The Killing Look

June 28, 2021
When Union Army veteran L.D. Cade, the hero of this assured thriller from Rhoads (the Jack Keller novels), arrives in bustling San Francisco after the Civil War, his only assets are a Colt Navy revolver and the experience that’s taught him when to use it and when to hold fire. That’s enough to get him hired by shady businessman John Hamrick as a bodyguard, his principal duty being to protect everyone in the Hamrick household from Chinese tong assassins. What he doesn’t know is that the plot against Hamrick’s family is led by a white man pretending to be the leader of the Green Dragon Tong. When Mr. Kwan, the real head of the tong, finds out about this, he inserts his formidable female assassin into the mix. Even after Cade is fired by Hamrick and arrested by the crooked police, his toughness, native decency, and attraction to Hamrick’s wife impel him to stick with the task to the bloody end. Rhoades does a good job illuminating the racial and ethnic tensions of the period. With any luck, this is the start of a series.

August 1, 2021
Rhoades, author of the fine noir series starring bounty hunter Jack Keller, stretches his wings here with his first historical thriller. Following the Civil War, Union vet L. D. Cade has worked his way across the country, finally landing in San Francisco in 1870, where he takes a job as a bodyguard for a businessman, John Hamrick, with a fondness for the brothels of the Barbary Coast. The more Cade learns about Hamrick, the less he likes him. That's not true, however, about his feelings for Hamrick's wife, Marjorie. Hamrick and Cade soon part ways but not before learning more about Hamrick's shenanigans, including blaming the Chinese community for his nefarious doings. Working with Hamrick's former butler, African American Samuel Clayborne, and two resourceful Chinese women, Cade sets out to right a host of wrongs. Rhoades displays a sensitive touch with the historical material here, building strong characters from the people of color in his cast without downplaying the very real racial hatred of the era. Plenty of action, too, in what appears to be a series launch starring Cade and Clayborne.

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