BABY SHARK'S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER - Robert Fate

Kristin Van Dijk and Otis Millett are called to the scene when Dixie Logan, Otis's estranged wife is found murdered. But when more than just Dixie's dead body is discovered, Otis and Kristin team up with Lt. Carl Lynch to track down her killer.


Lt. Lynch plays by the rules. Kristin and Otis make the rules up as they go. Mix in a passel of slick bank robbers and you're left with a lot of "which way did he go?" and plenty of dead bodies as everyone races to find Dixie's killer and her legacy.


This is my first experience with Baby Shark, but JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER is the fourth in the Baby Shark series. Readers will have little problem starting at this point in the series if they have not read the beginning. The only element I was not completely sure about was Otis's tendency to refer to Kristin as "Missy." Guess that's a good reason to go back and read the beginning of the series.


Kristin Van Dijk is a detective in 1950s Texas. She's no Wonder Woman, but she's got spunk and she carries a gun she isn't afraid to use. While it wouldn't be a regular occurrence to see a woman as a detective in Texas in 1958, Fate doesn't paint the picture as being unbelievable. Kristin is simply one of those types that doesn't fit societies expectations. You know the kind of person that ultimately ends up blowing societies expectations to bits?


The plot of JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER is fast, non-stop action: bank heists, car chases, and disappearing acts. Readers may actually find themselves leaning with their books as Kristin and Otis take screeching turns at break-neck speed. The pace is so fast that a reader may overlook the beauty of the characters Fate has created in this novel as well as the dynamics of how they all interact. The pairing of the older, seasoned Otis with the young spitfire Kristin creates a solid foundation. A foundation that isn't based on sexual tension but rather an almost mentoring relationship, which quite frankly is a breath of fresh air. This pairing is an absolute winner. When Fate throws in Lynch as the foil, everything melds together, seamless.


This detective duo is now a definite addition to my must read list.

BABY SHARK'S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER is available from Capital Crime Press in trade paperback (ISBN: 978-0-9799960-2-3).