Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The Taking of Libbie, SD-David Housewright

The Taking of Libbie, SD
David Housewright
Minotaur, Jun 8 2010, $24.99
ISBN: 9780312559960

Two men dressed for combat invade the home of former cop turned millionaire Rushmore McKenzie in St. Anthony, Minnesota. They take him to Libbie, South Dakota. Befuddled by the abduction, Mac is taken aback when he learns the townsfolk believe he is a con artist; whose scheme threatens to bankrupt Libbie.

However, he persuades the city council and law enforcement they arrested the wrong man. Apparently someone stole his identity to pull off the scam. Instead of suing for false arrest, he offers to help catch the crook; somewhat out of altruism but more so because city council member Tracie Blake is pretty. As he digs deep into the con, Mac concludes the plot needed insider help to make it happen, but his questioning of townsfolk angers the residents who reject his theory as they believe no local would do such a thing.

This is an intriguing thriller as the townsfolk reject the hero’s assertion that the con artist pulled off the scam with insider information; most of the locals prefer to believe Mac is the miscreant. The investigation he is doing expands as he also looks into a double homicide. The Taking of Libbie, SD is a fast-paced exciting tale that will hook readers from the starting snatch to the twisting finish and seek McKenzie’s backlist (see Jelly's Gold and Tin City).

Harriet Klausner

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