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Frag Box    by Richard A. Thompson Amazon.com order for
Frag Box
by Richard A. Thompson
Order:  USA  Can
Poisoned Pen, 2009 (2009)
Hardcover, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

As readers, we journey to Vietnam to watch Charlie Victor as an American GI in 1968. His commanding officer left much to be desired. Abandoned in a tunnel dug by the Viet Cong, Charlie fought his way back to his unit. A frag box of contributed money had been kept by unit members. Anyone who managed to off the officer could claim the money for his own.

Today, we're in St. Paul, Minnesota. Bail bondsman Herman Jackson learns that his friend and sometime client for bail money, Charlie Victor, has been beaten to death, leaving Herman as the man's only heir. Herman, who has a checkered background, is now living by the book, though not high on the hog. To claim his inheritance, he must work through clues that Charlie left for him.

Accompanied by a female reporter, Herman roams the dark, snowy alleys of St. Paul's Railroad Island, the Minnesota Iron Range, and an abandoned tunnel under St. Paul searching for Charlie's frag box. Unfortunately, others are doing the same.

Frag Box is the second in this series. I enjoyed the first, Fiddle Game, as much as I did this one. It's full of action, with questionable but likable characters. I do hope Mr. Thompson is at this moment at work on his third.

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