T. Jefferson Parker is one of those writers who quietly and
incrementally has been building a loyal following. This hasn't been
easy, since Parker has more often than not eschewed the creation of
a recurring character. While three of his novels (THE BLUE HOUR,
BLACK LIGHT and BLACK WATER) have featured detective Merci Rayborn,
most of his books have been stand-alone works, with Parker choosing
to let each of his novels rise or fall on its own merits. The
result, deliberately or otherwise, is that one truly never knows
what is going to happen in a T. Jefferson Parker novel. The only<