Adilbrand Noblesword's Hall of Warriors Review of Books: <B><I>Slow Burn</B></I> by G.M. Ford -- Adilbrand Noblesword's Hall of Warriors

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Date Posted: 17:42:03 08/04/04 Wed
Author: Mt. Healthy Mountaineer, your intrepid reviewer
Subject:

Adilbrand Noblesword's Hall of Warriors Review of Books: Slow Burn by G.M. Ford

Genre: detective
Published: 1998 by Avon Books

Short Summary:

Leo Waterman (Ford's recurring private investigator character) has a cash-rich client - an international food show in Seattle. Not just a normal food show but an upscale top-shelf food show - the best of the best. Waterman is hired to be chief of security, but his biggest job is keeping the owners of two upscale steakhouses (think Ruth's Chris or Shula's) from killing one another (literally) and someone from killing a food reviewer who may or may not have been "cooking" his food ratings.

Throw in Waterman's normal surveillance crew, a group of homeless men and women that he affectionately calls "The Boys"(why use the homeless guys? They make awesome suerveillance teams since no one notices the homeless and no one thinks it odd that a homeless guy would sit outside the same building for hours and hours on end so no one suspects they are being followed), a hotel security guard that is determined to beat Waterman to a pulp and the quirks of the ultra-rich and you've got a mix full of possibilities.

My review:

I was told that this book was a disappointment. I have to agree and disagree. It is a good book - it really does approach the level of being a great farce of a detective novel. The client is outrageous and the people he investigates are larger than life throughout the story. At times, Waterman is the only sane man in the room. It makes it a fun ride - but I finished the book pleased but quite sure that it could have been even more if Ford had pushed a bit more. I would have liked for him to have met other bizarre personages that were attending the food show, but the climactic scene at the steakhouse with the helicopter and the barbecue was certainly odd enough in its own right.

Like all of the Waterman novels, it may behoove the reader to jot down some notes as you go along because the author does little to remind the reader who the characters are as the story progresses. The murder victim is introduced and not mentioned again until he is killed about 100 pages later. I had to think hard about who this guy was and why it was important to the story that he was dead.

I would recommend reading the other Waterman books (Who In Hell is Wanda Fuca?, Cast in Stone, The Bum's Rush) before reading this one.

I give this book a "B+" - fun but I'm struck by the unrealized potential.

< HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380793679/qid=1091654030/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-9020424-8506445?v=glance&s=books">Amazon.com's page on Slow Burn

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Replies:

Here is the correct link -- Mt. Healthy Mountaineer, 17:45:23 08/04/04 Wed