Richard Barre just won't let the past rest in peace. Like Ross Macdonald, one of his literary influences, he concocts modern detective tales in which the crimes are connected to, and disastrously complicated by, historical events.

Burning Moon finds Barre's Southern California surfer-turned-private eye, Wil Hardesty (introduced in the Shamus Award-winning The Innocents ), being hired by a Vietnamese refugee and fisherman, Vinh Tien. Vinh is sure that the disappearance at sea of his son, Jimmy, and Jimmy's pregnant girlfriend wasn't accidental, but can be blamed on their association with Vinh's younger brother, Luc, a "free-living, free-spending," and perpetually shadowy businessman. The case is convoluted enough on its surface, placing Hardesty in the middle of a family feud that may have contributed to Jimmy's death, and now threatens to propel Vinh's rebellious daughter into Luc's clutches, as well. Yet on top of all this are Luc's possible links with rivalrous Asian gangs; allegations that Jimmy cooperated with ATF agents against his uncle; and the revelation of Vinh's having once fought with the Viet Cong--a fact that, while troubling to Vietnam War vet Hardesty, positively enrages the local citizenry after Luc is murdered and Vinh becomes the prime suspect.

No less than the Tiens, Hardesty wears his history like a hair shirt. The surfing mishap that claimed his only son long ago, the dissolution of his 20-year marriage and a spiraling descent into the bottle--these things still weigh heavily on his mind, making him an easier target for clients in distress. "In a sense," the PI explains, "[saving people is] what I am. Depending on who you talk to, it may be all I am." Of course, not everybody wants to be saved, including Hardesty's accountant ex-wife and one of his oldest friends, who regular Barre's readers will recognize from an earlier series installment, The Ghosts of Morning. Burning Moon ignites slowly, as its underappreciated author outlines the cultural dynamics that are essential to this tale and reintroduces Hardesty (last seen in 1999's Blackheart Highway). However, Barre's vivid but economical prose and strong character development eventually make this Moon shine. --J. Kingston Pierce

From Booklist
Jimmy Tien and his pregnant girlfriend, Wen, were on a small boat that sank in rough weather off the Southern California coast. Jimmy's father, Vinh Tien, a former North Vietnamese soldier, doesn't believe that his son's death was an accident and hires private investigator Wil Hardesty to learn if there is a connection between Jimmy's death and his work for his crime boss uncle. Wil, a Vietnam vet, is reluctant to work for a man who was once his enemy, but when federal agents tell him that Jimmy was on their pad as an informer, he changes his mind. The case takes on broader, more dangerous implications for Wil when he's unwillingly drawn into a turf war between Vietnamese and Chinese gangsters. Shamus Award winner Barre is a direct descendant of the world-weary Ross McDonald school of detective fiction. Hardesty pushes ever forward while dogged by the shadowy burdens of his own life. A lyrical, melancholy glimpse into the soul of a man who attempts to solve others' burdens even as he succumbs to his own. Wes Lukowsky
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FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In Burning Moon: A Wil Hardesty Novel, the fifth entry in the acclaimed series by Shamus winner Richard Barre (Blackheart Highway), the sinking of a fishing boat in a squall off the California coast sends PI Hardesty on a harrowing quest for justice that leads back decades to the collapse of South Vietnam. Blurbs from Dennis Lehane, S.J. Rozan and Don Winslow will help propel sales. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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