Peter Ellis is a rookie probation officer in interior British Columbia when he gets saddled with a file that goes sideways. He's not in the best headspace to start with, since his marriage broke down last winter. Now it's the middle of summer, the rodeo's coming to town, and the one solid thing left in his life, his job, suddenly bucks him hard.
Former NHL player Todd Nolin is Peter's new "client." Peter's job is all about risk management, and Nolin is a good bet to commit more mayhem. The victim is Todds wife, Marina Faro, who has been badly beaten and feels her estranged husband is bent on killing her.
Peter grapples with his need to keep Marina safe while maintaining a rein on his own attraction to her. There's no doubt that the local hockey hero is dangerous, but Marina's something of a puzzle herself. All Peter knows is he's drifting outside the line, and what lies beyond may be death.
Outside the Line is powerfully written, sharply paced with dialogue that moves the action and exposes the raw reality of the crisis. The writing escalates into a climax that explosively reveals the author Petersen as a talented storyteller worthy of reader attention. He writes with knowledge of his characters and an understanding of the depth of the situations they find themselves in that is tender harsh and truly outside the line.
Hamilton Spectator, The
The CASTLE STREET mystery series continues to impress, with another great mystery thriller. Set in British Columbia, Peter Ellis is a probation officer, whose life seems static. When a former hockey player is his next client, life is far from easy. The player's wife has been badly beaten, and she swears her husband committed the crime. Peter struggles with the fact, and his attraction to the wife, causing some interesting moments.
Shelf Life
Petersen ... does some very fine writing work in Outside the Line. And if he's interested in producing more crime fiction, he's found a pleasing, wry and grown-up protagonist in Peter Ellis to carry a series.
Joan Barfoot
London Free Press, The