I just had a chance to read WILEY'S LAMENT by Lono Waiwaiole,
out this month from St. Martin's. Wiley, the first person
narrator, is shown the dead body of his estranged daughter
Lizzie by his old high school pal and homicide detective Sam.
Sam lets Wiley know that another high school pal named Leon
employed Lizzie in his escort service and that is how she
ended up in an airport motel with her throat slashed. The
reader already knows that because in alternative chapters, in
third person perspective from the point of view of a drug
runner named Fernando, we witnessed Lizzie's death. The DEA
has hid Fernando until their deal goes down, and now they are
willing to cover up Lizzie's death to maintain their scam.
What they do not realize is that Wiley is the avenging angel
for his daughter, and it is chilling to read passages like 'I
couldn't find Leon by the time I made up my mind to kill
him." This is just the first thirty pages! The sense of
tension is maintained throughout, while revealing the
hopelessness and despair of the characters. However, it also
deals with issues of loyalty, family responsibility, and the
administration of justice. Perhaps it is unfair to say that
Portland, Oregon, is a surprising setting for such a dark
book but if you liked NIGHT DOGS, you will appreciate what
Waiwaiole has done. I think this book is the equal of ICE
HARVEST by Scott Phillips. Anybody else read this one
yet?
Best, GWN Gary Warren Niebuhr P. O. Box 341218 Milwaukee, WI
53234
piesbook@execpc.com http://my.execpc.com/~piesbook/piescatalog.html
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