Flash Flood [Mass Market Paperback]

Susan Slater (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2003

Dan Mahoney, insurance investigator, lands in Tatum, New Mexico where several prize cattle on the famed Double Horseshoe Ranch have mysteriously died. The claims put a lot of money at stake for Dan's company. But that just scratches the surface of the high jinks afoot in Tatum. And the high stakes. A surprised Dan hadn't counted on witnessing a murder, falling in love, or becoming a pawn of federal agents. It's the flash flood that changes everything as Dan stumbles across secrets that implicate his employer, his sister, and what seems like half of southern New Mexico. Sucked into small town duplicity, he struggles with truth and learns that dead men can come back to haunt.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The troubles build like thunderheads over New Mexico skies for insurance investigator Dan Mahoney in Slater's ambitious and entertaining new series debut. Dan has to look into the claims of cattle baron Billy Roland Eklund, owner of the Double Horseshoe Ranch, who's lost three calves in three months, each insured for $250,000-enough to make Dan's employers hysterical. Then a shooting and a flash flood that sweep away an ex-con who used to pilot for Billy Roland push Dan's investigation into other channels. Billy Roland, who's rich, exuberant and a better judge of cattle than of women, is just one of several strongly drawn characters. Dan's sister, Carolyn, is as ambitious and driven as her politically active husband, Phillip Ainsworth, and perhaps deadlier; Billy Roland's trophy wife, Iris, knows precisely what her assets are and how to exploit them. When insurance fraud, drug smuggling, voodoo and murder muddy the waters, Dan finds himself manipulated or coerced not only by the many suspects but also by a couple of federal agents. The plots and subplots almost seem too much for one story, and a long denouement leads to a not particularly credible ending. Nonetheless, Dan Mahoney is an appealingly resilient character, a welcome addition to the roster of sleuths that make the Southwest a hotbed of current mystery fiction. (Jan. 2)Massacre, etc.).
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Sent by United Life and Casualty to tiny Tatum, New Mexico, to investigate wealthy Billy Roland Eklund's six-figure claims for the death of three of his most highly prized cattle, private eye Dan Mahoney arrives at the Double Horseshoe Ranch just in time for the flreworks. First is the flash flood that'll probably be the basis for Billy Rowland's next claim against United Life. The following morning, Dan is present when a car he saw being hotly pursued by the local sheriff at the height of the storm is pulled from the muck with ex-con Eric Linden's current girlfriend inside. Still missing is attorney/pilot Eric, who'd been released from prison the day before after agreeing to serve seven years for drug-running in return for the $2 million payoff promised by BiIly Roland's lawyer. Soon thereafter, Dan's a witness along with dozens of others when a well-insured Double Horseshoe bull drops dead at a cattle show. And there are fireworks on the home front as well. Visiting his politically connected sister Carolyn 90 miles away in Roswell, Dan is introduced to Professor Elaine Linden, and to her bed, before he realizes she's Eric's not-quite-divorced widow---and that a pair of local FBI agents suspicious of both Eric and Billy Roland will insist that he continue his affair wearing a wire.

There'll be much, much more, with whispers of everything from alien experiments to voodoo, before Slater (Thunderbird, not reviewed, etc.) closes out this lively, surprising, overstuffed case, first of a series with one eye on Don Winslow's California Fire and Life."-Kirkus Reviews

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: I Books (October 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743479599
• ISBN-13: 978-0743479592
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,869,563 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Slater writes mysteries set in her beloved New Mexico--there's the highly acclaimed Ben Pecos series (first book, Pumpkin Seed Massacre, made it to the bestsellers' list in Germany, 2001), Yellow Lies, Thunderbird and a Way to the Manger. Then the two stand-alones, Flash Flood and Five O'clock Shadow. But the big news is Susan's new book, 0 to 60 (July, 2009). Her first foray into women's fiction! And already optioned by Hollywood! Susan lives thirty miles west of Taos and writes full time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too many English errors for me ..., October 23, 2009

By 

Marion Fish (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flash Flood (Hardcover)

The blurb on the back that says that "Susan Slater can flat-out write" is true to a point; the rather intricate plot is a lot of fun. However, the plethora of basic mistakes that permeate this novel will bother some people. Indeed, it sometimes reads like a quiz in which grade school students are expected to spot the errors.

If the following constructions don't bother you, the errors in this book probably won't either. (If they don't bother you, you should disregard this review; but make sure to study hard if you have to take an SAT test, or even if you want an educated boss to take you seriously!)

"The three were posed in front of some cathedral that looked familiar. The vacationing American family in Europe." (P. 69.)

"A decorated platform took up space beyond the pool; must plan on speeches later judging by the sound system with speakers poised on poles around the yard." (P. 174.)

"He found a beer and wandered toward the miniature grandstand, might as well listen to the speeches." (P. 178.)

"Dan didn't know cattle but this one seemed different. Even in her condition, better than the rest." (P. 193.)

"The small cemetery . . . also held the remains of Billy Roland's mother and father, a couple of ranch hands and their families who had died from cholera in the early 1900s." (Pp. 224-225.)

I was also disconcerted to find the country of Colombia spelled "Columbia" in phrases like "competitions from Columbia to Japan" (p. 46) and "Columbian drug lords" (p. 143). Oddly, it's spelled correctly elsewhere in the book.

As I said above, the plotting of this book is terrific. I don't want to discourage anyone from reading it--except those who will be distracted and annoyed by the all-too-frequent mistakes. What happened to editors, anyway? Back in the day, books were not published until errors like these were corrected.

Incidentally, I read this book because it was recommended by Thomas Perry, an author who is one of my current favorites. His plots are great too, but an entire Thomas Perry novel contains fewer mistakes than you'll find in some of the PARAGRAPHS of this one.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars exciting and action packed crime thriller, January 18, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flash Flood (Hardcover)

Bill Roland Eklund, the owner of the Double Horseshoe Ranch in Tatum, New Mexico lost three heads of cattle over a three-month period. He has filed claims worth over $600,000 with United Life and Casualty but before they remit such a huge some of money, they want to make sure there is no fraud involved so they dispatch Dan Mahoney to find out what is going on at the reach.

Before he reaches the ranch, Dan witnesses a double homicide. When one of the victims, Eric Linden turns up alive, he contacts Dan to tell him that he took the fall for Billy a drug charge and expected two million dollars waiting for him when he got out of prison. Now Eric wants revenge and he intends to find the evidence to give to Dan that will send his former employer to jail for life. Dan has a lot of problems with this scenario including the fact that he likes Billy and is in love with Eric's wife who is divorcing him.

The hero doesn't realize why he is out in the field after years behind a desk, but that doesn't stop him from solving the case in a very unique manner, helping the FBI find the real drug dealer and falling for his sister's best friend. Though relationships make solving the case harder on Dan's conscience, the story line is exciting and action packed. Susan Slater's new series is compelling and will lead the audience to want to read the next installment as soon as possible.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic, December 2, 2010

By 

Arthur L. Owens - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Flash Flood (Paperback)

I am not qualified as a literary critic to do a review of ANYONE'S writing. I must simply say Susan's work has an authentic Soutwest flavor to it while she pulls you into a fascinating story. I don't normally read Mysteries, but I'll probably read all her work.