Choker
An
Ike Schwartz Mystery
Frederick
Ramsay
Poisoned
Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-635-2 (1590586352)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-635-8 (9781590586358)
Publication Date: June 2009
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): His pilot’s rating barely a month old, Nick
Reynolds drops off the radar at night over the Chesapeake Bay.
Investigating agencies call it another tragic pilot error accident. No
trace of the plane is found in the Bay’s murky waters.
Ike Schwartz, erstwhile sheriff of Picketsville, on vacation, is
approached by Charlie Garland, an old CIA friend, to look into the
disappearance. The missing pilot was engaged to Charlie’s
niece and the family is not dealing well with the lack of closure. More
importantly, Nick, just before his disappearance, had placed a call to
Charlie. Was something other than pilot error involved in Nick's
disappearance?
Ike accepts the assignment as a favor to Charlie and also because
vacations do not work for him. Ike’s wide-eyed entry into a
simple missing persons case catapults him into an international
thriller á la Robert Ludlum with intimations of terrorism
that might threaten the nation and its leaders. Clandestine operations,
angry watermen and out of place dredging spoil complicate
Ike’s efforts to unravel the mystery.
While this activity thrusts a reluctant Ike into harm’s way,
back in Picketsville, The Rev. Blake Fisher and Acting Sheriff Frank
Sutherlin sort out the mystery of the missing communion silver and a
possible occult group operating in the high school.
Review:
Picketsville (Virginia) Sheriff Ike Schwartz takes a vacation to the
shores of Chesapeake Bay but that doesn't mean he's not on the job in Choker,
the fifth mystery in this series by Frederick Ramsay
Just three days into his break he receives a call from his old friend
and former colleague at the CIA, Charlie Garland. Charlie needs a
favor. A young pilot, inexperienced in night flying, left an airport in
Maryland and flew over the Bay on the foggy night of July 4th. He and
his plane disappeared. Nick Reynolds, the pilot and the
fiancé of Charlie's niece, left a cryptic message prior to
leaving. The FAA and Coast Guard have searched for the plane but have
found nothing. Maybe, reasons Charlie, Ike can take a fresh look at the
case from his perspective on the Delaware border.
Meanwhile, back in Picketsville, a skull and bones have been found in
an age-old sink hole once known as "Passion Pit", now simply the
"Kaldron". Acting Sheriff Frank Sutherlin teams up with the Reverend
Blake Fisher, who has lost some silver communion chalices recently, to
look into it. Has a mysterious cult formed in the local high school?
Ramsay has a real flair for combining a little suspense, a dash of
comedy, and a touch of romance into his novels. Choker
is no exception. Taking place in a completely different setting than
the other books in the series (and in some ways, introducing a
different tone as well), it's a real pleasure following Ike on his
investigation of the missing pilot and plane, working with (and
sometimes in opposition to) a most remarkable cast of characters. It's
all the book really needs to keep the reader's attention; the subplot
back in Ike's home town is interesting, but adds little of value to the
rest of the story.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Choker and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Choker? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
Artscape
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), July 2004
ISBN-10: 1-59058-127-X (159058127X)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-127-8 (9781590581278)
Secrets
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), August 2005
ISBN-10: 1-59058-188-1 (1590581881)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-188-9 (9781590581889)
Buffalo Mountain
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), August 2007
ISBN-10: 1-59058-369-8 (1590583698)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-369-2 (9781590583692)
Stranger Room
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), August 2008
ISBN-10: 1-59058-535-6 (1590585356)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-535-1 (9781590585351)
Choker
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), June 2009
ISBN-10: 1-59058-635-2 (1590586352)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-635-8 (9781590586358)
Omnimystery
keywords for Choker
...
Location(s) referenced: Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Chesapeake
Bay.
