Parker Takes a Bullet
An Evelyn
Parker Mystery
Lewis
Hall
Elevated Lab Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 1-4392-3641-0 (1439236410)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4392-3641-3 (9781439236413)
Publication Date: May 2009
List Price: $14.99
Synopsis (from
the publisher): My dad a drug dealer?
At a time when she should have been thinking about what frothy dress to
wear to the senior prom, Evelyn Parker, still reeling from her
mother’s suicide, has to face this troubling question. Worse, the
fact that her father’s incinerated body is found shortly after a
huge cash deposit was made in his bank account leaves his colleagues in
the Sheriff’s Department convinced he was on the take.
But, growing up the daughter of a detective, Evelyn learned a few
things about police work. When the investigation into her
father’s murder grinds to a halt, Evelyn decides to do some
sleuthing of her own, determined to exonerate her dad. In the process
she plays loose with the law, tails a too-charming suspect, uncovers a
worldwide web of international crime, and learns that things are not
always how they appear.
Review: Lewis
Hall introduces Evelyn Parker, an 18-year-old woman who recently lost
both her
mother, to suicide, and her father, a cop killed by a suspicious fire
in his home, in the first of a proposed series, Parker Takes a Bullet.
Evelyn, who just recently moved out on her own and works in an animal
shelter, is devastated by her father's death. She's convinced he was
murdered, but his own police department isn't so sure. A large cash
deposit recently made into his bank account suggests maybe he was a cop
on the take in a deal that went bad. Determined to clear his name,
Evelyn starts from some notes written by her father related to his most
recent case, and a list he made with seemingly unrelated words:
computers, big black car, no license, boxster, dead, bacon, baseball
cap, Russian. When her investigation leads her to a Russian native
who's a computer expert and the owner a Boxster, she knows she's making
progress. But then the FBI step in looking for this very same person
but for a different reason. Afraid that she'll never solve her father's
murder if the FBI take away her best lead, she convinces him to evade
the authorities all the while digging for information about her dad.
Parker Takes a Bullet is
a fast-paced thriller with a strong, well-developed plot. Its weakest
element, and a debatable one at that, is the character of Evelyn
Parker, the series lead. Portrayed as an independent, no-nonsense, and
otherwise reasonably intelligent young woman, she nevertheless
constantly ignores sound advice, disregards direct orders, breaks laws,
commits felonies, and endangers not only herself but everyone around
her. She often uses a "the means justifies the end" rationale to
support her actions. For example, recalling that her father once said,
"A judge should focus on the motivation behind a crime, not on the act
itself," she provides herself with comfort that stealing her father's
files from police headquarters was the proper thing to do. (The
frequent use of quotes by her father is actually one of the more
appealing aspects of the book. No doubt intended to keep Evelyn
grounded, she sometimes, well, rather frequently, twists them to suit
her own, at present, needs.) Some readers might view Evelyn as a good
triumphing over evil kind of superhero; others may just roll their eyes
at some of her actions, from running (unarmed) after a man (armed) who
just tried to kill her, to rather easily breaking out of a secure
detention center, to shooting out the tires of a jet while standing in
its path on an active runway. That the authorities continue to allow
her to get away with all this is part of her charm. Or maybe they're
just that inept.
Though Evelyn Parker is clearly the center of attention here, like her
or not, it's the plot and, admittedly, the non-stop action that pull
readers along. In the end there are a few unresolved plot points, but
otherwise Parker Takes a Bullet
is an entertaining and unforgettable thriller.
Special thanks to Lewis Hall for providing a copy of Parker Takes a Bullet for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Parker Takes a Bullet? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
Parker Takes a Bullet
Elevated Lab Press (Trade Paperback), May 2009
ISBN-10: 1-4392-3641-0 (1439236410)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4392-3641-3 (9781439236413)
Omnimystery keywords for Parker Takes a Bullet ...
Location(s) referenced: Los Angeles, California.
