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James Magne is a fourth-generation Texas ranching king. He owns almost 1,000,000 acres on the Gulf of Mexico, near the coastal bay of Laguna Madre. Magne has great political power and he uses that influence to facilitate paperwork and obtain permits needed to drill for gas on his property. He is in the midst of a financial crisis and will lose everything if the deal doesn’t go through. And he promised his father he would never sell the land.
When a local fisherman turns up missing and authorities fail to investigate, Jason Grider, an employee at the Port Office, is concerned. Jason’s older brother, Jack, is unwittingly involved in Magne’s schemes because of a report he filed when he worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department.
LAGUNA is well-written, with tantalizing hooks at the ends of chapters. A well-tuned plot keeps the reader in suspense. Unexpected twists and surprises at the end give a sense of completion and satisfaction. Putegnat develops his characters uniquely – no “cardboard characters” here. I especially appreciated his characterization of Jack Grider as vulnerable, weak emotionally, yet appealingly tender hearted.
I have only one criticism: a section in Chapter Seven is from a dog’s point of view and it appears this scene was used to add false suspense, when there was no true danger.
According to the author’s post on amazon.com, he is considering both a prequel and a sequel to LAGUNA, featuring many of the same characters. I look forward to reading more from Michael Putegnat.
Reviewed by Marie DisBrow
for The Road to Romance
March 8, 2007
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