Danger in Plain Sight:
As former bartender and smuggler Cash Logan tells it, a scorpion meets a frog on the bank of a stream and asks the frog to carry him across. The frog asks how does he know the scorpion won’t sting him. The scorpion explains that if he stings the frog, he too will die.
The frog, satisfied, sets out with the scorpion, but the scorpion indeed stings the frog. As paralysis starts to set in, the frog asks why. “It is my nature,” replies the scorpion.
Cash is trying to impress upon restaurateur Callie James the psyche of her enemies and level of danger she has brought on in Burt Weissbourd’s fast-paced and appropriately titled thriller Danger in Plain Sight (Blue City Press).
POOR DECISIONS FOR NOBLE REASONS
Callie has established a life with a 14-year-old son Lew and a successful restaurant overlooking the Seattle waterfront. Trouble begins when her estranged journalist husband Daniel suddenly shows up and proclaims, “My life is in danger. I have limited money. I need a place to stay for two days, maximum. Then I am gone.”
What often makes characters so endearing yet frustrating is their penchant for poor decisions with noble reasons. Callie owes Daniel nothing, but he is the father of her son (who has never met his dad). Out of that sense of loyalty to Lew, she gets involved.
But not at first. She rejects his initial plea and sends him along, throwing some cash in his face. As he leaves her restaurant, he is immediately nailed by a speeding pickup truck and crashes through the restaurant’s front window. Now she feels the urge to protect him.
And why is Daniel in danger? He is onto a hot story that will expose corruption, money laundering, terrorists and weapons dealing, triggered by a man thought to be dead. He is close to solving the case, but a number of vicious and violent parties want to squash his efforts — as well as those slightly connected with them.
As Callie decides to help Daniel, she calls on the worldly and dark Cash, who reluctantly agrees to provide security. He soon finds himself immersed far deeper than a conventional heavy protecting a lady.
WEISSBOURD’S MANY INTRIGUING PERSONALITIES
Weissbourd takes readers through twists, turns and constant peril, and in the process introduces us to colorful characters, perhaps none so complicated as Cash, with his seedy background, good heart and high intelligence. Cash brings along sidekicks Andre and Doc, compelling in their own right.
Of course, we are taken deeply into the personality of Callie, a thoughtful, savvy protagonist who shows us a few sides you might not have expected. Throw in the unlikeable Daniel, Detective Samter, the evil Avi, Christy, Kelly and Gray, and the author has developed a number of personalities that intrigue readers as they make their way into each scene.
So many times in this novel, just when readers think the stars are aligning for Callie and her comrades, matters seem to get worse with Weissbourd parading a cast of killers more ruthless than the ones just thwarted. It makes for page-turning reading.
For fans of quick plots and fascinating characters, Danger in Plain Sight is worthy of your consideration. Weissbourd shows us how unlikely partners Callie and Cash band together to create a vulnerable yet formidable combo as they battle assassins for which killing, like the scorpion, is simply their nature.
Danger in Plain Sight is available for purchase. Visit Burt Weissbourd’s author profile page.
About Burt Weissbourd:
Burt Weissbourd is a novelist and former screenwriter and producer of feature films. He was born in 1949 and graduated cum laude from Yale University, with honors in psychology. His forthcoming book, Danger in Plain Sight, will be published on digitally May 5th 2020 and is the first book in his new Callie James thriller series. His earlier books include Inside Passage, Teaser, Minos and In Velvet, all of which will be reissued in Fall 2020.
