Amazon.com Review
The rough-hewn mountain man with the sensitive soul is always an appealing hero, and McKinzie's Antonio Burns (Edge of Justice, Point of Law) has the right stuff to keep readers turning the pages of this adrenaline-charged thriller. Wyoming Special Agent Burns is protecting prosecutor Cali Morrow from an alleged stalker, but the most dangerous moments occur high above the picture postcard town of Jackson Hole, when Cali, the daughter of a glamorous movie star, and Burns, an experienced skier and climber, escape their romantic and professional stresses in a dangerous game of chicken that's much more interesting than the somewhat pedestrian plot whose denouement won't surprise any careful reader. Between the bad press he's gotten for an arrest that turned into a bloodbath and a girlfriend who's keeping their relationship on ice, it's no wonder Burns heads for the peaks whenever he can. The liveliest dialog is between Antonio and his renegade brother, an escaped criminal whose high altitude escapades pose greater danger to both Cali and Antonio than her stalker--most fans will be rooting fort Roberto to pay his debt to society, Antonio to ignore his girlfriend's pleas to join her in domestic bliss at sea level, and McKinzie to bring the Burns boys back for a sequel. --Jane Adams
From Publishers Weekly
Special Agent Antonio "Anton" Burns (The Edge of Justice) returns in another offbeat combo of mountain-climbing adventure and police thriller. Going through a rough patch with longtime lady love Rebecca, Anton is assigned the job of protecting a beautiful Wyoming prosecutor (and daughter of a Hollywood star), Cali Morrow, who is being menaced by an unknown stalker. Both Cali and Anton are recreational climbers, and on an afternoon climbing and skiing in the Rockies, Cali makes no secret of her attraction to Anton. He is tempted, but other matters preoccupy him. His fugitive brother, Roberto, overdue to turn himself in to the authorities, is hiding out in the woods behind Anton's remote cabin. And because of a recent high-profile incident in which Anton rashly shot at an assailant, he is disliked by much of the local citizenry and saddled with the nickname QuickDraw. The stalker suspects are Cali's ex-boyfriend (gruff cop Wokowski) and a nervous nerd named Myron Armalli, who may be only an obsessed fan. McKinzie shuffles these characters and puts Cali in jeopardy more than once (there's a harrowingly believable description of a mini-avalanche and its aftermath), leading Anton to much self-flagellation and soul-searching. Midway through, the stalker makes his move and the novel switches to McKinzie's forte: action, adventure and a multilayered chase and rescue. Like its hero, the book is erratic, but fires on all cylinders when it's at its best.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
