The Collegian Wednesday, January 31, 1990
White Rook solidifies
Davis' writing credentials
by Rob Farnham
Collegian Staff Writer
When J. Madison Davis chooses a set of villains, he certainly
doesn't go about it by half measures. After all, his successful first
novel, The Murder of Frau Schulz, was set in a Nazi concentration
camp during World War 11. No shortage of bad guys there.
His new work, the recently published White Rook, takes place
largely among a group every bit as cheerful and cuddly as the SS
officers of his debut: An enclave of militant white supremacists.
(Who should he go after next? Drug-dealing South African diplomats?
No, that was in Lethal Weapon //.)
Davis' protagonist is a Pittsburgh-based private detective named
Delbert "Dub" Greenert. His usual line is gathering evidence for
divorce cases, but when New Orleans' Devraix Agency needs an
operative with "Pennsy papers," Greenert finds himself investigating
the suspicious death of restauranteur Michael O'Dell. The most
substantial lead Devraix can provide is a circled "Personal Services"
ad from the back of Mercenary magazine.
Tracing the ad's phone number (to Erie, of all places). Dub
discovers a vicious contract killer operating under the name of
"Castle." Eventually, seeking to learn the identities of Castle's
backers, Dub has to infiltrate a powerful racist organization, the
"American Values Conservatory Nation" (AVCN). The latter part of
the book concerns Dub's risky undercover sojourn at the AVCN’s
northern Montana fortress (the White Rook of the title).
While there is a murder to be solved. White Rook is more an
action-adventure novel than it is a mystery. For most of the book,
the question of "whodunnit?" is secondary to wondering if Grecnert's
cover is going to hold up under scrutiny.
In Dub Greenert, Davis has created a likeable, thoughtful
protagonist, a would-be hard-boiled detective whose cynical world
weariness can't conceal his genuine courage under pressure and
sympathetic nature. Vonna Saucier, the black Devraix operative with
whom Dub becomes romantically involved, is also well-drawn,
although both she and Dub are prone to detective-story cliches in
their speech.
Davis does a credible job of understanding his villain as well. His
white supremacists aren't stereotypical neo-Nazi skinheads or sheet
wearing Klansmen. Instead, they are more-or-less average Americans
who, for one reason or another, want to blame America's problems
on its minorities and the Communists they think they see
everywhere.
Davis' heroes are resolutely unglamorous. Dub and Vonna are
both significantly overweight and gorge on junk food. Greenert is
divorced, lives in a shabby apartment, smokes heavily, and dresses
like a slob. He's not exactly GQ cover material, but he is a refreshing
change from bland superhero types, and Vonna is convincing in her
wary attraction to Dub.
The subtext of White Rook, beneath the fight scenes and the
suspense of Greenert's deception, is one of pervasive racism in all of
American society. Throughout the novel. Dub has to question his
own true motives and feelings toward Vonna, and she has cause to be
suspicious of him at times.
Davis' sophomore effort is not without flaws. For instance, he
never convincingly establishes the involvement of the AVCN in the
murder of O'Dell. At the book's climax, he resorts td a deus ex
machina device to get Dub's fat out of the fire, so to speak. And the
dialogue occasionally, rings false, with some sentences sounding
wrong for the characters who are supposed to be speaking.
Despite these complaints, White Rook is an enjoyable story, one
that holds the reader's attention and moves along swiftly. The white
supremacists of the AVCN make superbly loathsome villains, and
Dub and Vonna form a fine team to take them on.
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