Linwood Barclay, Stone Rain

Stone Rain

Linwood Barclay

Bantam, May 2007, $6.99

ISBN: 0553804561

In the last three years, science fiction writer and reporter for the Metropolitan Newspaper Zack Walker has written some deadly stories that have fallen into his lap. He has crossed paths with criminals and his first person accounts are widely read, although his editor would like to fire him and his wife Sarah would like to kill him for scaring her. He promises her that he will walk away from danger in the future, but he knows how difficult adhering to this pledge will be because he never looks for trouble but it always seems to find him.

His good friend Trixie, a dominatrix who works out of her house, asks Zach to talk to suburban newspaper reporter Martin Benson, who heard a rumor about her and wants to interview her. Trixie wants Zack to persuade Martin to drop the story, and especially not to take any pictures of her. When Zack refuses, claiming journalistic ethics, Trixie tries to manipulate both men, but her picture appears in the Suburban anyway. This leads to Trixie running away with dangerous men sent by her former boss to get his money back from her on her trail. They use Zack and his wife to try and find Trixie otherwise Zack won't have to worry about his wife killing him. The crime boss will.

Linwood Barclay has written an exciting crime caper whose protagonist likes and needs action, but dives head first into disorganized and dangerous dilemmas. Readers will empathize with Zack's wife who has to put up with his shenanigans. There is plenty of action in STONE RAIN, but the heart of this tense thriller is the hero, who is in trouble with the law, his boss, his wife, and Trixie's enemies; just a normal day at the office for the Zackster.

Harriet Klausner