Potshot

Admittedly the only other book I've read in the McMorrow series was Borderline, and that was good enough to get me to try "Potshot". The basic premise at the beginning, Jack is hired to write an article reagarding the legalization of pot, is interesting enough to keep you reading and it just builds from there. The introduction of the hard to figure characters Bobby and Coyote, and the very surprising characters of Melanie and Steven helped make this a real page turner. I thought the story was fun to read and when it came down to the last 75 pages or so, I couldn't put it down. So much for the "noble" (depending on your viewpoint), idea of legalizing pot. A real surprise ending!

I originally started reading Gerry Boyle during an all too long lull between Robert B. Parker Spenser books (and during Parker's "slump" of Double Deuce, Playmates, etc.). Expecting to find a major rip-off of Parker, I was very pleasantly surprised to find tightly written, well-plotted stories with plenty of dry humor. I found Potshot to be one of the best of the series.Boyle has a wonderful sense of style, particularly with characters that could easily veer off into stereotypes or just plain silliness. The legalized pot movement is just so ripe for satire, but even through the haze, each character is used to further the plot rather than just comic relief. Bottom line: read this book, and his others. You don't need to be a huge Parker fan to appreciate this book.