Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues

Long, long ago, before graphic novels, there were comics. Superman, Archie, Little Lulu, Sergeant Fury and His Howling Commandos. These comics all carried the Comics Code seal on their covers. (Go to
http://lambiek.net/comics/code.htm for an illustrated history of the Comics Code). Even longer ago than that, when I was very young (but could already read), there were the lurid, scary, and sometimes morally reprehensible pre-Comics Code comics. I have a fairly vivid memory of encountering some of these in Texas, where I lived at age 5 and 6.

This memory keeps returning to me whenever I read one of Robert Fate's BABY SHARK books. For one thing, they are set in Texas in the 1950s. But
chiefly, it is the sense of transgression in them. Even show more Baby Shark herself occasionally stops and thinks "What did I just do? What have I become?"

In BABY SHARK'S BEAUMONT BLUES, the second in the series, Kristin VanDijk (Baby Shark for her youth and pool prowess, although there's
precious little time for pool-shooting in this outing) and her partner and mentor, Otis Millett, spray blood around in a manner worthy of one of those old comics with "CRIME" in big letters on the cover. We always know that Kristin and Otis are on the side of the angels. They will go out of their way to protect the vulnerable and are strictly honest with money they may find "lying around." Yet, they use any means necessary to fight evil, and they are expert at using the mobsters' own criminal tendencies to defeat them. Part of the reason this works is the setting in place and time. It's quite believable that the rich and powerful (even when their gains are exceedingly ill-gotten) can consider themselves above the law, either because of corruption or simply that they have the police outgunned.

In the first book, BABY SHARK, Kristin's actions were motivated by her personal need to see some kind of justice done to those who killed her
father and left her, raped and beaten, for dead. In BABY SHARK'S BEAUMONT BLUES, she's using the skills she acquired at that time as a
licensed private investigator. A "simple" task of retrieving a teenage heiress -- kidnapped or runaway? -- turns into a complicated and bloody
mess where even Kristin and Otis are not always sure who's conning whom. The ending is satisfying and there is even a possible romance brewing
for Kristin.

Mr. Fate's ear for dialogue is unerring and his ability to write from the perspective of a young woman is almost uncanny. Just one small example -- each time Kristin returns home after the latest bloodbath, she never fails to put any salvageable clothing to soak in cold water to get the bloodstains out!

It's often with some trepidation that I read a second book by an author whose first I've enjoyed. There was no disappointment here. I highly recommend BABY SHARK'S BEAUMONT BLUES. show less

Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues by Robert Fate pulls the reader into the world P. I. Kristin Van Dijk confronts on a daily basis as she and her partner, Otis Millett, strive to set right the wrongs of the world with their own brand of justice. Never quite vigilantes but never quite angels either, Kristin and Otis confront dangerous criminals and rescue the damsel in distress even as they wonder just how much distress the damsel is actually experiencing. Injuries, love interests, police investigations, and gangsters all attempt to get in the way of Kristin and Otis saving the girl. Even the lawyer who hired them to find her becomes an obstacle to their success as they are distracted by the need to save him. With millions of dollars at stake, show more the safety of the young but hated heiress is important to a multitude of people. Though the pages are riddled with dead bodies - I lost count at some point - somehow the violence never feels gratuitous. After all, Kristin and Otis have a policy to only kill those who deserve it. Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues is an exciting read filled characters that make the reader want to know them better. Fate balances Kristin's stuggle to balance her strength and feminity in a way that captures the reader's imagination leaving the reader desperate to find out what happens to Kristin Van Dijk next. show less

Oh Baby, Baby. She is back, all rough, tough and soft around the edges. Kristin Van Dijk, who we met in Baby Shark, has returned to her crime fighting, but now she is Otis' partner in his PI business.

Kristin and Otis are hired to locate and rescue a kidnapped girl, who ends up more difficult to find and keep than they expected. What seemed like a simple rescue mission becomes convoluted case of deception, greed and dishonor.

In this installment of Kristen's adventures it is the characters that take center stage. Baby Shark introduced us to the main characters but that book was driven by the action, the violence. Beaumont Blues has taken the promise of the first one and given the characters a chance to grow. It is no less exciting, no show more less blood stained than the first one, but it also shows a maturity in development. It would have be easy for Robert Fate to rest on the momentum of Baby Shark, to recreate the "little lost girl fights back" theme but he was able to step back and let her mature. Otis has a bigger role this time as the friendly boss and father figure, and he fills it well. The assorted other characters that blast their way through the action are well drawn with Fate's usual tongue in cheek spin on motive and morality.

But, of course, it is also the action driven plot that makes this a one sitting book. As the action progresses faster than a bullet, or is that as fast as the numerous bullets, it maintains the velocity of non stop suspense and thrills. It still can have scenes such as "It looked as if we were in the middle of a Popeye comic strip with all the bodies strewn about. But it was no cartoon, it was a slaughterhouse. Blood everywhere." Kristin has matured, not mellowed. The ending is satisfyingly unexpected, with the humor that makes these books so creative and welcomed.

Next up is Baby Shark's Panhandle Caravan (name change Mr. Fate? What happened to Sooner Weekends?). It will be interesting to see what Robert Fate has planned next for Kristin and Otis. show less

The second in the "Baby Shark" series, Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues leaves the personal vendetta behind, and instead focuses on more traditional territory: PI work, and all the grit and violence Fate can stuff in there. Less emotionally taxing - and more predictable - Beaumont Blues follows the protagonist through her professional development, and allows Kristin and Otis to shine as the true characters they are. There's nothing earth-shattering here, but Beaumont Blues is a solid read and a great sequel.

The 2nd in the Baby Shark series. Still, great characters but this did not grab me the same as the first in the series.

The story deals with her becoming a private eye in partnership with Otis Millet,.Otis helped locate the bikers who murdered her father. This tale expands her relationship with Otis, but I felt some flavor was lost without seeing Henry Chin, Sarge, and Sun Man.

Though I was a little disappointed, it seems a necessary step to let her grow into Kristin Dijk, private eye.

Baby Shark becomes a full blown person in this second book of Fate's series. She has moved on from the horror of our first introduction to her and joined forces with Otis as a PI to "protect" a young heiress from someone- perhaps even herself. Mr. Fate does himself proud with the plot, but even prouder with his sparse writing style- suitable to both the the landscape(Texas)of the book and the characters.A very good read indeed. I am now a confirmed fan of Mr. Fate.
The third in the series, High Plains Redemption, is on my nightstand as I type this.

Protagonist: newly licensed PI Kristin Van Dijk
Setting: 1956--the area between Dallas and Beaumont, Texas
Series: #2

First Line: Leon drooled when he smiled at me.

In this second book in the series, newly licensed PI Kristin Van Dijk and her partner, former cop Otis Millett, are investigating the disappearance of an heiress who's slated to inherit millions from her daddy's oil fields. In no time at all, gangsters from Beaumont have shoehorned their way into the situation and the body count rises and rises and rises.

If you don't like violence, stay away from these books. For the most part, it doesn't bother me, but the entire plot of the book seemed rather tired. I also began keeping track of Kristin's ability to hear because it wasn't show more consistent throughout the book. The only reason I rated it as high as I did was because I still like the characters of Kristin and Otis. show less