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In recent years American military institutes and academies have been placed under close governmental scrutiny after some notorious scandals coming out of their hallowed halls have been made public. Patrick A Davis takes this well-known fact and introduces an interesting scenario in his latest novel, THE SHATTERED BLUE LINE. In this book, a Colorado senator is demanding that an investigation be done at the Air Force Academy after learning of an unsolved ten-year-old rape against a former cadet who then committed suicide. The senator believes that the air force, purposely, did not want to solve the case in order to avoid a media frenzy regarding the role of women in the military. The victim's sister is not ready to forget what happened and will do everything in her power to have the case re-opened. Now the academy has no choice but to start investigating every rape accusations seriously and do thorough investigations in order to protect its image. However, the case that's coming up will be nothing like they ever expected. Major Nathan Malone, an Air Force investigator, is working with former-colonel-now-civilian-investigator Marva 'Mother' Hubbard in a case involving the murders of two female cadets, in which one of them alleged that she was raped at the Academy. Christina Barlow, an aide to Colorado Senator Kevin Smith, is not willing to let another cadet be victimized. She wants to make sure that everything is being done to get to the truth and not cover up as the military did with the ten-year-old rape. She is keeping a close eye and assisting on the major's investigation. Malone does not like being second-guessed but he is under orders to let Ms Barlow know what progress is being made. When other people related to the case are later found killed, the female cadets' murders start to take a whole new dimension. A struggle ensues between justice and politics as a devious killer makes the rounds at the Air Force Academy, bringing to light all of the institution's dirty little secrets. Is the killer someone from inside the academy or could it be something worse? Malone and Hubbard will do everything in their power to try to solve this disturbing case before there are any new killings. What they do not realize is that things are not quite what they seem. They are in for a shock and there will be a lot of heavy repercussions. THE SHATTERED BLUE LINE is an entertaining thriller even though there is a bit of overkill with regards to certain twists and turns inside the book. There are several red herrings that are easy to identify, plus a laughably over-the-top explanation as to how footprints can be as unique as fingerprints. Just when you think you know where the story is going the author manages to find a way to surprise his readers in unexpected ways, especially with its ending. Granted this book is not deep literature, but it is an entertaining escape. It's worth giving it a shot.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, August 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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