John Rector, Out of the Black

Desperation and an iffy scheme lead inevitably to worse problems for widowed father Matt Caine, the protagonist of John Rector's Out of the Black. Caine never really grew on me as a character, but the book is a decent page-turner. It's fast and holds your interest, even if it's ultimately forgettable. That's fine with me: it serves its purpose. What I found hard to forgive, though, was the stupidity of the people involved in the kidnapping plot that starts things rolling. As far as I could tell, they made no effort to conceal their identities from their victim, whom they intended to release rather than kill. Everyone knows you don't use your names and you don't show your faces if you intend to release your hostage. I like my criminals a little smarter.