| Government investigators -- Fiction |
| Abalone fisheries -- Fiction. |
| Smuggling -- Fiction. |
| California -- Fiction |
| Mystery fiction. |
| California. Dept. of Fish and Game -- Fiction. |
| Contraband trade |
Available:
Library | Shelf Number | Shelf Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Taunton Public Library | RUSSELL, KIRK | 1ST FLOOR STACKS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Wareham Free Library | F RUS | MYSTERY | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
The discovery of thousands of empty abalone shells and two murdered divers sends Lieutenant John Marquez's poaching investigation in a newand very riskydirection. Former DEA agent and now head of a special operations unit of the California Department of Fish and Game, Marquez learns he himself has been targeted as the next victim. Stalking him is Kline, a vicious drug smuggler turned abalone poacher who has a vendetta against Marquez. John Marquez is supposed to protect wildlife, not solve murders, but the only way he can break the multi-million-dollar abalone-smuggling ring, as well as save his own life, is to find and stop Kline. A fast-paced crime novel set along the majestic Northern California coastline, Shell Games introduces a tough, complex, and appealing hero and a masterful new series.
Reviews (2)
Kirkus Review
A special squad of undercover endangered-species investigators goes after poachers and ends up taking on a nightmarish international killer and the FBI. Lt. John Marquez, head of the California Fish & Game Department's Special Operations Unit, stumbles upon a grisly torture-murder while investigating a multimillion-dollar abalone poaching operation. Something stinks, and it's not bad shellfish. Ex-DEA agent Marquez can't help but notice the similarities between this torture killing and the darkest moment from his fed dope-sleuth period in Mexico. His nemesis, the man who took out his entire DEA crew and said he'd get him later, is back. The local homicide investigator and FBI don't want Marquez poking into the case. Meanwhile, he has much of the detective genre's DNA: he's moody, struggles with his demons by night, his ex-DEA undercover bio subs for the usual Vietnam vet rÉsumÉ, and though he's not divorced, his marriage is on the rocks thanks to the old struggle between the job and the family. Throw in a few more flashbacks and he'd fit right in at James Lee Burke's Robicheaux Dock & Bait Shop in Louisiana. But to first-novelist Russell's credit, Marquez doesn't chase Scotch with jazz or slam his badge and gun on the boss's desk. This is not a clichÉ fest. The story is loaded with atmosphere, as the SOU team races through clogged California traffic up and down the moody coast from Fort Bragg to San Francisco. It's also made unself-consciously relevant with timely references, such as contrasting the mortally wounded California state budget and the whatever-it-takes blank check given federal agencies in the name of post-9/11 national security. The SOU crew includes a variety of believable characters, not a one from central casting. The bad guys are as colorful as Elmore Leonard's cast of wise guys, but with ex-hippie and surfer dudes subbing for Leonard's thugs and made men. Russell could, and should, take Marquez and this crew out again. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In recent years, mystery writers seem to have entered a secret contest to see who could come up with the best variant on the traditional detective heroes: cops or ex-cops (usually wounded or traumatized) turned private eyes. Russell should walk off with the award for far and away the most inventive new detective hero--an ex-DEA agent who now heads a covert special operations unit of the California Department of Fish and Game. Lieutenant Marquez's job is to protect wildlife, but two discoveries--a slew of empty abalone shells and the bodies of two murdered divers--propel Marquez back into his narc-fighting days. Behind the empty shells and the slain divers is a drug runner making big money smuggling abalone. The plot moves, credibly and intriguingly, from Marquez's bewildering discovery to a fight for his own life as the drug lord hunts him down. A first-rate start to a projected series. --Connie Fletcher Copyright 2003 Booklist