Readers who like a little international thriller mixed into their private
eye stories will love Tim Maleeny’s debut effort, STEALING THE
DRAGON. The trouble starts with the murdered crew of a container ship.
The murders are clearly the work of a professional assassin, and P.I.
Cape Weathers’ partner, Sally, is the prime suspect. As Cape navigates
the intricacies of Chinatown crime organizations and local San Francisco
politics, Sally revisits her experiences growing up in a Hong Kong martial
arts school. The discovery of a stolen artifact brings the two narratives
together just in time for a showdown at a fortune cookie factory.
STEALING THE DRAGON offers plenty of action and unexpected twists, but
Maleeny’s strength lies in his characters and their intricate
relationships. He manages to sidestep the usual clichés, creating
characters that resist expectations. The most striking example of this
is Cape’s partner. It’s not often a P.I.’s “muscle” is
a Triad trained assassin who happens to be a petite woman named Sally.
Fast-paced and peopled with memorable, complex characters, STEALING
THE DRAGON is an enjoyable read. With enough twists and turns to keep
you guessing, it won’t be an easy book to put down.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Angie Johnson-Schmit currently lives in Arizona with her husband,
two dogs and a turtle. A voice actress for Coyote Radio Theater, she
spends too much time practicing silly voices.
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2007 SPINETINGLER Magazine - All rights reserved
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