An Incident at Bloodtide

Mongo #12

by George C. Chesbro

Mongo and brother Garth return from an evening sail on the Hudson River to find an unwelcome guest in Garth's home - Sacra Silver, self-styled ceremonial magician and old boyfriend of Garth's wife, folksinger Mary Tree. Now that Mary's burgeoning musical career has returned her name to the record charts, Silver has decided to "retake his woman."
Garth, not one to suffer fools gladly, throws Silver out the window. To Mary's distress - she knows from experience that bad things happen to people who defy the lanky sorcerer. Mongo can see that Silver's black magic act is a phony, but Mary is convinced - and terrified. When hideous practical jokes and ugly pranks begin to disrupt their lives, Mongo and Garth realize that the mystical Silver is making nasty things happen right here on the material plane.
And then Garth's old friend Tom Blaine, the local riverkeeper and environmental cop, is found dead in the Hudson - horribly hacked by the massive propellers of an oil tanker. During Mongo's investigation of the death, he learns that Blaine had found that the vessels of a major shipping company have been dumping residual oil into the Hudson, then filling their empty tanks with fresh water, to be sold to Middle Eastern governments for private profit.
What's the connection between a loopy warlock and a corporate raid on public waters? Mongo learns the truth in a thrilling solo midnight raid on an oil tanker hell-bent for the Atlantic Ocean.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

197 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

George C. Chesbro was an American author of detective fiction. His most notable works feature Dr. Robert "Mongo the Magnificent" Fredrickson, a private detective with dwarfism. He also wrote the novelization of The Golden Child, a movie of the same name starring Eddie Murphy.

Chesbro was born in Washington, D.C. He worked as a special education teacher at Pearl River and later at rockland Psychiatric Center, where he worked with trouble teens. Chebro was married and had one daughter and two step-daughters.

Reviews

[Claudia A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I don,t know how Chesbro does it. He comes up with these incredibly unique stories. That's why he is the writer

[Genevieve Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it. A nice, quick read. A little weird, a lot late 80s/ early 90s, but fun. The characters aren't exactly multi-dimensional, but they're likable and interesting. The mystery was basic but believable. I enjoyed the hard-boiled-lite writing style. And the inclusion of a witchcraft storyline was handled well.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the series progresses, the books become more tightly written, the plots easiertofollow and more believable, but I feel it lacks a bit of the more surprising and fun elements of the earlier books. Still appealing though

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story aside from the environmental preaching, which was doubly disturbing because till now I'd never felt that Chesbro had let personal views parrot out of the mouths of his characters.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry but Mongo and his brother are just a bit too clever, can't suspend belief enough to enjoy.

[Lapetitesteph]

Très bien.