going to get into the plot line, that's what the book jacket is for.
What makes these books so great are the characters. Antonio Burns and his drug addicted brother Roberto are real. Almost like they are alive out west somewhere right now.
There is nothing bad about Badwater. It grabs you on the first page and doesn't let go until the last page. Don't start this book on a week night because you won't be able to put it down to go to work the next day. But it is a short read. I packed it away in one sitting.
The only complaint I have, and the reason for the 4 stars instead of 5, is that Mckinzie has Burns use drugs. This bothers me for two reasons. One is that Burns brother is a drug addict and he has watched how using nearly killed Roberto. The second reason is that Burns is a narcotics cop. His job is to stop the flow of drugs. It is a minor detail but to me it did detract from an otherwise fantastic story.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
McKinzie has run out of line!, March 8, 2011
Very disappointing follow up to "Crossing the Line". Depressing actually.
Since McKinzie has gone on haitus for the past 5 years its easy to see that
his creative spark is GONE! This book leads us down the dreary path of loss
after loss after loss directed at Antonio Burns, with seemingly no hope of
recovery. And thats how we are left, with a defanged lone wolf with no badge,
no friends, and no better half.
Trust me, if you have just discovered this series and are, or think you are
a fan, do NOT read this book. Its terrible.
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