"Strong police procedural"
Orange County Deputy Sheriff Archie Wildcraft lies in a
hospital near death from the bullet lodged in his brain
while his wife Gwen is already dead. The law enforcement
officials detest that one of their brothers killed his wife
and tried to commit suicide. Only Detective Merci Rayborn
thinks differently though circumstantial evidence targets
Archie as the culprit. Though he does not remember what happened, Archie believes
that he never murdered his spouse though the media has
convicted him. Archie takes things into his own hands and
goes after an unknown killer. Merci chases after Archie.
However, as he plays cat and mouse with her, both undergo a
paradigm switch from believing Gwen unfortunately took a
bullet aimed for Archie to thinking Archie took a bullet
aimed for Gwen. Now they separately seek a culprit who
wanted Gwen dead and has no qualms about adding two cops to
the victim list. The key to this strong police procedural is the clever
way T. Jefferson Parker enables the reader to observe Merci
up front and personal without slowing down a fast-paced yet
unique cat and mouse story line. Merci's personal life
(single mom) and peer ostracization in her professional
life due to the aftermath of her previous case (see THE
BLUE HOUR) brilliantly intertwine in her hunt for Archie
who, in a subplot, seeks the killer. Merci in her third
appearance and to a lesser degree Archie make BLACK WATER a
must read for fans of the author and those who enjoy a
convincing police investigation. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted April 7, 2002
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