In the Clear by
Steve Lopez
pbk out June 03
(No Exit Press)
at £6.99
Albert LaRosa is just an ordinary cop working his quiet way to retirement as
chief of police in the run-down backwater of Harbor Light. His shot at the bigtime in
Philadelphia failed after the events of one dark night, the full story of which we only
learn much later in this intriguing tale. It is Albert's second chance that causes all the
trouble. Oscar Price is an entrepreneur who sees the old canning factory in the town
as a potential casino. And he wants Albert on his side as his chief of security. The
problem is that both Albert's father's ailing hardware shop, and his girlfriend Rickie's
eatery will also be gobbled up by Price. And Harbor Light will never be the same
again.
Just as he's running round in circles to please his future boss, a series of
explosions threaten the peace and calm of Harbor Light. And matters get worse when
his own life is threatened, and a body is found after the latest bomb outrage. The
problem for Albert LaRosa is that all avenues of enquiry lead towards his own
outspoken father, or Rickie's teenage son, Jack.
This is a pacy tale peopled with realistic characters endowed with the foibles
and failings of small-town life. Albert is no saint, who is lured into dumping his
calling as small-scale police chief for the neon lights and big money of casino security
chief. The reader knows Oscar Price is buying him off, and you suspect Albert also
knows. But who wouldn't weaken if they were offered what Albert was offered?
Especially if they were tired of seeing their stubborn elderly father battling hopelessly
against the retail chain up the road. And anyway, shouldn't his girlfriend approve of
his desire to improve himself? Albert is an honest guy, just trying to be practical.
The trouble is he's surrounded by people in his life who live according to their own
high principles. You can't help but feel sorry for his dilemma. As he wades through
the contradictions of his position, he makes dumb mistakes in his life, but he's never
malicious. And don't you just love him for running rings round the two FBI agents,
whose only plan is to follow him around until he solves the murder and bombing case
for them.
Lopez writes in an easy, simple style that carries you loping along through a
world of lower echelon lawmen and law-breakers. Believable characters populate his
pages, and the reader shares in Albert's difficulty in reconciling his quest for the truth
with the consequences of that search. That Lopez gives us an explosive way out of
Albert's dilemma is no mean feat, and the ending is as satisfying as the rest of the
book.
(
Ian Morson
Author of Falconer books and short listed for 1999 Ellis Peters Historical Crime Dagger)
In the Clear by
Steve Lopez
