Review of A RIDE ON THE TROJAN HORSE fromTHE BOOK READER, Spring/Summer 2000

Borrows from the ancient legend of that sneaky wooden horse, but kicks it up a notch to Silicon Valley standards of sleuthing. This serpentine plot, sometimes murky, sometimes sunny, chases a sniper and other no-goods around Santa Cruz county, up and down Highway 1. Miller unleashes a triple-threat: a private investigator named T.J., his daughter and his uncle. It opens quickly, with T.J. driving north to lose a tail. He spies partial numbers on a LeBaron and puts a trace on the tag. Violence had brought T.J. to California, and it was following him again. The author captures the allure of foggy coastal towns, twisted back roads and muffled woods. And the characters that grow there. Willa Kelley, a widow in a 6-bedroom 1920's house with barely the money for the mortgage. Murdock Jones, a handy man who likes the drinks and women at the Troon Saloon, but sees the money in drugs. When T.J. stops to investigate a recent rollover, a sniper pins him to the cliff's barrier. One shot finds its target -- his left side. He heads to Willa's house to heal up and ponder whether the overturned Civic was coincidental. The LeBaron? T.J.'s daughter checks out one at the Evergreen Institute, where computers are vulnerable. Uncle Beau follows underworld ties and links to a wealthy Santa Cruz restaurateur, and ends up the target of a husband who is more than just angry. This thriller comes to a head when "the two horses have converged." Terrific romp around redwood country.