Night Game: A John Marquez Crime Novel

Rating:
Summary: fabulous thriller
Review: California Department of Fish & Game Special Operations Chief Lieutenant John Marquez and his undercover team investigate poachers using torturous devices to capture, and slaughter bears to sell body parts to healers. The violators are organized, professional, and one step ahead of the game wardens because they hacked into the law enforcement computers. No one interferes with this shadowy group's lucrative business and if threatening the wardens and their families fails, murder will follow and may have already occurred.

Meanwhile as he struggles to do his job without endangering his loved ones, John investigates disgraced game warden, Bill Petroni at the same time that homicide detective Jack Kendal suspects Bill for murder of a camper last year. The link is Bill's live in lover Sophie Broussard, who has ties to bear poaching and other illegal activities. Could Bill have provided insider information to a deadly group intent on keeping their profits the envy of the Fortune 500 firms?

The atmosphere is incredible as the picturesque Northern California Mountains come across as sinister and dangerous as any urban noir scene. John is terrific with his ethics pulled in several directions due to concern for his family, his team and their family, the bears he is supposed to protect, and doing his job. The enemy is the key as they are shadowy yet successful, which leads to intrigue balanced against cruelty and cynicism from government officials whose vision is a paraphrase from the Eisenhower administration that what is good for business is good for the USA. This is a fabulous tale in which justice and morality struggles against making a buck at any cost (as long as someone else pays the tab).

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: I enjoyed "Night Games" by Kirk Russell and recommend highly it as a good, engaging detective story within a broader expose about bear poaching. I was glued to Night Games though several long airport layovers. It is at least as good as Russell's earlier novel- active plot, quick dialog, well-defined characters, and quick changes of scene. It would make a great movie. Very descriptive and really gives a sense of place. I now want to visit the Sierras where the story takes place.

Rating:
Summary: A Compelling, Fast-Paced Read
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the second installment in the John Marquez crime fiction series. Intelligent characters, well-paced plot, an insight into a world I knew nothing about, the illegal trafficking in bear bile (just as the first Marquez explored the world of abalone smuggling, another world previously unknown to me) - plus, to top it all off, good writing. One could hardly ask for anything more, except a third installment. As to that, I understand one is on the way, one focusing on caviar and sturgeon trafficking, with a special appearance by Russian mobsters. I'm looking forward to it already. In the meantime, though, check out Night Games. You won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: highly inventive and intriguing crime fiction
Review: Night Game combines action and mystery, is excitingly paced, the crisp prose is strong and augmented by great turns of phrases and well evoked scenes. You'll see what I mean when you find yourself in John Marquez's domain of natural settings populated by the ambiguously motivated and sublimely remorseless. Who to trust remains a big question. Most importantly, the characters and story feel real, and I didn't guess the end.