Book Review: Night Game

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Night Game     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Kirk Russell
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Hard Boiled   Government Agency
Series: John Marquez # 2
Morrow, Oct 2004, $23.95, 365 pp.

California Department of Fish & Game Special Operations Chief Lieutenant John Marquez and his undercover team investigate poachers using torturous devices to capture, and slaughter bears to sell body parts to healers. The violators are organized, professional, and one step ahead of the game wardens because they hacked into the law enforcement computers. No one interferes with this shadowy group’s lucrative business and if threatening the wardens and their families fails, murder will follow and may have already occurred.

Meanwhile as he struggles to do his job without endangering his loved ones, John investigates disgraced game warden, Bill Petroni at the same time that homicide detective Jack Kendal suspects Bill for murder of a camper last year. The link is Bill’s live in lover Sophie Broussard, who has ties to bear poaching and other illegal activities. Could Bill have provided insider information to a deadly group intent on keeping their profits the envy of the Fortune 500 firms?

The atmosphere is incredible as the picturesque Northern California Mountains come across as sinister and dangerous as any urban noir scene. John is terrific with his ethics pulled in several directions due to concern for his family, his team and their family, the bears he is supposed to protect, and doing his job. The enemy is the key as they are shadowy yet successful, which leads to intrigue balanced against cruelty and cynicism from government officials whose vision is a paraphrase from the Eisenhower administration that what is good for business is good for the USA. This is a fabulous tale in which justice and morality struggles against making a buck at any cost (as long as someone else pays the tab).

Harriet Klausner

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