Plot or Premise
McGee is running low on cash and is looking for some work. A friend of a friend asks him to come out to Nevada to discuss a possible salvage job, but it’s looking like a bust for good old Trav. She’s been robbed of her father’s estate by her husband, and she needs lawyers and accountants, not Travis. Which he is in the process of telling her when a large rifle bullet takes her life.
What I Liked
The explosive opening leaves McGee somewhat ticked off, as you can imagine, and he immediately reports the murder. Except when the Sheriff comes to check, the body and all evidence are gone. Someone has made it look like the wife ran off with a lover, even if McGee swears he saw her die. It’s an interesting plot after that, as the only person who would seem to want her dead doesn’t seem like the person who killed her. And there doesn’t seem to be any other rationale for the death. It’s well into the third act before the likely killer becomes more obvious. There are a lot of red herrings, too, with crooked business dealings, rival businessmen, and the IRS sniffing around.
What I Didn’t Like
The pseudo-runaway wife was having an affair with a young professor, who had an unhealthy relationship with his sister, both depending on each other too much. But the sister is written as a terrible cliché from start to finish. To be honest, the story would work a lot better without her involvement, and it would have left more room for McGee to play Sherlock.
The Bottom Line
Great story, lousy secondary character
