CHAIN SAW

by Jackson Gillis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 17, 1988

A second outing for ex-LAPD Homicide detective Jonas Duncan (The Killers of Starfish), a widower retired to an island in Puget Sound. Mrs. Kelly, his sweet, elderly neighbor, has asked him to look in on her old friend louise Telford in Sooskamack, a logging town on the mainland, and find out what's troubling her. Jonas discovers that Telford Lumber has been the town's mainstay for decades and that Louise is the last Telford--her nephew Chris Frame now runs things with hotshot lawyer Steven Argyle. Louise's playboy-son Myron had died of a stroke six months before leaving behind rumors of company shortages and an illegitimate daughter out there somewhere. Now she seems to have surfaced in the person of Julie Mapes, a foulmouthed waif driving a beat-up van with bulking blond companion Mert, causing consternation for Louise and Myron's longtime sidekick Cal Simpson. There's more trouble ahead, too, when Myron's faithful, protective secretary, Emily Stilwell, is killed in an accident with a logging truck--the driver of which is shot dead soon after in what's labeled a hunting accident. Further victims will abound until Jonas--digging deep into Myron's past--comes up with answers that fit; a coldblooded murderer; and a neat last-page twist to settle Julie's fate. Fast-moving, tidily plotted adventure-mystery, with a quick-witted if rather colorless sleuth--as well as a crisp, lively picture of a logging community and the forested shores of Washington state.

Pub Date: Oct. 17, 1988

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1988

Categories: FICTION