Point of Law

In a book I suspect was written first and sold second, McKinzie kicks off the Antonio Burns series. Anton is a Wyoming agent who busts meth labs, and he's meeting his Air Force colonel father and ne'er do well brother Roberto in the Wild Fire Valley in Colorado for some mountain climbing and a confrontation of Roberto for his habits. Wild Fire Valley is a busy place when Anton and Leonard Burns arrive to wait for Roberto. A group of environmentalists is there raising a protest over the valley's impending development at the hands of David Fast, who swapped the valley with the government for some valuable lynx habitat lands. Fast wants to turn Wild Fire Peak into a ski resort and the surrounding valleys and meadows into condominiums and strip malls. Leading the opposition to this development is one-eyed Kim Walsh, who lost her eye in the wake of a sexual assault 12 years earlier. Accompanying Kim are pretty, blonde, dread-locked Sunny and her hotheaded boyfriend Cal. As expected, David Fast, his hired thug Alf Burgermeister, and a bunch of other hired muscle disrupt the protest. When Fast's construction site burns shortly thereafter, everyone believes Cal did it, which is why he's found beat to death that night, and Sunny disappears, last seen driving frantically away from the scene. The local cops, unwilling to listen to Anton's story about Fast and his hired muscle, choose instead to arrest Roberto, on the sole grounds that he has a record. With the police unwilling to lift a finger to go after the real killers and his father called back to Washington on an urgent military matter, Anton must clear his brother's name on his own, along with his huge dog Oso. Kim Walsh, concerned for her friend Sunny, insists on accompanying Anton on his search to Arizona and Lake Powell, where they believe she's hiding. Unfortunately, Fast and Burgermeister think so, too, and spot Anton and Kim. With no help from the authorities, they have to save not just Sunny and Wild Fire Valley, but a secret cave filled with Anasazi ruins, as well. Like the other Burns novel I read, I found myself not only drawn to the beautiful places he describes, but also to the characters who make them come alive. Anton is a very likeable guy with a wry sense of humor and a soft heart. Roberto, his wild, drug-addicted brother, is the perfect foil, in some ways very much like Anton, and in others dangerously wild and prone to the unpredictable. Their relationship with their father is complex, fraught with deep respect along with a certain amount of resentment. This was more of a thriller than a mystery, as there is no secret to whodunit. There was plenty of tense action, and a few chuckles, as well, making for a very fine series kick-off. McKinzie has created a fine cast of characters and crafted an entertaining story in which to meet them.

As an armchair mountaineer and occasional peak bagger I love his whole series. A few of the characters are a stretch but setting, the plots and most of the principals make his books a total escape pleasure.

Fast, exciting and well written.

It seems every time Special Agent Antonio Burns goes climbing somebody happens to die. You would think he would learn his lesson. I wasn't excited to read this book. I am not a big fan of climbing or camping or outdoor sports. I enjoy legal thrillers and thought I would trudge through the obligatory adventure scenes. Surprisingly, it was the action that takes place on the mountians and lakes of this book that win you over. Burns is an instantly likable character. What makes him even more likable is the people that surround him. McKinzie has a knack for creating extemely dispicable character. During the reading of this book and his other Burn's book Edge of Justice I found myself getting really angry at the corrupt characters. At points I was squeezing the edges of the books until my hands turned red.

This is a well-written page turner, and more. I always appreciate thrillers best when they let me learn about a different place or time. I've never been a climber, and don't want to be, but I enjoyed the way this book helped me understand the joy and rapture of a climbing life.