Slingshot by Carsen Taite

Slingshot
by Carsen Taite
Pages: 264
Date: August 30 2012
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Series: Luca Bennett Bounty Hunter (1st in series)

Review
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.0
Read: April 20 to 21 2016

This review is for the first book I’ve read by this author, though second ‘work’ (since I read a short story by them previously). This is also the first book in the Luca Bennett series.

I have two ‘issues’ that impact my ability to write a proper review for this book: (1) previously read a story in the Bennett series; (2) read this book in the middle of another book that had odd similarities.

(1) At the present time, the Bennett series involves three books, and a short story tacked on at the end. I read the short story before I read anything else, therefore I knew things about the people involved that I would otherwise not known – and yes, it did have an impact on my reading the book. Three of the people I had pinpointed as being possibly important in my review for short story show up in this book. Luca Bennett, Teresa Perez, and Jessica Chance. Teresa is/was an antagonist to Luca in both this first book and in the short story; and Luca & Jessica were quite friendly in both stories I’ve read. Though they have a different relationship in both.

(2) I had been reading a book titled ‘Cat Catcher’ by Caroline Shaw before I dove into ‘Slingshot’. I had been at around 47% completion when I paused to read Slingshot, though paused is somewhat misleading – ‘Cat Catcher’ is one of the few books, and maybe only book this year, that I’ve read the physical non-digital version (it’d be hard to check because I record whatever ISBN Netgalley gives me, and while they give me digital copies of books to review, the ISBN’s are, more often than not, for physical editions). Two days ago I left my house and forgot to bring my book with me. And so . . . I read Slingshot.

‘Slingshot’ involves, as its protagonist, one Luca Bennett. Luca is an ex-cop lesbian with a private investigator’s license who does not normally do PI work. Apparently she needs a PI license to be a bounty hunter in Texas. In other words, Luca uses her investigative skills to trace humans. ‘Slingshot’ is a mystery that includes investigation. ‘Cat Catcher’ involves one Lenny Aaron who is an ex-cop lesbian who works as a private investigator (I’m not clear if she has a license or not), but not the normal type of PI. She also works as something of a tracer. Though she doesn’t trace missing fugitive humans, but instead tracks missing ‘fugitive’ cats. Also both Luca and Lenny left the police force after violent incidents.

I mention all of the above because the first issue, the having read a short story that takes place after the events of this novel, gives me information that I might accidentally convey in this review; while the second issue might make me accidentally convey information from a book from a completely different series. Though, beyond all their similarities, Luca and Lenny are not really that similar in characteristics/personality. And Luca is something of a ‘player’ while Lenny might very well be asexual with a leaning towards women.

Characters
Luca Bennett: Luca’s mother ran off when Luca was young. By the time this story opens, the mother is on the fourth husband. The father? A drunk with an addiction for gambling. He has respect, though, for steady work, and pushed Luca in the direction of the police. Whether or not Luca would have joined the police force without that push, is unclear. But she did, definitely, pick up an addiction to gambling from dear old pops. Luca’s time with the police, though, was short lived – there was an ‘incident’ during which Luca was shot and her partner died (I’d normally leave the partner dying out, but it plays its role in the book, and all of this took place before the book started). Once Luca got out of the hospital, she looked for other work. Which lead her to being a bounty hunter. I know Lenny’s 27, because I recall making a note of that information in passing. I forget if Luca’s age is given.
Of Importance: Pops – Luca’s dad whose name escapes me; Hardin (sp?) the guy who gives Luca people to chase; Jessica Chance – her friend with benefits. Maggie.

Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Moreno: is a lawyer who used to work for a big time firm ‘back east’ in NY. Pulling down the big bucks. But now works in a miniature office with/for her uncle. Defending any and everyone who walks in off the street. There’s a back-story/reason for the relocation and change in job status, but that’s something that has to be teased out over the course of the book. She’s the person who ‘hires’ Luca to find a fugitive named Jed Quitman.
Of Importance: family, including her uncle . . . ..

Maggie: an older woman, at least older than Luca. She feeds Luca and serves her bad beer when Luca doesn’t have the money for anything else. Steak and good beer when she does. As is noted in the book, Luca only eats there like 4 or 5 times a week. There being Maggie’s bar. Maggie is mentioned because she has a ‘favor’ – she wants Luca to track down her brother Billy, who apparently is in worse trouble than normal. Luca takes the case.
Of Importance: Billy.

Jessica Chance: Jessica and Luca entered the police force near/at the same time. One was trained by Teresa Perez (Jessica), while the other was trained by Perez normal partner (Luca). Every once in a while Luca and Jessica ‘hook up’, though they don’t have anything like a romantic relationship.

Plot
Jed Quitman is a huge local businessman with fingers in many pots. Seedy pots – run down apartment buildings, strip clubs, and pay-day-loan places (the kind that charges around 200% to 300% interest). He’s gone and gotten himself missing. Certain people are looking for him. Including one Veronica ‘Ronnie’ Moreno.

When Luca Bennett turns up to get paid for her latest bounty capture, she asks for more work. But her regular supplier of jobs, the bail bondsman Hardin (sp?) has nothing. But he does direct Luca to the Moreno law-firm.

Ronnie gives Luca the job of hunting Jed. Luca spends most of the book investigating Jed’s whereabouts, while at the same time looking for someone named Billy (as a favor to her favorite bar owner, Maggie), and ducking the pursuit of Teresa Perez. Perez would just love to find some form of criminal charges to stick to Luca – she blames Luca for the death of Perez’s partner when Luca was on the police force.

Perez gets something of her chance when Luca keeps stumbling over dead bodies. The first one is iffy to stick to Luca, but Perez tries anyway. The second one? Well, dead body, bloody sledgehammer. Blood and fingerprints on sledgehammer. Second dead body seems harder for Luca to dodge.

Mystery & Romance
This is a mystery, not a romance. Even so, there’s some ‘action’ on the romance front that involves Luca. First when she and Jessica Chance have one of their ‘normal’ flings and certain feelings might suddenly be there. Second there’s something of a pursuit involving Luca pursuing Ronnie. And whether anything could develop there. So something on the edge of romance goes on.

In terms of a mystery – there is an actual mystery story here. And an investigation. Quite well done, really.

Overall
I liked the book and the storyline. A few things here and there tripped me up, caused me certain moments of concern. (1) flirting and sleeping around – fine, she’s not in a steady relationship; (2) constant need to gamble – annoying; (3) making a point of always having at least one, no, multiple guns on hand – some even hidden in her vehicle – then deciding, WTF, let’s, just this once, go outside without being armed (it’s as if the author knew that if Luca stayed in character, the story would not be able to flow the way the author wanted it to flow). But still a good solid book. I’ve already acquired the two sequels and will be reading them shortly.

April 22 2016