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Trouble Comes Back |
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T rouble Comes Back byKeith Snyder Walker Books 318 pages, 1999 ISBN 0802733387 Reviewed by PJ Nunn Read our author interview All for one and one for all! Closing this book in the wee hours of the morning, the name D’Artagnan echoed through my sleepy mind. Jason Keltner and buddies Robert and Martin remind me of modern day Musketeers. As fans of Jason's previous exploits know, he is in a seeming state of perpetual limbo with a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, albeit with the best of intentions. When Martin calls for help, his two comrades ride to the rescue and stumble across something they later wish they’d never seen. Drafted to deter the potential kidnapping of a beguiling six year old girl, they think they’ve stumbled on easy money. But what they’ve really found is trouble. Nothing is as it seems. After Jason thwarts the attempted kidnapping, their job seems over. Or is it? The housekeeper believes something’s amiss too, and hires the trio to find out what it is. This takes them on a trip to Manhattan that further confuses the situation. The trip ends abruptly with a call from their former employer whose partner has been shot and whose daughter is now missing. The summons has Jason hurtling back to LA, only to find that little Donna has indeed been kidnapped. Frantic to save her, the father wipes out on a rain-slicked road, leaving Jason as her only immediate hope of rescue. Keltner is an unlikely yet wonderfully believable hero. I’m pleased to note that Snyder is as refreshingly honest in his writing as he is in conversation, allowing readers to view the imperfections of his characters as though he had devised a camera with access to the innermost workings of a man, then dared to present the unedited version – frailties, mistakes, and all. In so doing, we aren’t aware of weakness, but of the strength that comes from sheer honesty. Perhaps we’re even encouraged to take a more honest look at ourselves. The author's ability to maintain a fine balance between Keltner’s personal insecurities, conflicts and professional responsibilities is a realistic portrayal of how the boundary lines between the two are often blurred. Snyder is an artist, with the complexities of a composer’s mind evident throughout the book. In TROUBLE COMES BACK, I believe he’s finally coming into his own. In a masterpiece of tonality and rhythm, his characters span the spectrum from discord to sublime, as the tempo of the piece gradually increases to a magnificent crescendo. Snyder’s descriptions are as sharp as a double-sided blade. The mystery itself is craftily woven, keeping us guessing who the bad guys really are. And, lest you think it’s entirely an introspective work, it’s got action packed adventure and enough humor to insert a few chuckles among the gasps. Read this book. You’ll be glad you did. |
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