A genuinely creepy villain is the best part of this average thriller set in Mobile, Ala., in 1943. Former football star and ex-cop Frank “Truck” Lundy now works as a PI, having been rendered physically unfit for military service. Lundy’s path crosses that of the psychopathic Claude Gagnon, leader of the Calibis, a scary group of swamp people rumored to engage in cannibalism. Gagnon adds white slavery to his criminal resume, abducting three women for sale to a South American man. Lundy’s efforts to stop Gagnon are aided by Valerie Gilbreath, a reporter who, conveniently for the kidnapping plot line, is herself a very attractive woman. Valerie’s interactions with both Lundy and Gagnon follow predictable lines. Reichart (Annalisa’s Highway Blues) does a decent job of portraying life on the home front down South, complete with racial tensions, and while the maverick private investigator is a familiar figure, Lundy has enough personality to sustain a series. (BookLife)