April 14, 2006
PAZ OUT:
"Night of the Jaguar": Last in trilogy grabs you by the throat (Adam Woog, 4/14/06, The Seattle Times)
With "Night of the Jaguar," Seattle writer Michael Gruber completes an unusual and absorbing trilogy of novels — a piquant blend of crime fiction, supernatural creepiness and serious religious/philosophical inquiry. (The other books are "Tropic of Night" and "Valley of Bones"; though each stands separately, they're better together.)As the new book opens, Moie, a native of the jungles of Colombia, sets off for the outside world, determined to stop the rapacious development company threatening to destroy his land. Armed with slight information but tremendous force of will, he makes it to "Miami America" — and tries to make sense of the strange land he finds.
Meanwhile, there's Jimmy Paz. Paz, centerpiece character in the trilogy's previous books, has traded in being a Miami homicide cop for the less stressful gig of managing his mother's Cuban restaurant, and his old playboy's life for that of contented husband and father. Until, that is, a former colleague asks Paz to help investigate the gruesome murders of some shady businessmen. [...]
["N]ight of the Jaguar" remains that rarest of creatures: superior entertainment that raises sincere, provocative questions of intellect and faith.