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I took one look at the title, Baby Shark’s High Plains Redemption, and questioned my sanity in choosing to review this novel. I kept putting it off, thinking that I’d picked a real loser this time. But it turned out to be the most fun I’ve had reading a book of this kind in months. It just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover…er…title.
Kristin “Baby Shark” Van Dijk and her private investigator partner, Otis Millett, are sent on a routine pick-up. Someone took something that someone had stolen from someone else, and they want it back. In this case, it turns out to be a mildly simple-minded woman named Savannah Smike who took something that someone else wants. She’s not exactly been kidnapped, and what was supposed to be an easy job turns into an all-out struggle between two feuding gangs of crooks—and Kristin and Otis are caught smack in the middle of it.
As Kristin and Otis dodge bullets, they begin to wonder what it is about Savannah that has everyone in such an uproar. The bad guys seem to alternate between trying to kill her and capture her—and they really don’t care if Kristin and Otis get caught in the crossfire.
Set in the 1950s, Baby Shark’s High Plains Redemption is a gritty, hard-edged, action-packed crime novel. Mr. Fate knows how to create a tough female lead who’s not squeamish about killing when necessary—while still making her incredibly likable. Writers of romantic suspense could learn a thing or two from Mr. Fate on that point. Otis is a comfortable, cranky old investigator, and you can’t help but love him—because when he takes on a job, he sees it through to the end, no matter what.
Occasionally, the mention of certain ‘50s styles, products, and actors might throw you a little, since you may not recognize most of them. The 1950s was almost twenty years before I was born, so that’s to be expected, but it didn’t make me enjoy the novel any less.
With its brutal plot, non-stop action, and likable characters, Baby Shark’s High Plains Redemption sucked me in right from the beginning and didn’t let up. Baby Shark quickly became one of my favorite characters, and I can’t wait to catch her in future novels by Robert Fate.
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