NIGHT WALKER

by Jean Hager ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 23, 1990

Another installment in the life and times of Police Chief Mitchell Bushyhead of tiny Buckskin, Oklahoma (The Grandfather Medicine)--near which irascible, wealthy Graham Thornton has been found murdered in the parking lot of his recently opened Eagle's Nest Lodge. Motives for Thornton's murder abound among the lodge's employees--married young receptionist Joy Yeaky wanted an end to her affair with the boss, but he wasn't ready to let go; world-class chef Julian Moncrief's efforts to get a job elsewhere were thwarted by Thornton's lies about him; head housekeeper Nila Ridge, fired for a minor offense, had tried to get Thornton's mother, Ladonna, to intervene, without success. Neither are Thornton's family relationships any bed of roses--sister Cara hates him; so does wife Magda, waiting out a divorce settlement that would be zilch if Thornton had his way. Meanwhile, Chief Bushyhead has a domestic problem of his own with teen-aged daughter Emily, who, still mourning the year-ago death of her mother, has discovered his budding romance with teacher Lisa MacPherson. His investigation is going nowhere either until a second victim surfaces--and until Emily comes close to being a third. Psychologically sound motivation, but with an unsurprising killer in a story that tends to plod for too long but comes to life in its later chapters. Competent, easy-reading small-town procedural with a western air.

Pub Date: Oct. 23, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1990

Categories: FICTION