ISBN: 0977627691

The following review of the advance review copy of the book was contributed by:  NORM GOLDMAN:  Editor of Bookpleasures. CLICK TO VIEW  Norm Goldman's Reviews       

To read Norm's Interview with author Robert Fate CLICK HERE

From the first chapter of Baby Shark, Robert Fate delivers all the satisfactions of the traditional crime page-turner, as he exposes to his readers the merciless activities of a gang of vicious brutes.

Our plot unfolds in Henry Chin’s Poolroom where a young woman of seventeen witnesses her father being murdered with a cue stick by a member of a biker’s gang, Henry Chin, the Chinese owner of the hall being badly pummeled, while his son is murdered, several members of the gang being killed, the pool hall being set ablaze and the young woman being beaten, raped and left for dead by four of the gang’s beasts, who manage to escape.

Quite an opening and if you managed to survive all of this, as the woman, Kristin Van Dijk also known as Baby Shark did along with Henry Chin, what would you do? Probably, your first reaction would be to leave it to the law authorities, however, what happens when you discover that there is some rotten business going on with the police, as they don’t seem to be too eager in pursuing the case. What is more, there seems to be a cover up, as some influential person is protecting the gang, known as the Lost Demons, and as a result, the file is conveniently and mysteriously lost.

Kristin and Henry unshakably agree that they must avenge these atrocious crimes and consequently they choose to take the law into their own hands, seeing that, according to Henry, “no police justice. Henry know more ways one skin cat.” Consequently, as Kristin exhibits a great deal of doggedness, she decides that it will be necessary to financially support herself and she calls upon a friend of her late father to teach her to become a pool hustler, something her father pursued before his untimely death. She also engages two instructors, one to show her how to become a sharp shooter and the other to teach her self-defense. Although, Kristin considers herself to be a good person, she has arrived at a place where she could easily justify killing without remorse, notwithstanding that she would be driven to a level of barbarism in the process. To aid them in hunting down the killers and avenge the murders of a father and son, Henry, engages a private detective friend of his, Otis Millett who does a masterful job in coming to their assistance.

Although, Fate inserts several characters into his narrative, they are all well defined. The pace of the story and the chase to track down the killers moves along steadily, picking up in intensity when the author permits his readers to learn more about who is trying to protect the gang and in particular its leader, nicknamed “blue eyes.” Moreover, readers are given a realistic opportunity to solve the mystery along with Kristin and Henry before the rewarding finale. All the clues are on hand and conveyed without the surprising coincidences that sometimes ruin crime novels. This one is a winner!