Signet (Paperback), ISBN 0-51-20570-7
A mystery to savor and treasure, A Killing Sky features one of my favorite birds: a red-tailed hawk. Of course, it also offers the requisite private investigator, but one with a difference. The father of a teenage daughter (and a very bright one at that) and an amateur falconer, Frank Pavlicek teaches his first hawk how to fly free while searching for a missing girl at her twin sister's behest.

Cartwright Drummond goes to break off with her boyfriend and disappears without a trace -- well, maybe, she leaves a few traces, make that quite a few traces. Her twin sister, Cassidy fears their father, a congressman better known for his extramarital affairs than for affairs of state, might be involved. She turns to Frank for help. It proves to be an interesting and dangerous foray into the ugly world of secrets and power -- one that threatens both Frank and his daughter, not to mention the other people who die mysteriously or publicly along the sleuthing trail.

A Killing Sky, the second book involving Frank, his daughter, and the falcon, held my attention from beginning to end. In fact, I finished it in one setting and wanted more when I finished the final page. Still, the ending fit the story and wrapped everything into a tidy package, even if it did make me write the author's name on my "keep an eye on the author" list.

Why did I like it so much? Because the author imbued the book with his love of falconry, his respect for the birds and his regard for the intelligence of his readers. Without stinting the action, Straka wrote a keeper, a book that I will read again -- not to discover who did the dastardly deed, but to savor the book (and to remind myself to make sure I get the next one).

Patricia Lucas White

Patricia Lucas White's latest historical novel, To Last a Lifetime, was an Eppie finalist for 2003. To Last a Lifetime and two of her fantasy romances, the Sapphire Award-winning A Wizard Scorned and The Godmother Sanction, can be ordered through Hard Shell Word Factory. Her recent contemporary, PS, I've Taken a Lover, is available from Lionhearted Books.

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