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A review by kathydavie
Choker by Frederick Ramsay
3.0
Fifth in the Ike Schwartz mystery series revolving around a retired CIA agent who now works as a sheriff.
My Take
It was a good storyline (a "4") that was shot down by three things: Ramsay has no clue about male-female relationships and their interactions; the inconsistency in so many things; and, how incredibly stupid his characters were, which rated a "2".
There was nothing in the interactions between Mary and Blake that made me think she was open to marriage. As for Ruth and Ike, well, their conversations never rang true.
The inconsistencies included CIA agents who had to be led by the hand (I wondered if they could fight their way out of a paper bag); everything is all hurry-up, hurry-up until it's more convenient to slow everything down; SEALs who don't know where to sit in a beached boat; cops and a reverend who have a hard time putting two and two together; and, those are just the highlights of what I remember (since I didn't take my usual notes).
I'd also like to know why Ike knows all about proper swearing, but neither he nor any of the CIA guys indulge in it. It leads me to suspect that Ramsay's Ike Schwartz series is intended to be a Christian novel.
There's nothing wrong with that, except where it impedes the sense of realism.
My Take
It was a good storyline (a "4") that was shot down by three things: Ramsay has no clue about male-female relationships and their interactions; the inconsistency in so many things; and, how incredibly stupid his characters were, which rated a "2".
There was nothing in the interactions between Mary and Blake that made me think she was open to marriage. As for Ruth and Ike, well, their conversations never rang true.
The inconsistencies included CIA agents who had to be led by the hand (I wondered if they could fight their way out of a paper bag); everything is all hurry-up, hurry-up until it's more convenient to slow everything down; SEALs who don't know where to sit in a beached boat; cops and a reverend who have a hard time putting two and two together; and, those are just the highlights of what I remember (since I didn't take my usual notes).
I'd also like to know why Ike knows all about proper swearing, but neither he nor any of the CIA guys indulge in it. It leads me to suspect that Ramsay's Ike Schwartz series is intended to be a Christian novel.
There's nothing wrong with that, except where it impedes the sense of realism.