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Former Drug Enforcement Agent John Marquez is still running his undercover special operations squad in the California Department of Fish and Game, and in this, the second in the series, he's after bear poachers. Chinese medicine uses bear parts, especially paws and gall bladders, in many different tonics and remedies. Millions of dollars are paid every year to those who can deliver these exotic substances to market, providing a lucrative incentive for animal cruelty and illegal slaughter. John Marquez and his team have developed contacts in the small towns of the northern California Sierra Nevada Mountains and it looks like they're close to nabbing the wrongdoers when a college student who has been camping in the vicinity goes missing. His body is later discovered full of gunshot wounds, prompting El Dorado County law enforcement to investigate. The geology student turns out to have had a history of altercations with hunters in the area and had even worked for a conservation agency called the Bear Initiative. Kendall, the over-zealous detective assigned to the case, speculates that bad feelings may have festered and resulted in the student's death. Since Marquez has been working the area for months, Kendall consults him for possible leads. The usual jurisdictional dance ensues, although Marquez doesn't have much leverage since crimes against people always take precedence over crimes against animals. He tries his best to cooperate with the detective, but when Kendall trashes his crime scene unnecessarily and breaks his word Marquez becomes frustrated. The two work together and against each other as they unravel the parallel cases. The majesty and danger of the wilderness in the Lake Tahoe area is beautifully rendered as Marquez risks his life again and again in his attempts to bring about justice for both the environment and the student's grieving parents. All of the characters in this story are so vividly drawn that you'd recognize them on the street. Everyone from Marquez's partner on the job who is wrestling with her sister's terminal illness to Bill Petroni, a possibly corrupt, lonely and bitter game warden, is flesh and blood. The villains are well characterized and appropriately slimy. Among the suspects are a lobbyist, a police informant who is probably not telling the whole truth, a hunting guide and a family of backwoods hunters who set a new low in dysfunctional families. Marquez is a solid, self-aware detective and it's a treat to hang out with him in the backcountry, listening to his stories and watching the scenery go by the windows of his truck. He's a rare individual who is capable of risking his life for his work while at the same time questioning the effectiveness of his efforts. There's enough suspense in this book to fill out two mysteries as the action starts high and ratchets up from there. Marquez is both pursuer and pursued in a series of gripping chases that take place between San Francisco and the most remote borders of the Desolation Wilderness. There are plenty of twists and turns in this original and unpredictable plot, and Russell's well-crafted prose carries the story along effortlessly. He's managed to come up with a voice that reflects the country, perfectly pure and spare, and flowing naturally as spring water. One of the scariest scenes I remember reading anywhere involves Marquez on the phone with his teenage daughter as he listens, helpless except for what little coaching he can provide her, as she confronts a danger he himself may have precipitated. My only quibble with the book is the extent to which Marquez and his team rely on cell phones to communicate. I don't know who their carrier is but I'd like to sign up. When I'm in the Sierras my phone works only sporadically and its functioning is certainly not something I'd stake my life on. Buy this book. It's your chance to vicariously live the outdoorsy life of a game warden through this terrific protagonist.
Reviewed by Carroll Johnson, February 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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