Escape Clause by James O. Born

Review by Theodore Feit

Special Agent Billy Tasker, of the Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement, has been through a series of calamitous events in the previous six months, lastly being shot up and undergoing painful rehab. Just at the end of his recovery, he is in a bank with his young daughter when two armed robbers enter the bank. One shoots the bank manager dead. Billy can‚t just stand by: he shoots the killer and apprehends the other robber.

Procedure, of course, following the shooting, is to place Billy on administrative leave pending investigations. While he is cleared, a possible grand jury inquiry looms. A governor‚s aide offers a deal to make a possible indictment go away˜and there is no choice but to accept. It is suggested he take a working „vacation,‰ investigating the death of an inmate at a state correctional institution. The inmate is the son of a wealthy contributor to the governor. It‚s supposed to be a whitewash.

And as the Scot poet said: the best laid plans∑Tasker gets involved in all kinds of side issues, plots and unorthodox prison procedures. A couple of murders contribute to the complications. And his love life becomes equally complicated. Somehow the entangled web comes together in an ending that is explosive, not to mention dangerous to Tasker and his newly found love interest.

The author moves the story back and forth among a series of interesting characters. The high quality of writing in his previous books is maintained throughout, as is the plotting and atmosphere. Completely enjoyable, Escape Clause is an excellent read.