Robert Fate :: Baby Shark :: Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues (Links)

Publishers Weekly - Starred Review

Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border

At the start of Fate's masterful fourth 1950s PI novel (after 2008's Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption)¸ Kristin Van Dijk, who's been tied up in a farmhouse by two silver thieves she was tracking, manages to free herself and take out a killer, later identified as a sociopathic felon, who a little earlier showed up and gunned down the two thieves, unaware of her presence. Meanwhile, word reaches Kristin's partner, Otis Millett, that his ex-wife, Dixie Logan, a former stripper known as the Dallas Firecracker, has been murdered. Dixie's last job was at a bank in Mesquite, Texas that had been held up a few weeks before and her body was found with that of a man who may have been one of the robbers. Kristin, a hard-as-nails heroine who's completely credible, and Otis dedicate themselves to solving Dixie's murder and sorting out whether she colluded in the bank theft. The pages will speed by for readers who enjoy gritty crime tales with plenty of flying bullets.

Booklist - Starred Review

Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border

With her pool-hustling career gathering dust like the parched Texas border towns where she was raised, Baby Shark, aka Kristin Van Dijk, is now a full-time private eye. The year is 1958, and the case is personal. The estranged, ex-stripper wife of Baby Shark's partner, Otis Millett, has been murdered. But her's will not be the only bullet-riddled corpse to dot these pages. The violence seems to be centered on a series of successful big money bank robberies and a lunatic mastermind with little interest in splitting the take. Cutting a deal with Fort Worth police detective Carl Lynch, Baby Shark and Otis talk their way into participating in the investigation-as bait. But Baby Shark Van Dijk is bait that bites back, while Otis covers her play with guns blazing. Fate fills his novels with verisimilitude; we smell the unfiltered smokes while jukeboxes play old songs that somehow feel brand new. With book four in this gritty series (following Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption, 2008), Fate again jacks pulp fiction up a notch or three beyond the old Black Mask formulas. Hard-boiled just doesn't get much better than Baby Shark spinning another .38-caliber tale.

Reviewed by Elliott Swanson

REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE

BABY SHARK'S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER
by Robert Fate

You might think that when you become someone's partner, someone who at times depends on you to watch their back, that you might know everything about them. Twenty-something PI Kristin Van Dijk ("Baby Shark") is partners with a former cop named Otis Millett, and together they run the Millett Agency. He has never really said much about his past. Well, that changes when they are called to the scene of a crime and he identifies one of the victims as Dixie, the wife that he hasn't seen for years. Dixie had always been a wild one; on the stripper circuit, she was known as The Dallas Firecracker. From what Baby Shark and Otis are able to piece together, with the help of Fort Worth PD detective Carl Lynch, is that she seems to have expanded her resume to include "bank robber."

As Kristin and Otis investigate her death, they find that Dixie was holding out on her bank robbing partners and had hidden the loot from their latest heist. Naturally, the bad guys are on the same trail as Kristin and Otis, leading up to some violent confrontations. Baby Shark has never been one to use finesse when a gun speaks louder; when she goes undercover, the bad guys live (or don't) to regret it when they try to knock her around.

JUGGLERS is the fourth book in the Baby Shark series, and may very well be my favorite. There was more humanity to the characters, notably Otis. Dixie had a secret that she hid from him that showed that she still loved him and that was touching. In addition, I found Baby Shark's actions to be far less over the top than in some of the previous books. But don't think that she's gone soft. The action is non-stop, and Baby Shark still kicks butt when she needs to.

Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, November 2009

Mysterious Musings

Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border

Fate's New Mystery

Baby Shark is back in Robert Fate's fourth mystery, Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border. I always enjoy Robert Fate's writing, which is spare and tough and funny, but I especially enjoy the character of Kristin Van Dijk, who ever refuses to be a victim in a world of bad men.

Thank goodness for the two good men in her life--her partner Otis and her friend Henry.

In this mystery, Otis's long-estranged wife Dixie ends up dead, and Otis wants to know who did it and why. And when he finds out, with the help of his partner, he intends to take justice into his own hands.

I love the character of Otis and he has some of the best lines in the whole book, but it's Kristin who remains front and center. The baby shark is growing up and her teeth are getting sharper.

Also there's a wonderful sense of time period here with all of the 50s era Texas details--particularly a delightful chase scene set on a train.

Loved it!

Reviewed by Julia Buckley

BABY SHARK'S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER

First Sentence: I was on the floor of an old farmhouse, trussed up like a lamb roast, attached to a rusty iron bedstead by a length of cotton rope.

Kristin Van Dijk is twenty-three and a private investigator in partnership with veteran ex-cop Otis Millett. Although he hasn't seen her in a long time, it still comes as a shock to learn that his estranged wife, Dixie, the Dallas Firecracker, Logan has been murdered. Working with Fort Worth homicide detective, Lt. Carl Lynch, the search for Dixie's killer puts Kristin and Otis on the trail of ruthless bank robbers and the suspicion that Dixie may have been the one holding the loot.

For me, in any book, I look first at the characters. I love that Fate creates tough, gutsy, smart women. Even in 1958, from Kristin to Grandma Bausch the ladies can hold their own. Otis treats Kristin as a partner and, in spite of referring to her as "Missy" he never condescends to her or minimizes her in any way. As partners, they balance each other's strengths and play to them. I also like that he depicts the vast majority of the police in a positive light and avoids the cliché of the obnoxious, obstructionist cops. What I really appreciated in this book was that each character was fully developed, with just enough back-story so you understood who they were and their relationship to the other characters.

Fate created a very strong sense of place and time, including appropriate, and enjoyable, references to Amelia Earhart, Louis Armstrong, and other characters of the period. But he also has a sense of humor, such as Otis rather sarcastically asking Kristin, at one point when they were away from any towns, whether she had a phone in her pocket. One day soon, Otis.

The story was very well plotted with plenty of action and suspense, but balanced off with humor and a bit of introspection. This was a very good read and, for me, the best of the series so far. Enjoy!

Reviewed by LJ Roberts

Baby Shark's Jugglers At The Border by Robert Fate

October 1958 finds Kristen Van Dijk, aka Baby Shark, once again hard at work as a private investigator. Partnered with private investigator Otis Millet, she still prefers to let her guns do the talking for her. Some folks just can't be reasoned with other than at the muzzle of a roaring gun. Both Baby Shark and her guns have had a lot of practice in the series so far and this fourth book promises more of the same.

After wrapping up the last pieces of one case, the next one is going to be hard to deal with. Otis has always been very quiet about his past and it comes as a shock that he has a wife. A wife that he never divorced and hasn't seen in years. Back when she used to be a stripper she went by the moniker of "The Dallas Firecracker" but to Otis she was Dixie. She has a different name now but there is no mistaking the fact that it is her body lying in the Tarrant County Morgue. After identifying the body, Otis wants answers and Lt. Carl Lynch of the Fort Worth Homicide division has few answers. Obviously, it was a homicide considering both she and the male she was with in her apartment took numerous slugs from a Walther PPK, but beyond that Detective Carl Lynch has little evidence and few clues. The Fort Worth Homicide Detective is pleased, at least initially, to have the help of Otis and Baby Shark.

As if he ever had a choice.

In a quest for answers that leads back and forth across Texas and New Mexico, Otis and Baby Shark follow a trail of deceit and treachery. When things begin to turn sideways they let their guns settle the matter in their favor. This latest installment continues the violent series that contains some of the best hardboiled characters written these days. While Baby Shark and Otis have been pretty much fleshed out to this point in the present time of the 50s, the read provides plenty of back story into Otis long before he met Baby Shark. As such, it explains much of who he is and how he views life. Along the way there is plenty of mystery, action, and gunplay to keep readers highly entertained. Coming in September, this is one book you absolutely do not want to miss.

If, somehow, you have missed this hardboiled series, start with the violent and very good beginning in "Baby Shark."

Follow that up with "Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues" and then "Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption." Simply good stuff.

Reviewed by Kevin R. Tipple

Fallen Angel Reviews

Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border

Private investigator Kristin Van Dijk is back with her partner Otis Millett working to find out who murdered his estranged wife, Dixie Logan, known on the Texas striptease circuit as The Dallas Firecracker. But the case is far from clear-cut as it appears that Dixie may have been involved with a ruthless gang of bank robbers wanted for killing a cop. But the real mystery is what happened to the money from the bank heists? Did Dixie have it before she was murdered? Someone is certainly still looking for something of Dixie's and they are killing anyone who gets in their way!

In this fourth book about the intrepid Kristin Van Dijk, Kristin is once again right in the middle of violent criminals and double standards in the 1950s. I love how Mr. Fate has created a strong minded, tough and plays rough, female hard-boiled detective type character that shoots a hole in most of the stereotypes of women from the 1950's. If most women didn't do it in the 50's, Kristin does or can! Once again the bad guys had better not go by Kristin's appearance and underestimate her. Otis is a lot of fun in this one, too. He has to confront his feelings for his former wife, and he learns some things he never knew about the woman he never quit loving. If you love Noir type mysteries, tough yet smart women, and justice, you will love the Baby Shark books! If you have read the first three, you already know you don't want to miss this one. If you have never read one of Robert Fate's Baby Shark books, do yourself a favor and start with the first book titled Baby Shark. Each book can stand alone but there is a lot of history about what makes Kristin tick and how she came to be friends with many of the secondary characters that come from the first books. I do wish Mr. Fate would put more of Baby Shark playing pool back in the book, but I can't wait for book five, there is a lot of life left for Kristin and I want to know what she will do next!

Reviewed by Stephanie B.

BABY SHARK'S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER

I think Baby Shark is one of the most unusual and exciting characters to come to fiction in a long time. And I loved ever word of this book. This time, Baby Shark and Otis are on the hunt for the bank robbers who murdered Otis's estranged wife Dixie and a cop. They've got a plan, hatched with the cooperation of the Fort Worth police, that they think will lure the bad guys into a trap. But who's being trapped here? Surprises abound, and the suspense notches up like Otis's Cadillac on a jack. I lost sleep because of this novel, for which I blame Fate. Man, this guy can write.

Do yourself a favor and blaze a trail to the bookstore when Robert Fate's BABY SHARK'S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER is released. I just hope it's a large first printing. I'd hate for anyone to be denied this treasure.

Reviewed by Ben F. Small
Author of ALIBI ON ICE and THE OLIVE HORSESHOE

Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border Book Review

Robert Fate's Series Continues to Deliver Action-Packed Excellence

P.I. Kristin Van Dijk, a.k.a. Baby Shark, returns in Fate's fourth book. This time Kristin and her partner, Otis Millett, investigate a murder that hits close to home.

Kristin Van Dijk was just nineteen when her father was murdered in a pool hall fight gone wrong. Kristin herself was beaten and gang raped. After a year spent being nursed back to health by Henry, the hall's Chinese owner, Kristin emerged as Baby Shark, a pool hustler with deadly skill hell bent on revenge (BABY SHARK, Capital Crime Press, September 2006).

Over three subsequent books, Kristin has remained lethal with both gun and knife and has teamed up with Forth Worth private eye Otis Millett, a former cop who still cuts an intimidating figure in his fifties. Set in 1950s Texas, the Baby Shark series has garnered Fate two nominations for the Anthony Award, one of crime fiction's most prestigious honors. JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER, Baby Shark's fourth adventure, is due to be released next month.

When Otis's estranged wife, Dixie (or The Dallas Firecracker, as she was known on the Texas striptease circuit), is murdered, it spurs a manhunt that pairs Kristin and Otis with Lt. Carl Lynch, a straight-arrow homicide detective with the Fort Worth PD. This blending of by-the-book and fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants investigative styles brings Kristin way too close to a ruthless cop-killing gang of bank robbers and their boss, a dreamy maniac who lives with his mother and hears voices.

The question that endangers Kristin's life and leads to a chase from Fort Worth to New Mexico is where did Dixie hide the bank heist loot? In JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER, the fourth book of Fate's popular series, once again bad men learn too late they should have taken Baby Shark seriously.

'Prose and Cons' and Sides Unseen

Fate's writing is nearly as lethal as Baby Shark herself. His flawless, sparse prose delivers tense action in thrilling bursts. But what makes this series unique is that Fate tells Kristin's story from her own point of view. It's terrific, because seeing the bad guys through Kristin's eyes - or sights, as the case may be - brings them to life in a way that satisfyingly chills the spine.

JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER is no different. Manuel (Manny) Martin, Dixie's killer, is a first-rate sociopath, and both Otis and Kristin are set on sentencing him and his cold-blooded gang to their own brand of justice. In typical Baby Shark fashion, there is a lot of gunfire and a lot of blood, but just like in the first three books, there's also an underlying, more personal perspective.

Otis doesn't normally share much about his past, but when Lt. Lynch calls him to identify Dixie's body, his estranged wife's former life is plastered all over the newspapers, and Otis becomes a bit of a celebrity. He doesn't let his newfound fame deter him from his goal, however, and he and Kristin embark on a journey across West Texas and into New Mexico to catch a killer and find out what Dixie did with the money.

The answer is a pleasant surprise. From one page to the next it's not always clear what's going to happen, and there is nothing remotely predictable about the outcome of this story. Robert Fate definitely has a way with words, and this series just keeps getting better and better.

BookBitch.com: BABY SHARK'S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER
by Robert Fate

The prettiest little pool hustler and private investigator in all of Texas is at it again. Its October 1958 and Kristin Van Dijk, AKA Baby Shark, gets involved when Fort Worth police discover the body of Dixie (The Dallas Firecracker) Logan, a former regular on the Texas striptease circuit and ex-wife of Kristin's partner Otis Millet. Otis and Kristin go to work with a by-the-book straight arrow Fort Worth homicide detective to try to find the killer, but even he can't help it when the bad guys badly under estimate Kristin's abilities. A few broken bones and dead bodies later, the unlikely trio is chasing the bad guys across West Texas. Not gonna tell you who wins, but I can't wait for the next Baby Shark. She is bad good.

Lesa's Book Critiques
Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border by Robert Fate

In Texas in 1958, women weren't supposed to be private investigators. Women in Texas could be expected to know how to shoot, but they didn't know how to shoot and use knives as skillfully as Kristin Van Dijk. But, Kristin, Baby Shark, has to be able to handle villains, as we see even in the opening scene of Robert Fate's Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border.

Take that opening scene. "I was on the floor of an old farmhouse, trussed up like a lamb roast, and attached to a rusty iron bedstead by a length of cotton rope. I could see, hear, speak, and smell, but otherwise I was out of commission." Never count Kristin out. She managed to deal with the men who held her captive, meet up with her partner in the detective agency, Otis Millett, and report a few deaths to Lieutenant Carl Lynch from the Fort Worth Police Department. Even Lynch was impressed, and Otis was a legend in Texas, from his years in the Dallas Police Department, and the Otis Millett Agency. That's why Lynch was willing to work with Kristin and Otis on a murder investigation.

It wasn't just any murder case. Otis' estranged wife, Dixie, had been a stripper known as the Dallas Firecracker. She and Otis split when Otis caught her cheating one too many times, but he always carried a torch for her. Now, he and Kristin can do one more thing for her; find her killer. However, it seems as if Dixie might have been mixed up in some recent bank robberies. And, someone is determined to find the loot that Dixie might have hidden.

It's a good thing Kristin has learned to handle herself, because, with Lynch's reluctant help, she goes undercover to try to smoke out the killer. She needs all of her wits and self-defense skills to deal with a man who has no conscience. But, when it comes to helping her partner, and finding a killer, Kristin truly is a Baby Shark.

Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border is the fourth book in the Baby Shark series. In each book, Fate has revealed a little more about Kristin's feelings, emotions she usually hides in order to be the tough woman she needs to be. This book is no exception, as Kristin shows her feelings for her absent boyfriend, and realizes that her mentor, Henry Chin, is lonely. But, despite the focus on Kristin, this book is actually about Otis. His past is peeled away is this story, and, by the end, he still has important decisions to make.

Kristin and Otis' actions sometimes border on illegal, but Robert Fate makes the reader care deeply about them, along with their friends, Henry, Lt. Lynch, Madame Li. None of them have easy lives, and they live in a violent world in Texas in 1958. Robberies, shoot-outs, murders, beatings are part of their lives. Fate creates a world of vast spaces, violent times, and characters that need to be bigger than life to survive. And, each episode in their lives makes us cheer for them all the more. Kristin and Otis are destined for stardom because they can't be kept on a page. They leap to life from the pages of every story. And, Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border just adds to the legend of Baby Shark and Otis Millett.

JEN'S BOOK THOUGHTS
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.

BreeniBooks.com
Guest Review: BABY SHARK'S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER by Robert Fate

After a few entries in a series, authors often run the risk of getting a bit lazy. Character development becomes sparse, or the prose becomes clichéd. Robert Fate skillfully sidesteps such a problem in the latest entry in the Baby Shark series, Jugglers at the Border. This is the fourth installment in the series starring former pool shark turned detective Kristin Van Dijk, and it is just as strong as the previous novels.

Jugglers at the Border is a fun, fast-paced read. It starts with Kristen being tied up in a remote cabin. When a mysterious gunman kills her captors, she seizes the opportunity for an escape. She ends up killing the gunman when she becomes a target for him. With all of the excitement in the first few chapters, the reader is likely to believe that this case will be focus of the story. However, this is just an introduction.

The main case in Jugglers at the Border involves the murder of the estranged wife of Kristin's partner, Otis. There is an interesting back story about Otis's ex, Dixie. She was a stripper known as "The Dallas Firecracker." Their marriage was a stormy one, and it cost Otis his career with the police department. Although they had been separated for years, Otis still cared about Dixie, and he agrees to work with the police on the case.

The case is a complex mix of twists and turns. Dixie's murder is immediately linked to a recent bank robbery in which a police officer was killed. Kristin and Otis have to figure out exactly how she was involved in the plot. The investigation pairs Kristin and Otis with a by-the-book cop named Carl Lynch. At first, their investigative styles clash, but they develop a mutual respect over time. The investigation reveals a dark side to Dixie's life and another mystery. The team discovers a safety deposit box key taped underneath her coffee table, but they can't figure out where the box is stored. This represents a key element of the bigger mystery of Dixie's role in the bank robberies. All of the mysteries converge in an exciting climax that ties everything together.

Robert Fate does a great job with the pacing of this novel. The suspense remains steady throughout the book. There are no slow sections; everything keeps moving toward the climax. Fate creates suspense in a number of ways. He focuses much of his energy on the plot; it is jam-packed with action. The reader doesn't really have time to recover from one event before something else happens. It makes for a fast, exciting read experience. Fate uses his characteristic retro style language. Everything about this novel looks and sounds like a hard-boiled detective novel of the mid-twentieth century. Only the modern copyright date reminds the reader that this book was written in 2009. The dialogue is snappy, and Fate uses a staccato rhythm throughout the book. The overall effect is surprisingly smooth.

Fate also does a bit more character development than usual in Jugglers at the Border. This time, he reveals more of Otis's past and shows some of his emotions. For the most part, Otis has seemed like a tough former cop. In this book, his feelings regarding Dixie reveal a gentle side that hasn't been evident in previous novels. Fate also reveals some confusion for Kristin in her relationship with her boyfriend, Lee. Their relationship has developed into something more serious than they had expected. Consequently, Kristin doesn't know what she wants to do with the relationship and her life.

My biggest complaint about this novel is its title. I just don't think the title suits the novel very well. It looks like Fate is trying too hard to be clever with the title. It's too long, and doesn't fit the action as well as some of the other entries in the series.

Overall, Jugglers at the Border is a fun thriller. The pacing is good, and the characters are likeable. Most importantly, it has a terrific plot that keeps the reader guessing. It feels like an old detective novel, but hopefully there will be more entries in the Baby Shark series.

American Chronicle
Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border" by Robert Fate

Robert Fate's fourth Baby Shark mystery begins much like the third, with his tough protagonist, Kristin Van Dijk confronting thugs in an abandoned farmhouse at the end of a dusty road. There is the requisite shoot out, arrival of the police, and proud "atta-girl" from her PI partner Otis Millett.

But JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER veers sharply from that point into a case that stirs up bittersweet memories for one of the oddly matched pair. This time, as the story unfolds, readers will glimpse a slice of Otis' past; of a tender, not-quite-forgotten love that begs closure.

When Lieutenant Lynch of the Fort Worth Police asks Otis to identify a body, the tough PI is shocked to find his estranged wife lying in the morgue.

He's less surprised to learn that the ex-stripper was a victim in a bank heist gone wrong. She'd been holding out on the gang, but which of them had come back to settle the score? And where had Dixie stashed the $3 million?

As Kristin goes undercover in an attempt to lure the killer, she's knocked around by a pair of mean-faced thugs despite her partner's watchful eye. But nothing deters this gal. She gives head-butts, eye-gouges, and punches as good as she gets. And she'll shoot a man without blinking an eye.

There are times when this female "fighting machine" comes across as almost too masculine. It's a risk the author took when he decided to write hard-boiled crime fiction from the POV of a young woman. But it works most of the time, and it doesn't prevent readers from rooting for his heroine.

Those who've read the first book in the series and watched Kristin change from helpless victim to avenging angel will not be surprised or disappointed by the strangely gratifying brutality in Fate's books. It's what they've come to expect.

In contrast to the violent action is Otis' unexpected introspection, almost nostalgia, as he recalls his good times with Dixie. Instead of softening him however, it drives his determination to capture her murderer.

The manhunt is tortuous. The killer stays just out of reach while leaving a grisly trail of wounded and dead in his wake. Kristin and Otis persevere, but are as surprised as the killer (and the reader) at how it all ends - satisfying, but definitely unusual.

Fate's fast-paced, action-packed BABY SHARK books are hard to put down. They are short enough to read in one breathless, heart-pounding sitting, yet meaty enough to satisfy the thoughtful armchair detective. And this one has great character development which will carry Fate's PI partners through several more exciting books.

www.nightsandweekends.com
Shark’s Jugglers at the Border Review

I tried really hard to be a good girl and not move Baby Shark’s Jugglers at the Border to the top of my to-be-reviewed stack, but I failed miserably. I simply could not wait to read the latest in author Robert Fate’s Baby Shark series.

In Jugglers at the Border, someone shoots and kills Dixie Logan, a.k.a. the Dallas Firecracker on the Texas striptease circuit, who also happens to be private investigator Otis Millet’s estranged wife. Dixie left behind a key to a safety deposit box, and though no one knows its location, they have a pretty good idea what the contents might be. She helped rob a bank, then she double-crossed her partners, which sent one in particular on a revengeful rampage, determined to take back what Dixie took from him.

With the help of his partner, Kristin Van Dijk, Otis sets out to find who murdered his Dixie. He’ll put the killer in his grave if he gives Otis no other choice—and Otis hopes he’s not given a choice. The chase takes them across the Texas plains and into Nevada, leaving a wake of destruction behind them.

Kristin goes undercover to flush out Manny, the alleged killer, and she ends up in a whole heap of danger, since Manny is a little bit unbalanced, making him reckless and unpredictable. But he should have known better than to mess with Kristin—because she’s tougher than her platinum blonde hair suggests, and she knows how to use a gun.

Author Robert Fate delves a little deeper into the character of Otis Millet with the fourth installment in his Baby Shark series. Readers get a look at his vulnerable side as Otis deals with the death of his wife—and they get a look at his truly tough side as he relentlessly hunts the man who killed her. Most of all, though, I love how he is with Kristin—he worries about her like a father would for a daughter, but he knows that she can take care of herself, so he never tries to hold her back.

Jugglers at the Border takes you on a gritty, edge-of-your-seat ride through a late 1950s thriller , with pulse pounding, heart-in-your-throat scenes. Smart and resourceful Kristin Van Dijk once again proves that she can take on the bad guys and come out on top. If you mess with the people she loves, you’d better be prepared to take her on or get out of her way.

There are no words to describe how fantastic Robert Fate’s Baby Shark series is. Kristin Van Dijk is by far my favorite female investigator. And Jugglers at the Border is another great installment in a truly a wonderful series. If you haven’t picked up a Baby Shark thriller yet, what are you waiting for?

www.gumshoereview.com
Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border by Robert Fate

Kristin Van Dijk, otherwise known as Baby Shark, is a PI in Fort Worth, Texas in 1958, when men were men and women weren't PIs. Nonetheless, Kristin and ex-cop Otis Millett have teamed up and hung out their shingle. When Otis’s estranged wife Dixie is killed as part of a bank robbery scheme, the FWPD asks for their help. Kristin ends up going undercover as a relative of Dixie's. This is risky, because some pretty bad guys are behind the robberies. But they don't know what they're up against in Baby Shark.

Baby Shark's Jugglers at the Border starts out in the middle of the action and keeps you turning pages to the end. It's full of tense stand-offs, wild rides, and burning cars. The 1958 setting provides an amusing escape to a time when everyone smoked, fried their food in bacon grease, and drove big American cars.

Kristin herself is an original. She lives life on her own terms and doesn't whine about sexist attitudes of the day. She's accepting of people's weaknesses and quirks and not judgmental. Her motto is "that which we are we are". Of course, she also firmly believes that bad guys deserve what they get and isn't afraid to give it to them. She has sangfroid, as she puts it. The violence of her job is tempered by the charm of everyday hominess as she winds down at her dad's old ranch with her German shepherd and a father figure named Henry Chin, with whom she bonded six years before when her real father and Henry's son were gunned down by thugs. Normally she stays in her own apartment over a pool hall.

The author tells the story with a spareness and gift for choosing just the right word that reminds one of Elmore Leonard. Believable dialog and an exciting story make this fourth outing for Baby Shark a pure joy to read.

TheBookBitch
BABY SHARK'S JUGGLERS AT THE BORDER by Robert Fate:

Sometimes a series just flows and Fate sure has a handle on how to make that happen. This is Baby Shark's fourth outing, and she hasn't broken stride yet. Kristin Van Dijk, better known as Baby Shark, is 23 years old now, and a seasoned private investigator. When her partner Otis Millett's ex-wife turns up dead, the case becomes personal. Dixie Logan, a stripper known on the circuit as the "Dallas Firecracker," never actually filed for divorce, so Otis is her next of kin. They hook up with the Fort Worth police department working to help solve her murder, Kristin goes undercover with the reluctant approval of the police chief, and almost gets killed for her trouble. As with all the Baby Shark books, there is lots of action, fighting and shooting in 1958 Texas, and this truly is an homage to the hardboiled detective stories of that time period. If you haven't met Baby Shark yet, start with the first book, Baby Shark, and enjoy them all.