Normally I rave about Pearson. But this book seemed flat and difficult to get through. All of his other books are page turners. ( )

This is a Lou Boldt mystery. I used to read a lot of them, but have drifted away. This wasn't one of the best, although it had lots of familiar characters.

Lou's wife becomes involved with a man who wants to use her to rob a bank. Can Lou protect her, while using her to catch the robber? ( )

Setting: Seattle

Protagonists:
Lou Boldt, Seattle Police Lieutenant, rumpled yet sexy, methodical yet heroic
Liz Boldt, Lou's wife, bank exec, still tortured by a brief extramarital affair in their past, hates being a policeman's wife
David Hayes, Liz's old office fling, recently paroled after serving 4 yrs for embezzlement from Liz's bank
Danny Foreman, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, African American friend of the Boldts and obsessed with the Hayes case
Daphne Matthews, Seattle Police psychologist, tempting to Lou
John LaMoia, Seattle Police sargeant, cowboy persona irresistible to women
Bobbi Gaynes, Seattle police detective

First Line: "Lou Boldt picked up bits and pieces of the assault over an uncooperative cell phone."

Main Theme: David Hayes is paroled, and suddenly all kinds of bad guys after the money he embezzled (that was never recovered) intrude into the Boldt's lives (including the Russian mafia led by an importer known as "The Sturgeon General"). Liz is pulled into police work because of her connection with Hayes and the bank.

Subtheme: Liz and Lou's marriage goes on trial (again)

Main Action: Everyone is double-dealing (and sometimes torturing) everyone else in pursuit of the missing seventeen million dollars.

(JAF)