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Eight of Swords (Tarot Card Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "Don'cha know, baby, I'm the one you need?..." (more)
Key Phrases: Warren Ritter, Eight of Swords, Heather Wellington (more...)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With Moses Wine, Roger L. Simon's once free-spirited, dope-smoking, "people's detective" (introduced in The Big Fix, 1973) having dulled the bite of his political cynicism over the years--and even threatening to go Republican!--there’s an opening for a new American anti-establishment gumshoe. Now applying for the job: the pseudonymous "Warren Ritter," a 55-year-old former "revolutionary guerilla" who’s been hiding out from The Man for the last three decades (ever since an explosion in which he supposedly died), and who has worked for the last six years as a tarot card reader in counter-cultural Berkeley, California.

When we first meet him, in David Skibbins's Eight of Swords, this anarchist-hero is offering his "fortune-telling jive" to Heather Wellington, a plucky brunette teenager burdened with a controlling stepfather, a black boyfriend her parents don't approve of, and a cretinish, gang-running ex-beau she can't seem to shake. Discomfited by the "oncoming cataclysm" forecast in her future, Warren chooses to downplay any imminent threats. But the next thing he knows, Heather's been kidnapped, he stumbles across her mother’s corpse in a downtown park, "pigs" (police) begin peppering him with questions, and his elderly therapist suggests that Warren expunge his guilt in these matters by locating the missing girl. For someone who's trying to lie low, solving crimes isn't exactly in the cards. However, this motorcycle-riding fugitive has picked up a few tough-guy moves during his "underground" years, and more than his fair share of resentment against an unjust world. So, assisted by a paraplegic computer hacker and a Hispanic security specialist, Warren embarks on a rescue mission that will lead him to tangle with malicious car thieves and meddlesome feds, face down slavering guard dogs, and--all in a day’s work--foil an incendiary bomb designed to destroy evidence of several crimes.

Although Eight of Swords won the 2004 Malice Domestic/St. Martin's Press contest for Best First Traditional Mystery, the conventionality of this series debut shows only in its methodical progress from clues to conclusions. And, save for his tendency to refer to women as "chicks," there’s nothing especially old-fashioned about Warren Ritter--a man prone to bipolar mood swings and haunted by his past: abandoned lovers, a sister who's only just discovered he's still alive, and a daughter he has never met. Skibbins, a California life coach, demonstrates a flair for dramatic pacing and plausible character development. If Warren can resist fleeing whenever his carefully constructed façade seems endangered, bright prospects for this rebel detective with a cause might not be so hard to predict. --J. Kingston Pierce --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.



From Booklist

Warren Ritter, a former leader in the Weather Underground, changed his identity 30 years ago; but now he's on the run, both from the Feds and from some of his former associates. Working as a tarot reader in Berkeley, Ritter finds nothing good in teenager Heather Wellington's cards, and she is promptly kidnapped. Soon Warren is being framed for the murder of Heather's mother. With the help of a computer expert, he sets out to solve the murder and escape the frame. (His future on the lam is also in jeopardy after his sister recognizes him.) Ritter's past gives his character some depth, as does his bipolar condition. The first-person narration draws the reader into this likable hero's underground life, and the well-drawn Berkeley setting effectively sets the counterculture tone. Winner of the St. Martin's Minotaur/Malice Domestic Contest for Best First Traditional Mystery. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Minotaur Books (April 4, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312352255
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312352257
  • Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,045,641 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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David Skibbins
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Don'cha know, baby, I'm the one you need? Read the first page
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Warren Ritter, Eight of Swords, Heather Wellington, Frank Wellington, Hal Russell, San Francisco, Hanged Man, Louise Wellington, Telegraph Avenue, Bay Area, Curtis Jackson, Detective Flemish, Tenth Street, Valdez Systems, Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County, Max Valdez, Thank God, United States, David Ellbruck, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Major Arcana, New Age, Northside Postal Services, Special Agent Dave
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22 Reviews
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4.3 out of 5 stars (22 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The cards are favorable, March 27, 2005
This review is from: The Eight of Swords (Hardcover)
Skibbins has created a very interesting collection of characters in his debut mystery. The very accurate portrayal of Berkeley and the Bay Area, adds an atmosphere that greatly enhances the story. In general, I am not a fan of glorifying those who have broken the law, and I do feel the premise of Warren's becoming involved was a bit weak. What really makes the story work is the characters, good suspense and, at the end, Warren's acknowledgement of what his life and actions has cost him. I ended up caring about Warren and want to see where his life goes from here. I know I'll be back for the next book. This is a very good debut.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Get Revved: There's a new guy in town, March 31, 2005
This review is from: The Eight of Swords (Hardcover)
"Eight Of Swords" by David Skibbins - ISBN 0-312-33906-2

In the early `70s, he was an active member of the notorious Weathermen. Assumed dead for 30 years, Warren Ritter, latter-day, anarchist, makes a living reading Tarot cards on Telegraph Ave. in Berkley, California.
Now, fifty-five years old, he has a comfortable life: frequent forays into book stores for poetic sustenance, once a month to the shooting range with his favorite cop on the beat, cruising at 90 mph on an Aprilia RSV Mille motorcycle, and therapy sessions for manic depression on Wednesday's.
When out of no-where his older sister, Tara, discovers he is still alive, on the same day he gave an ominous reading to young, Heather Wellington, who has been kidnapped: it rocks his world.
Trying to still his fears, salvage his anonymity, life-style, and fend off an inevitable guilt trip, Warren tries to assuage Tara's outrage. But he's shocked to find out he has a daughter, and about to become a grandfather.
Panic escalates when Heather's mother also disappears. Then one of the victims is found murdered. Since both women were last seen in the company of Warren, he becomes a suspect.
Having the police and F.B.I. nosing around in his violent past just isn't cricket. Newly birthed with paternal feelings and pricked with guilt, Warren-anti-establishment-Ritter, the hunted, becomes the hunter.

David Skibbins' development of the characters and their interaction is well-crafted. But, the first-person musings of Warren Ritter are priceless. More than once I winced at his cheeky sarcasm.
Although some readers' recollection of the infamous Weathermen may be a little rusty, Warren's past affiliation with them was an integral part of his character profile. As more information about their activities is divulged, a better understanding of the depth of his fear of being caught and an appreciation of Warren's diverse capabilities is realized.
A fragile art that can't be forced, writing humor effectively is elusive to some scribes. In EIGHT OF SWORDS, subtle glimpses to brazen, in-your-face laughs stalk the pages. I can't remember the last tome I read that tickled my funny bone so well, so often. Yet, it did not clash with the killer / survival instincts Warren needed to "kick butt" and bring the murder mystery to an "anti-establishment" conclusion. You gotta' love him.
Get ready. Don your leathers. Grab your helmet. Straddle that chrome pony, (careful: hot pipes!) A new dude in town has just been jump-started. Name: Warren Ritter, he's over fifty, revved and long over-due.
It's about time.



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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Mystery Mixes Murder and the Occult, June 8, 2005
By L. Kelly (Lakewood, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
This review is from: The Eight of Swords (Hardcover)
Berkeley tarot-card reader "Warren Ritter" thinks that the tarot card reading he is doing for teenager Heather Wellington is no different from any of the other semi-jive tarot readings he typically does. Warren has second thoughts, though, when that evening he sees that Heather was kidnapped shortly after her reading with him. As the story quickly develops, Warren is contacted for help by Heather's mother and finds himself involved in the search for the missing girl. The plot kicks up another notch when Warren finds himself being framed for the murder of Heather's mother.

The plot in this first mystery by David Skibbins was well-done, with a satisfying conclusion to the main story of kidnapping and murder. In addition, there were a number of subplots which added to my enjoyment of this story. The protagonist "Warren Ritter" is himself a fugitive terrorist who has been hiding from both the police and his former terrorist colleagues for thirty years. "Warren" faked his death in a bomb explosion thirty years before the time of the story. Warren Ritter is also afflicted with a manic-depressive personality, and the story delves a bit into the highs and lows he experiences. Finally, author Skibbins paints a realistic picture of the Berkeley area in which the story is set.

The story leaves plenty of unanswered questions to look at in the next book in this series. I look forward to reading more about Warren Ritter and his quirky Berkely colleaagues.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely not a cozy!
Warren Ritter is trying to live off the grid by making a living as a Tarot Card reader in Berkeley. When one of his clients turns up dead, Warren becomes the object of unwanted... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Elizabeth Ray

3.0 out of 5 stars Keeping secrets is hard to do...
Warren Ritter has a decent life -- an apartment, a few acquaintances, a psychiatrist, and a job. He reads tarot cards in Berkeley and earns enough to meet expenses. Read more
Published on September 4, 2007 by Gayle Surrette

5.0 out of 5 stars You can run but you can't hide
Rickard could have had a different life if his anti-war mother had not written that letter to his draft board. He became a member of the Weathermen. Read more
Published on July 15, 2007 by Fred Camfield

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite Nice!
Quite enjoyable! We begin this little adventure meeting "Warren Ritter," at least that's what he's calling himself these days. Read more
Published on September 29, 2006 by Amy Graham

5.0 out of 5 stars Hiding in Plain Sight
EIGHT OF SWORDS is a good story that moves smartly
along. It's also a thoughtful novel, and the
protagonist, Warren Ritter, is one of the most
intriguing... Read more
Published on July 13, 2006 by Pat Browning

4.0 out of 5 stars If you remember the 60's, you might know Warren Ritter
Caveat Emptor: I read Eight of Swords several years ago when it was submitted to the St. Martin's Press/Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Novel Contest; I sent it on,... Read more
Published on May 7, 2006 by PJ Coldren

2.0 out of 5 stars Eight of Swords- No thank you.
As a professional Tarot Card reader I wanted this book to be great, as a person who enjoys reading, I wanted it to be great. You can't always get what you want. Read more
Published on March 20, 2006 by P. J. Theriault

5.0 out of 5 stars Bay Area hair-raiser!
Rebeccasreads highly recommends EIGHT OF SWORDS as a thrilling debut action adventure mystery - one Baby Boomers will crow about - & given David Skibbins' bio, you know he's a... Read more
Published on November 7, 2005 by Rebecca Brown

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting characters
This book is terrific fun for those of us boomers who spent the latter portion of the 60's protesting the military industrial establishment (and correctly so as it has morphed... Read more
Published on November 4, 2005 by Bernie Cullen

4.0 out of 5 stars unexpected gem
I came across this book, and had no idea what to expect. I thought I would give it 30 pages, and, if it interested me, I would keep reading. Well, I kept reading. Read more
Published on October 10, 2005 by Charlie_in_la

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