Norman Howell sits in the Ellis Unit in Huntsville,
Texas awaiting his execution date. About
a decade ago he killed the couple that ran a small gas station, took 158 bucks
and a case of beer and fled with the whole thing recorded by a hidden VCR. Bill
Travis has come to the prison unit with a simple request. All Bill Travis wants,
beyond a quick get in and out of the prision, is for Howell to sign some
paperwork on a trust account.
Instead, he gets told bits and pieces about Howell’s
role in a dark period of Texas history back in the 80’s when somebody blew up Vietnamese
fishing boats along the Texas coast. Howell does not go into much detail but he
does mention the name Dick Sawyer. The same Dick Sawyer who sits in the
governor’s mansion as the duly elected governor of the great state of Texas and
who might have paid to have those boats blown up.
That gets Bill Travis a little interested and he starts
poking around. Before long, Travis is running for his life across Texas is
wanted for murder, and folks are dead in his wake. Throw in plenty of Texas history, the legendary
Marfa Lights, modern day politics involving the succession movement, and lots
of other stuff and you have quit a cauldron of mystery and intrigue.
Capitol
Offense - A Bill Travis Mystery is the second book of
the series and again author George Wier sets yet another breakneck pace across
Texas. For a guy who is supposed to be a glorified accountant, Bill Travis
manages to get very well known on both sides of the law and have quite the
adventures. This second read in the series is another good one and continues to
build on the solid foundation evidenced in The Last Call.
Having established the main character of Bill Travis quite well, this book focuses more on the world around him, the odds against him, and how those in power control others. At its core, this book is more adventure than mystery but there are plenty of twist and turns to keep mystery readers and others happy and turning pages. The result is a solid second novel in a series that is mighty good on all levels.
Having established the main character of Bill Travis quite well, this book focuses more on the world around him, the odds against him, and how those in power control others. At its core, this book is more adventure than mystery but there are plenty of twist and turns to keep mystery readers and others happy and turning pages. The result is a solid second novel in a series that is mighty good on all levels.
Capitol Offense - A Bill Travis
Mystery
George
Wier
Flagstone
Books
November
26, 2011
E-Book
$0.99
Material supplied by the author in exchange for my
objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2012
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