Mason suspects the files will also expose cops on Cullan’s payroll, but which cops? His aunt's lover Ryman; his partner Carl Zimmerman; or Toland,the officer who arrested Blues and seems to have more than an interest in justice? Then there’s Donovan Jenkins, the ex favorite wide receiver for Billy Sunshine and now KC beer distributor. Throw in an endless supply of receptionists named Margret running interference for their bosses, and everyone wants the files to stay lost or to possess them for their own purposes, which they just may be willing to kill for – if they haven’t already.
The cards are stacked against Mason. And so are all the players. The evidence against Blues seems to be overwhelming. The police and prosecutors have stopped looking for any other suspect, whether because of grudges against Blues or political pressure from those with things to hide. It becomes evident in Mason’s quest to prove Blues not guilty, that there are many who would kill again or go to other extremes to send Blues to the death chamber.
Mason’s only allies are Mickey Shanahan, the dead-beat PR man, card sharp, computer hacker and conman who rented offices from Blues but never paid rent. Then there is Rachel Firestone, the lipstick lesbian reporter who Mason is sexually attracted to. Rachel was on the quest for the files before Cullan was killed. The chase leads across the frozen streets of KC in the midst of an ice storm that rivals the players' own cold cold hearts from political boss Tom Pendergast’s old offices to the bedrooms and boardrooms of Kansas City’s rich and powerful.
With prose that is as precise as the workings of a slot machine and dialog that is quick, biting, hardboiled and smart, Joel Goldman has crafted a masterpiece in this, the second Lou Mason book. The pace is unrelenting, the plot perfect as it twists through the frozen streets. The characters are realistic and excellently developed, and the story will pull you in like a gambling addiction. I warn you, don’t miss this book, newly rereleased in eBook format. But if you do get it you might as well preorder Cold Truth, the third book in the series.
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