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ECHO BAY
Richard Barre
Capra Press, May 2004, $25.95, 354 pp.
ISBN: 1592660428
Once he was a star in the skiing world, thought to be sure gold medal winner at the Olympics but an injured knee put an end to Shawn Rainey's dreams of fame and fortune. After his divorce his ex-wife Loren has custody of the children and he has visitation rights until Loren and his ex-manager Terry set him up so that he can't even be in the same state with his children. He's working in a dead end job, living in a trailer and has no one he can call a friend.

Terry arrives at the trailer park offering a deal to Shawn. If he returns to his hometown of Lake Tahoe and helps win support to raise the steamship Constance from the bottom of Echo Bay, Terry will make sure that Shane gains access to his children again. Many people's support the venture but Catherine Mulvhill, whose father sunk the ship instead of selling her for scrap, opposes raising the vessel. Tempers fly in both camps and violence breaks out when Catherine's bank is torched and a big contributor is killed.

Richard Barre is an excellent storyteller, one who creates characters tat are easy to care about flaws and all. Shane is driven to work for a man he detests because he wants his children back and readers love him for that. The audience also will feel empathy towards Catherine, a woman driven by her own demons and sympathy for Shane's lover who has a secret in her past that she doesn't want exposed. The storyline is fast paced urban noir that echoes how good Richard Barre is.

Harriet Klausner


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