MONKEY ON A CHAIN
By Harlan Campbell
Doubleday (1993)
Reviewed by Robert Thompson 9/28/93
As the publicity blurb on the back cover says, "MONKEY ON A CHAIN" is too good to be a first novel". Although I had many other things clamoring for my attention, I ended up reading it all in one sitting.
However, I do have some bias: This story, coincidentally, takes place in several of my old "stomping grounds" as well as, my current home. The characters also seemed very much like some of my old associates and some of my un-friends. In short, this book was almost a reminiscence of some of my own more interesting times. So, I can't really give a totally objective opinion on this one. All I can say is that I really enjoyed it.
"Rainbow" Porter is a modestly wealthy (through questionable means) semi-reclusive fellow. Even at the end of the book we know little about his recent past. The basis for this story has its roots in what Porter was involved in 20-25 years ago, in Vietnam. Although just a regular soldier in those days, he became part of a group taking advantage of certain opportunities to make lots of money. Well, it seems like something that has been dormant for 20 years is starting to stir.
Porter's first clue that something is happening is when April, a beautiful 20 year old Amerasian girl shows up on his doorstep in the mountains near Albuquerque, New Mexico, with the story that she is the daughter of one of his partners from the old days, and that he had just been murdered. Porter has to start tracking down his other old partners to try to see what is going on. Following a trail twenty years old, Porter and April go from Albuquerque to Los Angeles, to Phoenix, to El Paso and Juarez, to the Philippines, to the insular community of Tierra Amarilla NM, with the final showdown occurring at a remote ranch in Mexico.
It is an interesting tale, and I think that anyone who enjoys mysteries or high action/adventure stories will enjoy it, although perhaps not as much as I did. It is quite accurate in capturing the geographical details and the idiosyncrasies of the residents of those places that the book takes us. The characters are also very accurate and the situation is believable. The only thing that I would have done differently is to change the tactics used in the final showdown... I felt that the way that it was handled was not as professional as someone with Porter's background should have done it... and this is not something that would not even cross the mind of the average reader.
Well, actually I do have another change that I'd make. It needs a new title: MONKEY ON A CHAIN isn't really apropos for the main plot, it is just a reference to a very minor thing in the evolving romance between Porter and April.
Harlen Campbell is an author to watch. With a little more practice, he could become one of the contemporary greats!