Customer Reviews

Crossing the Line

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was SOOOO Awesome. Why there are only three reviews so far I do not know. I have read every book in this series and I have to say it is the best series I have ever read besides Patricia Cornwall's Kay series. I love Antonio Burns and in this book, I got to love his brother Roberto also. We were introduced to Roberto in previous books, but never got to know him well until this installment. This book was probably the best in the series, but they are all amazing. I will read this series again and again, and this is a book worth owning at hardcover price. The author is so talented in his writing that it blows you away. He makes everything so real and exciting that all you can do is read until the end and be disappointed that the thrill is over. This is one of those rare books that I became so involved in, not only the storyline, but the characters who are so well developed, that when I had to put it down to do something in "real" life I was in a fog and disoriented because my life had become Antonio Burn's life. I could not think of anything except getting back to the book. I can't wait until his next one. This story was more emotional than his others and it had me crying more than once and even laughing. I ADORED it. You will not be disappointed.

I know a family with two adult children, a boy and a girl, separated by only a couple of years. The parents have been married for 50-plus years, and have no substance abuse problems. Everyone was raised on Donna Reed and Ozzie and Harriet. The daughter is a sweetheart, married with a couple of ankle biters of her own, a midlevel executive in a mid-sized company. However, the son has been a piece of work since he was two years old. When he was four, he deliberately broke my favorite toy. He continued on a path of self-destruction, thievery and embezzlement --- you name it, he has done, and is doing, it to this very day. Siblings --- same heredity, same environment. One cake rises, the other goes flat. Why?

Clinton McKinzie has been sort of exploring that same territory with the Burns Brothers, Antonio and Roberto. Antonio is a Special Agent for the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation, while his brother Roberto has been what might be generously referred to as a renegade, assisting drug mules during dangerous desert transport and happily sampling their wares, always in search of the next artificial rush. The brothers, notwithstanding their differences, are close, sharing a passion that borders on a pathology for climbing. Indeed, the act of climbing is a metaphor that is infused throughout McKinzie's latest novel, a herald of passion, betrayal, trust, cooperation and ever-present danger.

CROSSING THE LINE begins with Antonio Burns on the threshold of some resolution of a number of personal issues. He is in a stable if somewhat uneasy relationship with Rebecca, his intended; he still has his badge and position, even if he is walking on tenterhooks; and his beloved brother Antonio appears to be on the verge of completing a deal that will get him out from under some troubles with the law. All Roberto has to do is help the FBI take down a drug dealer named Jesus Hidalgo, a murderous kingpin who is hiding in plain sight at a fortress-like ranch in the mountains of Wyoming. To do this, he must infiltrate Hidalgo's compound and gather evidence against him.

Roberto, it seems, saved Hidalgo's life during a rock climb several years previously, and the murderous drug dealer in a twisted way regards Roberto as a friend. While Roberto's end of the deal isn't exactly a cakewalk, it doesn't seem to be impossible. In return, Roberto will be granted leniency with respect to several criminal charges that are outstanding against him, do his time in a minimum care facility with an exercise room and a salad bar, and receive some federally sponsored drug rehabilitation treatment.

The Feebs bring Antonio in to help them keep an eye on Roberto. But from the beginning, the setup looks like ... a setup. The FBI agents, a young woman named Mary Chang and a veteran with a mad-on named Tom Cochran, are at odds with the Burns Brothers and each other almost from the gitgo. Also, it turns out that they have a program of their own. When things go sideways for Roberto, Antonio takes matters into his own hands --- unaware that he is doing exactly what was expected of him.

McKinzie does a fine job here of delineating the characters of Roberto and Antonio. While they function on opposite sides of the law, Antonio has a wild, uncontrolled side to him that has earned him --- unjustly --- the unfortunate nickname of "QuickDraw," while there is a fierce but subdued nobility within Roberto. McKinzie leaves a number of significant issues hanging at the conclusion of CROSSING THE LINE, an indication that another novel concerning the Burns Family will be in the offing. Considering the tension that infuses CROSSING THE LINE from beginning to end, McKinzie's next installment will have a built-in audience.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Although I don't quite get the rock-climbing mystique, the two (anti-)heroes of the book, Antonio & Roberto Burns, are interesting enough to want to read more. The plots are essentially incidental to the relationship between these two polar-opposite brothers and their relationships with the law and justice. Although it is Antonio who is the de facto 'hero' of these books, it is his unpredictable, out-of-control, wildman brother who is the more fascinating character. I rated this book with 4 stars instead of 5 because of what happens to Roberto at the end, a fate far too extreme and unfair for the character I've come to appreciate. I can only hope that in "Badwater," the next installment, some of the horror visited on him can be reversed or mitigated so that he participates fully as a well-drawn and compelling character.

NOTE: I couldn't wait for months for Badwater to come down in price and ordered it full price from Amazon: the only book I've ever done so with, and for the reason that it begs to be read NOW! :)

Fast-paced, gripping tale with insider information about rock-climbing and detective work. A believable, conflicted but likeable hero who is supportive of his renegade brother while enforcing the law with strong, though dillusioned ethics.

I have to wonder at the personal turmoils of an author when his work takes a sudden, dark turn. The Burns brothers I've come to love are back again, this time with wild brother Roberto having turned himself in after escaping prison, and now working with the feds in an operation to take down drug lord Jesus Hidalgo-Paez, known for brutally murdering informants and their entire families. `Berto's younger brother, Wyoming state agent Antonio Burns, is in on the operation, ostensibly to keep volatile Roberto in line. They get their spying station downriver from Hidalgo's compound set up and send Roberto, an old acquaintance of Hidalgo's, in to gather information to hopefully put him away for good.

Anton loses his objectivity almost immediately when he realizes the level of danger his beloved older brother is in. He has every right, however, when he learns the two feds running the operation have gone rogue and have sent his brother into harm's way without the permission of their superiors. Anton's every instinct is to pull Roberto out as fast as he can, but when they have difficulty obtaining a warrant, the feds push `Berto harder and put him at more risk instead.

What happens next sends Anton on a dark journey into the deepest parts of his soul, and we begin to see that the more straight-laced brother may be just as destraillado (unleashed, as their mother says) as the wild brother he always idolized. It is no wonder he goes there, as the very foundations of his life are shaken and he begins to open his eyes to things he did not want to see.

Though I cannot fault this novel for its darkness, which seems to reveal a deeper part of Anton's character, I found myself wishing I could reach into the book to give him a much-needed hug. Things will have to start looking up for the tougher, harder Anton in the next installment of the series, simply because he got taken so low this time out.

I really liked this book a great deal. It was so full of suspense that I found myself peeking ahead at times. Antonio Burns and his brother, Roberto, find themselves allied with two FBI agents on the trail of a Mexican Drug Lord. Things soon go terribly wrong, and the brothers are in danger. I certainly felt involved in the story, and the ending was exciting and satisfying for the most part. I'm sure McKinzie's next book will give us more information on Roberto, as his situation needs to be resolved. I have read the other books in this series with similar good feelings. I really recommend this book to all who enjoy suspense.

Two FBI agents, Mary Chang and Tom Cochran, work a deal with drug addict Roberto Burns. In exchange for clemency of his felony charges, they will use him as a pawn to gain criminal information on former Mexicali drug lord Jesus Hidalgo, who relocated to Wyoming after being on the losing end of a vicious gang war in Mexico. Hidalgo plans to establish an illegal drug producing lab in an abandoned mine.

Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Antonio "Ant" Burns has problems with the scenario, but is happy to see his brother go straight being a by the law type. He goes along with the agreement until he realizes that his sibling is in danger. He decides to be the cavalry in order to rescue his brother regardless of what it does to the Feds' case. Though he hopes that climbing the side of a mountain will surprise Hidalgo and his gang of hoods, Ant is soon in the middle of danger too.

The fourth Ant tale (see THE EDGE OF JUSTICE and TRIAL BY ICE AND FIRE) is at its best when the hero and Roberto are mountain climbing. The tale remains strong when the lead character performs soliloquies on why he became a cop and how much he cares for his pregnant girlfriend, Mungo the wolf, the Iron Pig Land Cruiser, and his lunatic brother, the tale hums as readers see inside Ant. When Ant provides discourses on a non-cooperating judge, the FBI and his boss, the tale slows down. Still the side of a cliff is what makes this an exhilarating thriller as the audience will feel they are hanging alongside Ant.

Harriet Klausner

What a surprise.

This is one of the better books I've read in the last 20 years I think. It grabs you
from the beginning and never lets go. A thrilling suspense ride unlike any other I've
found. Great characters and plotline, fast paced and gripping. Highly recommended, but
beware, McKinzie's other stuff is not up to the challenge. His other books are relatively
weak in comparison.

Excellent concept,excellent characters and very credible plot, until the very end.

Still a great read!