The Nature of Things

I picked up this book on a whim, knowing absolutely nothing about the writer or about the book. That's something I almost never do. I always depend on reviews and recommendations to help me choose which books to read, but one has to break the mold every once and a while, right?  Imagine my surprise on learning that Estleman is actually quite a popular writer of detective and western fiction and that he has written more than eighty books! Moreover, he has several mystery/thriller series going and, since I read a lot of those, it's a bit strange that I haven't encountered him before. This particular book features protagonists from two of his ongoing series: private detective Amos Walker and professional hitman Peter Macklin. Walker is based in Detroit and that is where the action of the novel takes place, with a side trip to Toronto. Some anonymous person is threatening to kill Peter Macklin's estranged wife, Laurie, if he does not pay $100,000. Although she's soon to...