Richard BarreRecensioni

Hardesty investigates death of radical and 20 yr old murder, obvious resemblance to SLA

P.I. Hardesty clears old murder case involving country music, drugs and oil

Youths in California bring pressure on a 12 year old boy to assist in stealing from a neighbor. Lives change in a brief delicately wild manner. Great foreword by Michael Connelly on being biased in regards short stories.

The bodies of seven children are found in the California desert and they are so old that they cannot be identified except for a St. Christopher's medal with the inscription to Benito.

Eventually, a man learns of the inscription and thinks that this might be the body of his little child. He comes to private investigator Wil Hardesty for help.

The man, Ignacio Reyes, tells Wil about how poor their family was and with no money they couldn't pay for anyone to get them over the border from Mexico. Then they heard about a border runner named Bolo Zavala. This man told Reyes that if they let him have Benito, the boy would be placed in a good home in the United States and with the money he received for placing Benito into adoption, he'd take Reyes family over the border.

Wil has a particular desire to help Reyes because Wil also lost a son, who died in a surfing accident.

As the search continues, Wil considers a reason for the killings. He feels that it could have been sexual or some ritual.

The chronicle is filled with the grief of Benito's father. It also relates to Wil and his wife who are discussing having another child and beginning the process of being parents once again. There is also one other character who has a baby who might be the next child killed.

This drama is sad but also gives the reader something to think about. How fortunate we are that there are people who take responsibity to find and stop criminals and killers such as are described in this novel.

Good solid detective story. If parts of the plot don't seem quite so fresh to me, it's most probably that I have read too many Mystery/Detective stories! It did keep me engrossed all the way thrugh it.

Burning Moon finds Barre's Southern California surfer-turned-private eye, Wil Hardesty (introduced in the Shamus Award-winning The Innocents ), being hired by a Vietnamese refugee and fisherman, Vinh Tien. Vinh is sure that the disappearance at sea of his son, Jimmy, and Jimmy's pregnant girlfriend wasn't accidental, but can be blamed on their association with Vinh's younger brother, Luc, a "free-living, free-spending," and perpetually shadowy businessman. The case is convoluted enough on its surface, placing Hardesty in the middle of a family feud that may have contributed to Jimmy's death, and now threatens to propel Vinh's rebellious daughter into Luc's clutches, as well. Yet on top of all this are Luc's possible links with rivalrous Asian gangs; allegations that Jimmy cooperated with ATF agents against his uncle; and the revelation of Vinh's having once fought with the Viet Cong--a fact that, while troubling to Vietnam War vet Hardesty, positively enrages the local citizenry after Luc is murdered and Vinh becomes the prime suspect.

No less than the Tiens, Hardesty wears his history like a hair shirt. The surfing mishap that claimed his only son long ago, the dissolution of his 20-year marriage and a spiraling descent into the bottle--these things still weigh heavily on his mind, making him an easier target for clients in distress. "In a sense," the PI explains, "[saving people is] what I am. Depending on who you talk to, it may be all I am." Of course, not everybody wants to be saved, including Hardesty's accountant ex-wife and one of his oldest friends, who regular Barre's readers will recognize from an earlier series installment, The Ghosts of Morning. Burning Moon ignites slowly, as its underappreciated author outlines the cultural dynamics that are essential to this tale and reintroduces Hardesty