Review: Don't Look Twice

HOME > BOOKS > ARCHIVES 2009 >

POSTED: 07 JUNE 2009

Andrew Gross, Don't Look Twice

(HarperCollins; 480pp paperback; $32.99)

Andrew Gross has co-authored several books with bestselling author James Patterson, but Don’t Look Twice is only the third thriller he has written solo.

Ty Hauck, Chief Detective of the Violent Crimes Unit, is out with his teenage daughter, reconnecting after some tough times, when they are involved in a drive-by shooting. They survive, but the near tragedy makes the murder investigation of one who was not so lucky — Federal Attorney David Sanger — a personal one for Hauck.

The death of an official from the Department of Justice is big news and brings Hauck a visit from the FBI, but it looks like Sanger was just in the wrong place, with clues pointing to a revenge gangland attack.

Then there is another death, with a connection to Sanger, and Hauck — who doesn’t believe in coincidences, especially where murder is concerned — suspects a bigger picture. He is convinced of it when he is warned off by those on his side and those on the other. Soon he discovers another motive, and regardless of the pressures, he continues his investigation.

It is a dangerous decision that leads to more death, including one close to Hauck, but his stubborn doggedness and strong convictions deny him any choice but to find out the truth.

Hauck is a likeable and believable character. Unlike some heroes of the crime-thriller genre, he appears rather human as he makes a mistake or two, or overlooks a clue because of his basic decency. His professional determination and his personal sensitivity draw the reader’s affection.

The big picture that is the true reason for the murders and cover up is finally revealed, and it resonates. It raises the issue of ends justifying means in yet another context — a question that should be simple to answer, yet in the complexity of the big mad world, rarely is. Nor, in reality, can there be a neat end when the problem goes right through the system to the top.

An intriguing and satisfying read.

HOME > BOOKS > ARCHIVES 2009 >