Eight of Swords (Tarot Card Mystery 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)"Eight Of Swords" by David Skibbins - ISBN 0-312-33906-2

In the early `70s, he was an active member of the notorious Weathermen. Assumed dead for 30 years, Warren Ritter, latter-day, anarchist, makes a living reading Tarot cards on Telegraph Ave. in Berkley, California.
Now, fifty-five years old, he has a comfortable life: frequent forays into book stores for poetic sustenance, once a month to the shooting range with his favorite cop on the beat, cruising at 90 mph on an Aprilia RSV Mille motorcycle, and therapy sessions for manic depression on Wednesday's.
When out of no-where his older sister, Tara, discovers he is still alive, on the same day he gave an ominous reading to young, Heather Wellington, who has been kidnapped: it rocks his world.
Trying to still his fears, salvage his anonymity, life-style, and fend off an inevitable guilt trip, Warren tries to assuage Tara's outrage. But he's shocked to find out he has a daughter, and about to become a grandfather.
Panic escalates when Heather's mother also disappears. Then one of the victims is found murdered. Since both women were last seen in the company of Warren, he becomes a suspect.
Having the police and F.B.I. nosing around in his violent past just isn't cricket. Newly birthed with paternal feelings and pricked with guilt, Warren-anti-establishment-Ritter, the hunted, becomes the hunter.

David Skibbins' development of the characters and their interaction is well-crafted. But, the first-person musings of Warren Ritter are priceless. More than once I winced at his cheeky sarcasm.
Although some readers' recollection of the infamous Weathermen may be a little rusty, Warren's past affiliation with them was an integral part of his character profile. As more information about their activities is divulged, a better understanding of the depth of his fear of being caught and an appreciation of Warren's diverse capabilities is realized.
A fragile art that can't be forced, writing humor effectively is elusive to some scribes. In EIGHT OF SWORDS, subtle glimpses to brazen, in-your-face laughs stalk the pages. I can't remember the last tome I read that tickled my funny bone so well, so often. Yet, it did not clash with the killer / survival instincts Warren needed to "kick butt" and bring the murder mystery to an "anti-establishment" conclusion. You gotta' love him.
Get ready. Don your leathers. Grab your helmet. Straddle that chrome pony, (careful: hot pipes!) A new dude in town has just been jump-started. Name: Warren Ritter, he's over fifty, revved and long over-due.
It's about time.




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