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Allen Choice is having a rough month. His partner wants to retire from the private investigation business - which would cause Baxter & Choice to close down, his girlfriend Serena wants him to meet her parents and an ex-girlfriend, Linda, has demands of her own. Linda wants Allen to hunt for her missing niece. Her sister's ex-husband was mixed up with something shady and kidnapped their child in order to have complete custody. Allen is hesitant about getting involved; however, Linda knows all of Allen's weak spots and gets him to help. Almost immediately Allen learns that Linda was not completely truthful when explaining the situation and the investigation that has already been done. Allen is forced to choose between his instincts regarding Linda and her family and the danger that is the result of this case. Allen Choice is an interesting protagonist. He is Korean American, but does not know much about his own culture. He is realistic and cynical; yet, he also wants to trust people. He is willing to believe Linda's story because he wants it to be true - he wants her to be trustworthy. He leaves a lot of the general business running to his partner and never checks up on him, even though he knows his partner wants to retire. In some ways it seems as though he is simply asking to be hurt. The nice thing about being a cynic is that the world does not disappoint you; however, when one tries to combine being a cynic and an optimist, one is simply headed for heartbreak. In addition to drugs and the shadier side of life, FADE TO CLEAR also deals with custody issues. When a parent kidnaps a child, that parent normally convinces the child that the absent parent is dangerous or an enemy. The child ends up bonding with the kidnapping parent and rejecting the absentee parent. While Allen seems to understand this concept, the remaining characters in this book simply seem interested in getting the child back not with her mental preconceptions. FADE TO CLEAR forces the reader to see that the return of a child does not guarantee a happy ending. FADE TO CLEAR is the third book featuring Allen Choice.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, June 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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