Robert Lane is perhaps my favorite living mystery author. Jake Travis is squarely in line behind Travis McGee as Florida's #2 private investigator.

Jake's life is evolving. He now has two children, hostages to fortune. His relationship with Kathleen is changing. His relationship with his friends, especially Morgan is changing. We are carried along.

I'm not as enthusiastic about this book as I am about some earlier ones. It's a bit pale. In particular, Jake's friends and even his family appear too briefly and with little impact. One of the more interesting characters, who might have been used in a later book, is not developed. A lot of what happens takes place within Jake's head. I think the blandness results from the two timeline structure. We follow Jake's investigation today but with short chapters set in the early 70s are interspersed. Anyone who reads my reviews knows I don't care for split narratives.

Don't start your Jake Travis adventures with this one. Read it later.

I received a review copy of this book directly from the author. ( )