Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Confidential investigator B. J. Vinson thinks it’s a bad joke when Del Dahlman asks him to look into the theft of a duck… a duck named Quacky Quack the Second and insured for $250,000. It ceases to be funny when the young thief dies in a suspicious truck wreck. The search leads BJ and his lover, Paul Barton, to the sprawling Lazy M Ranch in the Bootheel country of southwestern New Mexico bordering the Mexican state of Chihuahua.

 

A deadly game unfolds when BJ and Paul are trapped in a weird rock formation known as the City of Rocks, an eerie array of frozen magma that is somehow at the center of the entire scheme. But does the theft of Quacky involve a quarter-million-dollar duck-racing bet between the ranch’s owner and a Miami real estate developer, or someone attempting to force the sale of the Lazy M because of its proximity to an unfenced portion of the Mexican border? BJ and Paul go from the City of Rocks to the neon lights of Miami and back again in pursuit of the answer… death and danger tracking their every step.

 

Book Review

This is the third B.J. Vinson mystery I have read, and I have to say that I am impressed with the high quality of writing, the variety of quirky and eccentric characters, and the intriguing mysteries Don Travis keeps conjuring up for my entertainment. Well, not just mine, I am sure, but he certainly keeps pulling me into the twists and turns he comes up with. Burleigh J. Vinson – who goes by BJ because… what would you do with a name like Burleigh? – has become like an old friend whose stories surprise and delight me every time he tells me about his adventures. This time BJ is off to a particularly hilarious start – with a stolen duck that turns out to be worth about 250,0000 dollars. Except the humor quickly turns into a serious investigation that turns out to include betting, drug cartels, and nefarious shenanigans from expected as well as unexpected sources. What a ride!

BJ is a confidential investigator – pretty much a PI to you and me with an office in Albuquerque. As a former Marine who turned to sleuthing after a stint in the Albuquerque police, he is no stranger to violence but prefers his assignments to be a little more tranquil these days, not that he has much of a chance. Once again his ex, a local lawyer by the name of Del, gets BJ into trouble when he asks him to look into a “ducknapping”. I was fascinated with the details about duck breeding (for their feathers) and duck racing, but there is much more to the case once BJ starts looking into who might benefit from the theft. The somewhat ridiculous case becomes serious when first one man turns up murdered, then a few more bodies follow as BJ gets closer to the truth.

Different from the previous two books, BJ’s boyfriend, graduate journalism student Paul, gets more involved in this case. Partly this is because he and BJ have become closer and are spending more time together but also because he is a curious man and investigative journalism deals with finding out the truth s much as private investigation, if from a slightly different angle. As always the secondary characters are fantastic, real people with their own agendas and flaws. The Lazy M ranch and its residents are at the center of proceedings, but many others play a role as well – from a sleazy Miami real estate developer to a greedy neighbor. The landscape of New Mexico comes to life during BJ’s and Paul’s explorations, and I loved every second of their discoveries.

If you like complicated mysteries with as many twists and turns as a thriller, if eccentric characters are your thing, and if you’re looking for a suspenseful read filled with as much humor as solid detective work, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. I am happy the next one is out tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by DSP Publications for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 280 pages/93145 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	18-July-2017
Price	$6.99 ebook, $16.99 paperback, $16.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.dsppublications.com/books/the-city-of-rocks-by-don-travis-393-b