Boss MacTavin takes on The Scourge of Seattle.
Before taking a cross-country train trip, on which he plans to propose to his girl, Boss agrees to what should be a cakewalk: a pro bono case in Seattle. A security guard had been killed after work at Barlow’s, a convenience store. To the cops, it’s a cold case that they’ll never solve. But the guard’s widow wants closure. Two or three days ought to do it, Boss thinks. But the trail leads soon to ORC, Organized Retail Crime. And Barlow’s, at 3rd and Pike—aka The Scourge of Seattle—appears to be the town’s hotbed. Faced with a brutal ring of thieves and a cop who may be bad, Boss is also forbidden to carry a gun. Or anything seen as a weapon. He turns to allies, old and new...and the world of alternative ‘toys’.
Trivia
--The story grew from my six years’ employment with a large retail chain in Charlotte and Seattle. I worked third shift for five of those years and witnessed the rampant theft shown in this tale.
--3rd and Pike, McStabby’s, The Blade...I could not have made up these locations.
--The big trick of the book is a weaponless Boss, subject to search at any time. Months of research on alternative weapons included my actually buying things that caught my eye. I’ve written of nothing that I haven’t bought and tried.
--This story paves the way for a spin-off series set in Seattle. There, Boss’s partner, DB, will helm a new branch of Boss Corrections devoted to insurance scams. /i>
Now put on your helmets—and let's meet at 3rd and Pike!
