Scared Money
Jeremiah Spar Mystery, No. 2  
By James Hime

     Jeremiah Spar is retired from the Texas Rangers, taking care of his cattle, mourning the death of his daughter, and missing his wife, Martha, who is in Connecticut for treatment for alcohol abuse. He is asked by the Agency (CIA) to locate a missing accountant who has taken off with a million dollars from Benjamin Farkas' firm. The Agency has refused to help Farkas, and so Farkas requested they ask Spar to undertake the job. Spar refuses until Farkas mentions that he knew Jeremiah's father. Jeremiah has always seeked information about his father who had abandoned him and his mother when he was a child. Farkas was an assassin and drug supplier for the CIA during the Cold War.

    When his services were no longer required, he was "retired" to Texas, where, as a "refugee citizen", he amassed a fortune in real estate. Jeremiah has difficulty meeting with Farkas and must deal with his chief financial officer, Leslie Whitten. He begins to suspect that the theft and the accountant's disappearance are a scam and cover up for a new undertaking of Farkas.

    On the same day as Spar's encounter with the CIA agent, there is a brutal killing of two people in the small town of Brenham, Texas. Lamont Stubbs, a known drug dealer, and his girlfriend, Diedre Brown, are gunned down during what appears to be a drug deal. Deputy Sheriff Clyde Thomas, the only black member of the police force, is investigating the murders, believing they may be connected with the Cantu drug syndicate. He is warned by the DEA to back off because he may jeopardize their investigation.

    Jeremiah's investigations are stonewalled by a series of killings of possible witnesses and suspects. His investigations and those of Thomas seem to coincide, focusing on the Cantu drug syndicate in what looks like an attempt by Farkas to take over their operation. Farkas flees to Europe to avoid possible prosecution for some of the murders. To apprehend Farkas, Jeremiah forces the CIA to bring him his father who had been in Farkas' control and acted as his mentor. Only he would know where Farkas might hide.

    This is a solid and compelling story about two good men who seek out the truth regardless of where they must go or what sacrifices they must make. There are flashback chapters recounting the progress of Farkas from a teenager in Hungary to a billionaire entrepreneur in Texas. They give understanding to the man he was and what he became and what motivated him. The relationship between Spur and Thomas develops into a close working one that bodes well for the future. Thomas' sense of humor adds some needed lightness to the story. There are many twists and turns in this story which will keep the reader's head spinning. The conclusion, which leaves a few loose ends, leads us to hope that there will be another collaboration between Jeremiah and Clyde.