UNDER LOW SKIES

Under Low Skies
By Ed Teja
ISBN 1591052770
Novel Books Inc.
March 2004

Fast-paced about a murder of a fisherman in Venezuela with an American arrested as the logical suspect.

The stillness of a watcher sighting schools of fish for his family and being murdered is the mystery of Under Low Skies. Obviously he was murdered because of what he saw and it probably was not the fish.

Taking place in Venezuela, Martin is called by a former girlfriend and told that his little brother, Tim, has just been arrested for this murder since he had publicly threatened the man and was in love Maria, the murdered man’s sister. Martin Billings, a former SEAL, investigates the murder. According to the PTJ, the technical police of the five different police forces in Venezuela, this is a popular arrest since Tim is an American and he had publicly threatened Antonio, the murdered man.

Martin logically then decides that the only way to free his brother is to find out who really killed Antonio. To complicate matters, Martin is assisted by a mysterious and gorgeous woman who claims to be a lawyer but isn’t who she says she is. Victoria’s skills are equal to Martin’s when it comes to any sort of fighting. The two of them independently and together search whether the real motive is related to illegal drug smuggling or the environmentalists conflicts with the fishing industry. All of this, keeps this fast-paced story afloat.

The characters are well-defined and believable as well as humorous at times. My personal favorite was Ugly Bill, who the author obviously loved and gave him the wonderful insight of practicality as well as some of the best lines. “Did John Wayne live in vain?” This is used when Martin is hesitant about planning to capture the murderer and getting involved with stolen drugs.

Ed Teja is a novelist, musician, technical writer, sailor, and poet. Obviously, to most of us he lives an unconventional life style that he thoroughly enjoys. This was a delightful reading experience, just as Ed has lived part of his life writing Under Low Skies.