Hacksaw
Charlotte Phillips & Mark Phillips
iUniverse, $15.95, 210 pages, ISBN: 9780595456079
reviewed by Barry Hunter

This is the first of a series featuring Eva Baum, a Houston PI, and hopefully it will be followed by many more. The Phillips’ have created a truly enjoyable character and this first installment is filled with plenty of action and excitement.

Shade is a street artist in Houston and at one time was considered to be the HACKSAW murderer, a serial killer of girls in Seattle and Atlanta. His ex-wife, Julie, has gone underground. Shade is attacked by someone wanting to find Julie and in turn Eva begins searching for her to warn her of impending danger.

Eva is a four foot eleven dynamite package and is not your usual PI. As she begins to search for Julie, the HACKSAW murder case comes to life again as she goes to Seattle she makes friends and enemies along the way.

Other police officers, the FBI, a Seattle mobster, and possibly the HACKSAW murderer are all interested in the information Eva is able to find. As she follows the trail, things become twisted and people aren’t always who we think they are.

It is a well written, engaging novel that will keep you trying to work it out until the final action is concluded and the tale is tied up with a bloody conclusion. This is a very impressive first effort and I’m sure Eva will return. I’ll be looking for her as will you after you finish this one.