| Point and Shoot: A Lock
Tourmaline Mystery
G.D. Baum
BookSurge (2006)
ISBN 9781419619816
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (2/07)
PI Henry Cho needs assistance from PI Lock Tourmaline. Cho
needs someone he can trust to watch his back. Cho is Susan
Heung’s bodyguard and friend of Lock. Susan is the
daughter of “old man Heung.” Heung is beginning
to turn the family business over to his children. Susan
runs the legitimate part of the business. Her brother Jason
is taking over the illegal part, drugs. Cousin Bodacious
is upset and wants a summit meeting. He insists that he
and the “Old Man” meet and insists that Susan
and Jason be included. Cho suspects that Susan is planning
to assassinate Cousin Bodacious. Susan and Jason’s
presence was significant.
When Cho tells Lock “No one will have a gun.”
Lock decides to bring Grandfather with him. Grandfather
“is the embodiment of the paradoxical truth that the
greatest martial artists were so often gentle, humble men.”
Lock was beat up and picked on as a child. His father insisted
he learn martial arts. Grandfather taught Tae Kwon Do. “Your
ignorance breeds the fear.” “You’ll never
be afraid again of anyone, even your father. You’ll
respect him, but you won’t fear him.”
Susan has been grooming Cho to run for congress. She knew
it would be beneficial to have connections in the Federal
Government.
Lock’s lover, Janice has terminal cancer. He loves
her very much and is attempting to cope with her illness
and imminent death. Her daughter looks up to Lock as a daughter
looks to her father. His exwife’s love beats her.
The summit goes bad and “Old Man Heung” is murdered.
Can life get any more complicated for Lock?
G.D Baum offers readers a winner in “Point and Shoot.”
The title refers to cops doing what cops are not supposed
to do, taking care of problems in an illegal way. The plot
of this book is fascinating. Baum takes readers on a roller
coaster ride with twists and turns along the way. From the
first page I was hooked. I didn’t lay “Point
and Shoot” down until the last page. When Lock describes
making love to a woman with terminal cancer I found myself
in tears. The tenderness with which Lock deals with his
lover made me think that Baum may have suffered through
such a battle. Janice is a stronger character bringing to
life the plight of breast cancer patients. For me, the mystery
took a back seat to this couple’s relationship. The
martial arts scenes were enthralling. Lock is deadly without
a gun. Well-done G.D. Baum! I highly recommend “Point
and Shoot” to mystery and fiction enthusiasts.
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