Dominic Stansberry, Naked Moon

Naked Moon

Dominic Stansberry

Minotaur, Mar 2 2010, $24.99

ISBN: 9780312364540

No one walked away from the top secretive Company until Dante Mancuso did. To do so he had to take with him secrets that would expose the Company of illegal activity if something happened to him. Dante settled in his hometown of San Francisco becoming a private investigator who tried to avoid anything remotely tied to his previous employment.

Meanwhile SFPD Special Investigations Officer Leanora Chin investigates Dante's cousin Gary who operates a crooked warehouse. Gary knows if he cooperates with the cop, the Wu Benevolent Association will sever that tie by killing him. Feeling caught between the Rock and the bay, he contacts his cousin's former employee who promises to assist him if Dante performs a Company task. Feeling triangulated, Dante seeks a way out without harming his loved ones as he knows the firm will demand more favors of him or else his cousin and others will go down.

With a nod to John Grisham's The Firm although Dante is much better prepared than Mitch McDeere, Dominic Stansberry provides a great San Francisco treat. The North Beach thriller is fast-paced from the moment the impassive Dante calmly realizes his options and never slows down as he works the mission with subtle plans of what he must do if he is too ever be free of his insidious former employers whose grip is tighter than a stay at the Hotel California.

Harriet Klausner