What if BATMAN wrote book reviews?
The thing that first attracted me to this book was the title, Mask of Shadows. For some reason, that really appealed to me. The hero of the book is Michael Drake. I’m not sure why he’s classified as a hero as he has no actual super powers . . . but I digress. Drake is a part-time private investigator and part-time jazz club owner. Though the concept is not as interesting as being a part-time crime fighter and part-time billionaire playboy, I found the premise intriguing.
The young detective starts the day as he has many others, doing a favor for a friend all the while dealing with a precocious sidekick his young nephew. Through no fault of his own, Drake falls right into the middle of a murder plot that reaches back to his days in college. The author, Erick Burgess, is a natural storyteller and keeps the reader engaged. The problem with this novel lies in the fact that the protagonist doesn’t have a fancy car or other sophisticated crime solving gadgets. For me to believe that an “average Joe” would throw himself in these dangerous situations to simply help a friend without any real protection is a bit of a stretch. Although Drake does carry a weapon from time to time, he doesn’t have any martial arts training or advanced weapons skills. I did find myself identifying with Drake’s need to solve the disappearance of his fiancée, setup in the author’s previous book, Under Abnormal Conditions. In attempting to solve the murder in Mask of Shadows, Drake becomes entangled in the crime itself, and is hunted by overzealous police officers.
The more I think about it, the more I like this author’s work. The lead character is flawed and must overcome his personal demons to become a hero. He works in a corrupt city with a flawed criminal justice system. He has an annoying young ward that helps him keep his humanity. He is fighting betrayal, as well as a killer who seems to remain one step ahead of him. Most importantly, Drake is driven by an incorruptible sense of right and wrong. That is only the beginning when murder and passion collide in Gotham City a small south Louisiana town. When the true killer is revealed, Drake must deal with the consequences and the lives he helped destroy.
Not that I have much leisure time, but I would definitely read more books by this author in the future. I give him 3 ½ batarangs out of 5.
