This is the second Clarke & Clarke mystery from Peter Vonder Haar where we follow the Clarke twins once again, up to their necks in danger. Of course, Cy and Charlie aren’t alone in the mayhem set against a Houston background, their big brothers attempt to help as they can. Can you really help Cy when he succeeds so often by running into danger head first? You know what the law of diminishing returns is, right? If you keep doing something enough times you won’t get the desired effect (or something like that). But here, Cy and Charlie are trying to figure out who is trying to strong arm Frances Courtland, a woman who has about 15 acres of non-spectacular land and is almost killed for it. Why? Of course, as Cy pulls the string to that mystery, it begins to unravel dark endeavors, other actors which makes both the Clarke family and the Courtlands bigger targets. Someone wants them all dead, Cy has to figure out why and also try and stay alive while doing it.
I really enjoyed Vonder Haar’s debut novel and was incredibly excited to read the second book…but life got in the way. I haven’t had time to read in awhile, but I am planning on prioritize my reading again. So, this was my second book on my “to do” list. I think Vonder Haar really ups the ante on the stakes, the body count, and yeah, probably the improbability of many of the scenes–but that’s what makes it so fun! His main character Cy Clarke is a wonderful mix of Magnum, John McClain, a little Archy McNally and every other smart ass PI you’ve seen or read. This is a really fun ride of a book and I look forward to reading future books about the Clarke family and seeing the siblings interact again soon, because Cy is definitely not going to be playing around anymore. The gauntlet gets thrown and Cy has nothing to lose. With the wheels off on an already wild card character, where Vonder Haar goes with these characters is anyone’s guess.