Baby Shark
by Robert Fate
Published by Capital Crime Press
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Reviewed by Kim Reis
Kristin van Dijk travels from bar to bar with her father, a pool hustler. When a gang of bikers come looking for him one night in a bar, they kill him and the bartender, wound the bartender's father, Henry Chin, and beat and rape Kristin and leave her for dead.
The beginning of the book is a little slow as Henry helps Kristin escape the fire set by the gang to cover their crimes and takes her to his home to recuperate. However, the story starts to pick up speed as Henry finds Kristin people to school her in the use of firearms and military-style close work. She also starts training with her father's friend to hone her pool skills.
The pace continues to build as Kristin earns the nickname Baby Shark in the pool halls her father used to frequent--and as the private investigator hired by Henry to find the members of the attacking gang has some success. Kristin, now trained by her military tutors to be deadly, wants revenge.
Part of what makes Kristin unique is the fact that the story takes place in the early 1950s. Women at that time were not expected to be strong or skilled in the art of killing, and this makes it easy for her quarry to underestimate her abilities.
Baby Shark is the first in a new series for Fate. I'm very curious about what will happen to Kristin after the exciting climax of this book.
Armchair Interviews says: Look for the next one in the spring of 2007.