Ballast Point Breakdown

A soiree at a club is suddenly interrupted by an uninvited party crasher. After a short argument with two guests, the woman lights herself ablaze. The conflagration runs its course throughout the club, word quickly spreads throughout the town. Rolly Waters is a musician who does occasional investigative work. He is soon approached by a young woman who tasks him with locating an individual. The young woman is connected to Rolly’s past, as she was friends with the woman who set herself on fire. Rolly knew her in his glory days when he was on the road to fame and fortune in a band. The road took a fork when Rolly was involved in a fatal car accident, which killed the lead singer of the band. Rolly benefited by a skillful defense from his lawyer, which led to Rolly doing some work for him as well as giving up the bottle. The new case threatens to open up old wounds. As Rolly initiates his query, he starts to draw attention from various corners of law enforcement. The missing person was a diver involved in a covert operation utilizing dolphins. The dolphin program is set to be closed down, the dolphins are to be utilized in a new amusement park. However, animal rights groups are descending on Ocean Beach, protesting the captivity and treatment of the dolphins.

The FBI gets wind of Rolly’s missing person case. They are overlapping connections between the missing diver, another local musician and the possibility of the animal rights group engaging in terrorism. Rolly runs afoul of bigwigs and musicians in his search. As he approaches people of interest, bodies start to fall. Danger creeps in on Rolly and others connected. Rolly desires answers and to extricate himself from the perils of the case, yet he feels compelled to see things to the bitter end. Atonement for past sins is his ulterior motive. Sometimes the past is better left in the rearview mirror.

Ballast Point Breakdown is a high-speed mystery that picks the reader up and never lets down. The protagonist is absorbing in his quest, worth following down the rabbit hole as questions and occasional dead ends pile up. The dialogue is snappy, evoking frequent laughs but also interspersed with the dramatic narrative wending its way. This is a book in the continuing series with lead character Rolly Waters, one that will make new fans and please the already familiar.