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Tan Lines by Bob Adamov Packard Island Publishing
book review by Peter M. Fitzpatrick
"He grinned back at Moore, having also spotted the Presidential plumber's crack."
What could possibly be important about the President of the United States accidently exposing his butt cleavage? To find out, follow investigative reporter Emerson Moore as he becomes embroiled in a case of double-dealing, treason, and assassination. Emerson is friends with U.S. President Richard Benson and has joined him on beautiful Gibraltar Island in Lake Erie to bring national attention to a huge fish kill that is decimating the perch there. In the midst of photo-ops and speeches, things go seriously awry and Emerson is catapulted from dressing up as a spiffy pirate for the South Bass Island Pirate's Week celebrations to fleeing from the Secret Service as a most wanted fugitive. And yes, things do hinge on what was glimpsed of the presidential anatomy.
The author writes in a spare, journalistic prose that keeps the action going as events unfold. His love for the people and places of the Lake Erie Islands is delightful to read. The unique setting is a perfect tableaux for the complex interactions between the powers of the federal security complex and the better wisdom of the common folk of Ohio. With three jiggers seat-of-your-pants action and two shots of humor, the author shows how things can go wrong in the big machine of presidential security. It takes the people of Lake Erie and Ohio to help reporter Emerson makes things right. Down-home patriotism trumps Washington backstabbing after all. A perennial American tale well told–this reaffirmation of the interdependence of the fourth estate and the presidency is timely and important.