HELL'S GATE. By Stephen Frey. Atria. 326 pages. $25.
Even people who hate lawyers and tell funny dead-lawyer jokes will like the lawyer in Hell's Gate, the latest thriller by Stephen Frey.
The lawyer, Hunter Lee, is an idealist and a brilliant rainmaker with a prestigious New York law firm. In Fort Mason, Mont., Hunter wins a major settlement against a railroad whose negligence resulted in a derailment that caused four deaths and blinded 10 people.
Returning to New York, Hunter is denied his expected hero's welcome. Instead he is the victim of an unjust situation. In dramatic and creative fashion, Hunter prevails against his betrayers. Hunter then decides to return to Fort Mason, where his brother Strat Lee lives.
At the time of Hunter's court triumph and speedy return, the small town of Fort Mason is in a spectacular mess. The town and surrounding area are beset by many forest fires, likely caused by an aggressive arsonist.
Financial crises abound, with several business owners struggling desperately to avoid bankruptcy. Underlying political corruption and economic greed sour the magnificent Wild West environment.
The deterioration of Fort Mason is experienced through three heroes. One is newcomer Hunter Lee. The second hero is a fire jumper, Paul Brule, whose heroic feats and appetite for high-risk parachuting are legendary. The third is Hunter's oafish brother, Strat Lee, who sets out to "single-handedly" solve the mystery of the arsons.
Frey writes with efficiency and cleverness. Each character earns his place in this novel, which abounds with likely suspects for the arson. The deeds of the main characters are colorful and entertaining.
Frey handles the expected thriller romances well. Strat Lee confesses to his brother that Fort Mason suffers a shortage of beautiful women. But the studs, Hunter and Paul, overcome these odds to find the hottest girlfriends.
Frey is a master of plotting. Each of the primary characters has a dynamic agenda that changes with the story's radical twists. Each misdirection by the leads in solving the mystery of the arson results in a whooping surprise as to who's been naughty or nice.
Without a doubt, Hell's Gate is a good read. But there are some problems. Frey tends to over-plot. By simplifying, Frey could avoid "gaps."
For example, one gap is the missing participation by law enforcement. Despite the heinous arson crimes, local and national law-enforcement agencies do not appear until near the novel's end.
Also, Frey is too action-oriented. Admittedly, the action is full of surprises, but the surprises come with a slight loss of credibility because the reader lacks the opportunity to observe the doer's plotting. With more revelation of the plotting, the drama of the criminal act would be increased.
Perhaps Frey tried to accomplish too many literary objectives in this swift 326-page story.
But overall he wrote well, and I heartily recommend Hell's Gate to the thriller enthusiast.
Eddie Cobb is a reviewer who lives in Kernersville.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement