Means was forced to leave Trenton, and the reason is never fully explained. The author probably knows his readers are aware of the reason, and he hopes to hook the rest of us into reading that novel. It works with me-I want to read it.

Means ends up in Concho, Texas with his career as low as it can go. While doing freelance writing, he stumbles on the biggest story of his career-a series of fires set by a mad pyromaniac, Oscar Van Hise. The action is tense and gripping as we watch Means work with the local authorities and the publisher of the local paper to stop this madman. Means' efforts are greatly impaired by the lack of faith these two groups show in him. The relationship between Means and the paper's editor makes for interesting reading.

Matters are complicated more when Means falls in love with a married woman. Klim does a good job of toggling back and forth from the Van Hise story to his involvement with the married woman. An additional subplot is the strained relationship between Means and his rich father.

The story may have been more effective if the author had used interior dialogue rather than having the narrator tell us what was going on in Hise's head. Nevertheless, it's a story that keeps the reader turning pages. One strong point of the novel is its ending-not predictable-at least not for me. The author sets up what I'm sure will be either a sequel or another in-a-series book. In any case, I look forward to seeing what is next for Boot Means.