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DEADLY STAKES by H. Fred Wiser

DEADLY STAKES

By

Pub Date: April 21st, 1989
Publisher: Walker

Deadly doings in Brooklyn, as Assemblywoman Althea Walters brings her troubles to the p.i. team of ex-cop/fitness-freak Jessica Munro and computer-whiz Jason Reddy. Someone has sent Walters a tape showing her at sexual play with a man and woman wearing animal masks, along with a vaguely threatening note. Walters has no memory of such activities, but it doesn't take long for the partners to pinpoint the Brooklyn Heights mansion of real-estate tycoon Matthew Taylor as the likely site. Taylor is known to cultivate politicians and entertain them frequently. With the help of some highly technical photographic equipment and a few trusty sources, Jason hones in on porno actors Marie Selby and Vince Hartle, who share a West Side Manhattan apartment. His visit to them nets confirmation about Taylor--but a quick end for the couple, who die in what the police declare a double suicide. And the carnage has only started. Visits to the Taylor house and subsequent encounters with a variety of goons leave behind atrail of dead and injured. The fearless pair has some assistance from Russian friend Boris Radovitch; but expertise in judo, karate, and various offensive and defensive ploys are their main weapons, along with some solid investigative work. The man and motive behind the blackmail scam (Walters is not the only victim) are believable; the dynamite duo less so, but fun to watch in action, anyway. The assorted chops, kicks, and killings become repetitive, and the wisecracking dialogue has a faintly old-fashioned ring. Still, this one is sure-fire for fans of the tough-guy sleuth. A lively, competent debut.