Book Review: A Slow Walk to Hell

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

A Slow Walk to Hell     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Patrick A. Davis
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Military   Espionage
Pocket, March 2004, $7.99 417 pp.

Warrentown, Virginia Chief of Police Martin Collins raises his thirteen-year-old daughter on his own since his wife died five years ago. He is not ready to let go of the past even though he cares deeply for Major Amanda Gardner, a situation that becomes very awkward when they are forced to work together. That happens whenever Martin works as a civilian consultant for the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations.

Their latest case involves the death of Major Franklin Talbot who was involved in a scandal when his boss Colonel Kelly brought charges against him because his subordinate told him he was a homosexual. That affair was squashed thanks to the machinations of Congressman Garrison Harris, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and the person expected to become the next President of the United States. As Martin and Amanda delve into the homicide, the body count rises.

A SLOW WALK TO HELL is a fascinating police procedural that is a partnership between the OSI and the Arlington Police Department. Readers get a fascinating look at how the same investigation is handled by civilians and the military. The issue of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is used as a plot device to emphasize how unworkable the policy actually is (sexual preference does not protect anyone from enemy weapons). Patrick A. Davis knows how to tell a terrific story by creating characters that matter.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner