The
Fix
A
Burn Notice Mystery with Michael Westen
Tod
Goldberg
Signet
(Mass Market Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-451-22554-6 (0451225546)
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-22554-2 (9780451225542)
Publication Date: August 2008
List Price: $6.99
Synopsis (from
the publisher): Covert spy Michael Westen has found himself in forced
seclusion in Miami—and a little paranoid. Watched by the FBI,
cut off from intelligence contacts, and with his assets frozen, Westen
is on ice with a warning: stay there or get
“disappeared.” Driven to find out who burned him
and why, he’s biding his time helping people with nowhere
else to turn. People like socialite Cricket O’Connor whose
own husband has vanished, along with her fortune.
Cricket fell for a handsome world traveler who claimed to be just back
from Afghanistan, where he was on a hush-hush government mission. She
was charmed—who woudn't want an action hero for a lover?
She's been having some doubts, though, since he disappeared off the
face of the earth with most of her money. She needs help, but Michael's
having doubts too. Because Cricket may not be exactly who she claims to
be, either. And when a shadowy Russian woman from Michael's past shows
up in Miami with secrets that might just lead to the truth about his
burn notice, things really get hot.
Review:
Tod Goldberg pens the first in a planned series of tie-in books for the
television show Burn Notice
with The
Fix featuring ex-covert agent
Michael Westen who has been "burned" by the government, his identity
all but erased from official records, but not (yet) terminated.
Michael isn't sure who burned him, but as long as he stays in Miami
he's reasonably safe ... reasonable being a relative term. The Russian
agent who recently set up shop in a local hotel gives him cause to
pause. But he has to make a living so he uses his finely honed people
skills to help others in need, mostly those who can't get help from the
very same government that burned him. Such as Cricket O'Connor whose
new husband took off with a million dollars and who gets middle of the
night visits from his "associates" demanding two million more. Michael
believes extorting money from older women doesn't show off the criminal
profession in the most positive light and sets out to teach her
extortionists (including her husband) a lesson in ethics.
As a book tie-in to Burn Notice,
The
Fix readily achieves its
primary goal of being an extended, albeit written, version of a series
episode without sacrificing the identity of the show itself. Arguably
in many ways it is better, thought it has an edge to it that will
appeal to some, and turn off others. The written Michael Westen is
similar in style to the televised version, though in print he has the
luxury of being able to expound on his life and his case in far more
detail than on television. It should be said, however, that it probably
isn't necessary to punctuate every situation in the present with a
colorful, though often entertaining, story from the past. His way of
dealing with clients is short and to the point. When asked by Cricket
where to start her tale of woe, he says, "Why not start at the
beginning? But skip over the bits you don't think I'll care about."
The secondary plot involving the Russian agent doesn't quite fit. It
almost seems written as an afterthought, something to fill in the gaps
in the main story, and for the most part it is a distraction. That it
might have something to do with Michael's burn notice is not readily
obvious and in any case doesn't further the plot or add value in any
meaningful way. Though everything ties together in the end, sort of,
one wonders how much stronger the book might have been without it.
Finally, it's worth noting some of the sage advice Michael periodically
offers the reader: "In a situation where it seems like the best course
of action is to call the police and let them protect and serve, you
should call the police. Seems is a nebulous emotion one should ignore."
Or: "If you're at home and don't have access to the bomb squad, the
best way to open an envelope that you think might contain an explosive
charge is to not open it at all." And there are many more. These words
of wisdom alone are worth the purchase price.
Special thanks to Penguin Group for providing a copy of The Fix for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read The Fix? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
The Fix
Signet (Mass Market Paperback), August 2008
ISBN-10: 0-451-22554-6 (0451225546)
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-22554-2 (9780451225542)
The End Game
Signet (Mass Market Paperback), May 2009
ISBN-10: 0-451-22676-3 (0451226763)
ISBN-13: 978-0-451-22676-1 (9780451226761)
Omnimystery
keywords for The Fix
...
Location(s) referenced: Miami, Florida.
