The Edge of Justice (Antonio Burns) [Kindle Edition]

Clinton Mckinzie (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Penzler Pick, April 2002: In his accomplished first novel, Clinton McKinzie introduces an interesting, complicated protagonist in Antonio Burns, a special agent whose family was originally from Argentina. His grandfather owned a ranch (which is still in the family), and his father taught Burns how to climb. And, oh yes, Burns has a brother serving a long jail sentence in the United States.

Burns has earned the nickname Quickdraw for shooting down three drug dealers before they could shoot him, and the investigation of that incident still hangs over his head. As the book opens he is in Laramie, Wyoming, attending the trial and sentencing of the Knapp brothers, who are accused of raping, torturing, and killing a young girl. The verdict would seem to be a foregone conclusion, as is the death penalty. Two years after the killers of Matthew Shepherd were spared the ultimate penalty, Laramie is anxious to show it can be tough on crime.

When Burns is not at the courthouse, he is relaxing with his dog Oso at Vedauwoo, a difficult climbing region much loved by the local community. When a young woman falls to her death while climbing with a group, her death is ruled an accident because the young climbers were up on the rocks drinking and fooling around. But when Burns inspects the site of the accident and looks at the girl's injuries, he begins to suspect foul play.

As he gets to know the core group of climbers led by the charismatic Billy Heller, who takes an immediate dislike to Burns, he is even more suspicious because of the hold Heller has over the young female climbers. Burns also begins to get involved with one of the attractive climbers, something he immediately regrets when he meets Rachel, a reporter from The Denver Post.

Burns has a complicated personal life, but he is a good cop and it soon becomes clear to him that the climbing death of the young girl, which is soon followed by other deaths, is connected to something going on in the climbing community and this, in turn, casts doubt on the conviction and sentencing of the Knapp brothers.

McKinzie weaves a fascinating and very readable story here. With climbing scenes that are authentically exciting and very plausible characters, this is an impressive first novel. --Otto Penzler

From Publishers Weekly

McKinzie, a keen climber, portrays the hero of his debut thriller, Wyoming special agent Antonio Burns, as happiest when he is in the wild, hanging by his fingernails from a sheer rock wall. The problem is, he has to deal with life on level ground: he's in trouble for shooting three drug dealers in self-defense, his wild but cherished brother is in jail and the redneck local law officers he has to deal with are trying to railroad a pair of innocent lowlifes to the chair. In addition, he's looking into the fatal fall off a cliff of a young woman who had been partying with the son of an ambitious DA. McKinzie knows his wild Wyoming, and also how to keep things moving briskly. Burns, who is soon on the track of a rogue climber who likes to surround himself with pretty girls and potheads, takes his share of knocks along the way, and there is a nail-biting if not entirely convincing climax on a mountain in a storm. But as often happens with first novels, it's overplotted: there's simply too much going on at once, and poor Burns gets badly beaten at least once too often to convince a reader that he could even stand up, let alone get up a tough rock face in the dark solo; his jailed brother plays an unexpected and not too believable role at a pivotal moment; and the on-again, off-again romance with a glamorous reporter seems more dutiful than organic. Still, this gets good marks for ringing a change or two on the chase thriller, and we're now promised a prequel, starring the same gutsy hero.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 526 KB
• Publisher: Dell (April 1, 2003)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000FBFOU0
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #256,612 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars High Altitude Mayhem, June 5, 2002

By 

sweetmolly (RICHMOND, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Edge of Justice (Hardcover)

I have always thought a mountain climbing killing might be the perfect murder. Who is say how the "accident" occurred? Sometimes the body is never found. A misstep, a quirk of the weather, a piece of rotten rock---all or singly could happen in an instant and be given as the likely cause of death.

"The Edge of Justice," a debut novel, takes that premise and gives it quite a shake. Protagonist Anton Burns, Special Investigator for the State of Wyoming and climbing enthusiast, is sent to Laramie to investigate the accidental death of a girl who fell to her death from a ledge in the mighty Vedauwoo mountains. Anton is carrying a heavy load of baggage: he is under investigation for shooting and killing three men in a police raid, his beloved elder brother is in jail for manslaughter, and he has been exiled to the Cody office far from the action in Cheyenne. When he arrives in Laramie, the biggest trial in the history of the state is in progress, trying two lowlife brothers for the brutal rape/murder of a young girl. Anton and his faithful bear of a dog, Oso, after an idyllic afternoon rock climbing investigate the site of the climbing death. He quickly ascertains that the "accident" was murder. While investigating, he realizes a cover-up is in place and it is very likely the brothers on trial are innocent.

This is a fast paced novel that keeps our interest engaged. Mr. MacKinzie is obviously an expert climber and does well in describing the almost lyrical joys of high altitude climbing. One might say he devotes too many pages to the technical aspects of climbing, but I stayed involved all the way. The characters are mostly one-dimensional, either very good or very bad with no ambiguity. Also there are far too many subplots and needless diversions. However, the author has a good tale to tell, and he does it well. I look forward to further adventures with Anton; maybe the next time will be a little more streamlined.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fresh take on suspense thrillers..., June 17, 2002

By 

Ahhling "Ahhling" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Edge of Justice (Hardcover)

What a great debut for McKinzie! The story of Special Agent Anton Burns starts out on a mellow pace, setting up the background and the foundation for a thrilling plot that takes off quite suddenly and then doesn't let up. Burns is a sympathetic character who struggles with internal and personal issues while still striving to do right by others and by the laws of justice. (I was especially touched by the character's deep relationship with his dog, Oso) While there are several subplots that get interwoven into the main storyline, the urgency and intensity of the main plot keeps the reader charging ahead.

I don't know anything about rock climbing and didn't always understand all of the details, but there is no doubt that the author's integration of this adventurous sport added to the drama and made the story exciting and fresh. I thought the author did a wonderful job of getting the reader to dive right into the main character's complex life immediately, yet made it intriguing enough that I wanted to learn more about his history, which I hear will come out in a prequel to be released later. Once I got into the meat of the book, I hunkered down and plowed right through to get to the exciting climax. Well-written and a reading adrenaline rush (perhaps like feeding the Rat!).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breath of Fresh Air, January 19, 2003

By 

avidbookreader "Keishon" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Edge of Justice (Hardcover)

EDGE OF JUSTICE was slow getting started for me but once it picked up my interest, I was hooked. Anton Burns is a breath of fresh air. He's not a supercop, but a mountain climber/peace officer in exhile. I can't wait to read the prequel to find out why he is in exhile. I recommend this book, highly. It was more realistic in that Burns went through ALOT of trials and tribulations and I loved that he wasn't some supercop who could control each and every situation he was in. Often, the injustices that occured were very fustrating to read but realistic regardless. I think this book would appeal to those who are tired of the same ole thing. Characterizations were strong and memorable. Look forward to his next book.

Keishon