At least the dog lives ( )

At least the dog lives ( )

I really like Jack Carpenter, the forcibly retired detective whose specialty is finding missing children. His dog is a hoot -- biting the bad guys and nuzzling the good guys. Like its predecessor, this is a rollercoaster . This time, Jack is asked by a death row inmate to find his kidnapped grandson, where the cops have already determined the child's father is guilty. ( )

By all accounts this should have been a really good book. The hero of the story Jack Carpenter (also in Midnight Rambler) on paper has all the qualities that make for a really great character, even down to the ill tempered dog he got at the pound. But in reading (at least for myself) I was never able to buy into the character completely and by the books end I was just tired of hearing about his dog's ill temper and the fact that Jack Carpenter is never wrong. I wanted to like him, and his dog but for me the characters just fell short. But, different strokes for different folks so this could be right up your alley. It's an involved plot to say the least, including missing children, serial killers, drug dealers and the list goes on. All in all a pretty good story with a few twists that you see coming and possibly a couple you might not. Check it out you just might like the characters more than I did. ( )

James Swain is listed on CardCheaters.com as "a skilled sleight-of-hand magician who specializes in gambling and cheating techniques. He is also an expert on cons and scams." Swain first parlayed this knowledge into a successful and highly entertaining series of thrillers starring Tony Valentine. Valentine is a retired Atlantic City cop, an expert in cons, scams, and grifts, who now freelances helping casinos to catch cheaters, card counters, and anyone else who figures out a way to game the system. The Tony Valentine novels have ranged from Atlantic City to South Florida (Swain's, and now Valentine's home) to Las Vegas, and as well as being fairly taut thrillers offer interesting insight into the world of professional gambling and gambling addiction.

Jack Carpenter, the lead in The Night Stalker, is also an ex-cop. His specialty is missing persons; in particular, he finds kids. Midnight Rambler (I don't know about you, but I couldn't not hear Mick and the boys singing in my head the entire time I was reading the book...good thing it moved quickly) introduced Carpenter at his lowest: booted off the force, his wife having left him, living in a seedy apartment above a run-down bar on the beach. The one bright spot in his life: Buster, the Australian Shepherd he's just adopted who turns out to be a natural at detecting and running down bad guys. What can I say? I love a book with a good dog hero.

In Midnight Rambler Jack Carpenter butted heads with his former employers, showed them up, and got the bad guys pretty much on his own. It was a winning formula, and Swain employs it again this time around. The Night Stalker opens with Carpenter being hired by Abb Grimes, a convicted serial killer just four days from execution. Abb's grandson has been kidnapped as a message to him to stop cooperating with the FBI. The apparently bungling police, in conjunction with the FBI, have focused on Jed, Abb's son, as the perpetrator. Carpenter is positive that in targeting Jed Grimes the police are putting the child's life in further danger; naturally, he bucks authority and follows his own, ultimately correct course to find the real kidnappers.

Jack Carpenter is a good character: he has knowledge and experience, a wry sense of humor, he loves his dog and he loves his family. He has his faults: he drinks too much and he's too cocky. I only wish--along with the people he works with--that he would be wrong once in a while. It would round this character out nicely. ( )