What do Wall Street, rogue CIA assassins, and Hindu cult
worship have in common?
That’s what Scott Forrester has to find out in Charles A.
Cornell’s fast moving thriller, Tiger Paw. Cornell proves he has the goods as a
crime/thriller novelist as he navigates Forrester through a truly tangled web
of deceit, torture, murder and betrayal that turns the investigator’s world not
only upside down but inside out as well. It’s a race against time as he’s on
the run from shadowy assassins, his own agency, and cult conspirators who have
infiltrated the very infrastructure of society.
At first glance Tiger Paw appears to be a formulaic display
of cliché’s from a crime writer’s checklist. World-weary FBI agent? Check. Sexy
but tough female partner? Check. Grouchy boss who shouts a lot demanding
results? Check. Femme fatale? Check.
Hindu cultists torturing and assassinating in the name of
the Goddess of Death?
Whoa.
Gotta hand to Cornell, I don’t think we’ve seen that one
before. To think, he could have easily went the Dan Brown wannabe route and
tried to milk the whole ‘Catholic Conspiracy’ thing, but instead Cornell takes
us an entirely different route. And he’s done his homework. I’m no expert, but
Cornell’s writing style feels like he’s in his comfort zone with details on
Wall Street marketing, Hindu religion, federal investigation, and the
lifestyles of the rich and famous. He navigates the reader through a convoluted
maze without losing us on the way to the climatic finish. And even though I
guessed the identity of the Tiger Paw killer about 75% in the tale, I enjoyed
the way that he wrapped it up. Tiger Paw is very cinematic, and I can imagine
it as a Hollywood film one day.
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