VENDETTA

by Steve Shagan ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 15, 1986

Shagan switches from international-suspense (The Discovery, The Formula) to L.A. cops-and-murder--and comes in far behind such sturdy practitioners of urban crime as William J. Caunitz (above), let alone real standouts like Wambaugh and Uhnak. As in The Discovery, Shagan's hero is Lieut. Jack Raines--who has a teen-age daughter, a dead ex-wife, and a disturbing new case: Did top young porn-star Candy Lane commit suicide (while flying on cocaine) or was she murdered? There's no shortage of suspects among Candy's colleagues--from her porn-rivals to her lesbian lover (an older porn-star), all of them deep into drugs. There's also the strong possibility that Candy is the first casualty in a nasty war between a Colombian drug-king and the LA Mafia: the ruthless Colombians are demanding a new money-laundering deal from the resistant Mafia--which depends on a thriving porno-biz for financial stability. Soon, in fact, porno biggies are dropping like flies--which makes it seem as if the Colombians are indeed out to cripple the Mafia's porn-empire. But Raines is convinced that ""we're up against a deranged vigilante,"" not a professional hit-man. Then he winds up with a personal stake in the case--when he begins an affair with bisexual porn-queen Karen Dara, a prime target for the serial killer. (""They clung together in the moonlight on the deserted beach, accidental players caught in the fallout of a savage vendetta they neither understood nor controlled."") And finally Raines sets out to trap the mystery-assassin, ending up in a shootout with this Least Likely Suspect--whose motivation for all the mayhem is groaningly unconvincing. Cardboard people, creaky plotting, gratuitous gore and sleaze: more like an under-par episode of Miami Vice than a full-fledged thriller--but sure to have a modicum of commercial appeal via the Shagan byline and the porn-world titillation.

Pub Date: July 15, 1986

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1986

Categories: FICTION