The blurb on the cover of The Comanchera: Shadow of the Great Owl promises a mystery filled with action and intrigue. Unfortunately, it fails to deliver.

The first chapter begins in media res but fails to introduce the characters, such as the protagonist, Reid Matthews, a Comanche warrior and war hero, until the reader is already very confused. And it only gets worse.

In the next chapter, the nemesis, Code Alpha, makes his appearance. He is, improbably, an extreme environmentalist, intent on an ill-defined plan to reclaim the Brodine ranch in the west for the sake of his secret network. Not only is this implausible, but the character is so stereotypically villainous that it's irksome. He might as well rub his hands together and wax his Snidely Whiplash moustache.

The book jumps from ill-defined character to ill-defined character, all engaged in a number of pointless activities. You know the book's in trouble when even someone brandishing a gun fails to add excitement.

By the time the book comes to its unearned conclusion, most readers will have lost interest.

The author, B. Ray Mize, is a former executive with a Fortune 500 company in the petroleum industry, where he investigated million dollar frauds. Currently an oil field investigator, he might have looked closer to home for his story, perhaps writing a fictional tale of a multimillion dollar oil fraud. If he does so, however, he should be careful to pare down the number of characters and simplify his plot.

In the meantime, if you want a mystery filled with secrets and intrigue, pick up The Da Vinci Code.

TurnKey Press, 2004: ISBN, 0-754803-1-6