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crack_van2006-03-20 11:09 am
the-hobbet.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2006-03-20 11:09 am
Entry tags:
No Center Line by LRH Balzer (R)
Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: LRHB Fiction Site
Why this must be read:
This is hurt/comfort/smarm done right. It has a real plot. The situation is horrific, but believable. The victimized men are vulnerable, but not weak. It doesn't have a pat happy ending where good triumphs completely. There are costs.
While primarily a Sentinel story 'No Center Line' crosses over with Nash Bridges and, to a lesser extent, Millennium, though knowledge of them is not required to enjoy the story.
Blair Sandburg and Evan Cortez of San Francisco are among ten police officers kidnapped by a sadistic businessman who produces live Internet porn and snuff videos. When Sandburg is almost miraculously recovered, Nash observes the power of the unembarrassed care and unconditional support given their traumatized friend by Jim and Simon. The surviving officers are still in danger and only Blair's courage and resourcefulness can rescue them. Even if Evan is recovered Nash wonders if he will be able to give his friend the kind of support he will need, the kind of caring he has observed between Jim, Simon, and Blair.
No Center Line is the sixteenth installment in a long story arc, though each one can be read as a stand alone. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.
LRH Balzer writes with power and sensitivity, building to a breath-taking climax. Don't miss it.
Excerpt from 'No Center Line'
"Sandburg's alive. I'll find him."
"Damn right, we will."
"I mean it. He's alive."
Banks looked over to the detective, the conviction in Ellison's words beginning to make him nervous. "Jim... We don't know for sure if--"
"I do. I know."
"How? Still hearing things? Or did you have a dream this time?" he asked brusquely, then his eyes widened as he realized his almost sarcastic remark had been accurate. "You had a dream?" he repeated.
"Last night." Ellison drove onward, taking the '69 Ford truck through the city streets. "Do you want the long version or the short?"
"The short," he said quickly, adding with a smile, "As few details as possible, please."
Ellison nodded, the barest hint of a smile touching his face for a moment, then he took a deep breath. "I saw him, Simon. Well, I saw the wolf, actually," Ellison corrected, casually turning a corner on a late light. "In my dream, I was moving through the jungle when I heard him whimper. I followed the sound and found the wolf crawling toward me. He had been beaten. His ears were flat, his tail was between his legs. He was terrified and in pain. I knelt beside him, and he moved forward enough to put his head on my lap. When I touched him, he became Sandburg. He was unconscious. I couldn't rouse him. But he was alive."
"Maybe it was just a dream, Jim," Banks said softly. "He's been gone four days, without a word. Without a phone call, or ransom note, or anything," he amended. "Don't get your hopes set on this."
"I heard him that first day. And last night, it was a dream, but I know the difference. It was one of those dreams. A Sentinel dream."
"And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."
"But not this time."
No Center Line
Pairing: none
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: LRHB Fiction Site
Why this must be read:
This is hurt/comfort/smarm done right. It has a real plot. The situation is horrific, but believable. The victimized men are vulnerable, but not weak. It doesn't have a pat happy ending where good triumphs completely. There are costs.
While primarily a Sentinel story 'No Center Line' crosses over with Nash Bridges and, to a lesser extent, Millennium, though knowledge of them is not required to enjoy the story.
Blair Sandburg and Evan Cortez of San Francisco are among ten police officers kidnapped by a sadistic businessman who produces live Internet porn and snuff videos. When Sandburg is almost miraculously recovered, Nash observes the power of the unembarrassed care and unconditional support given their traumatized friend by Jim and Simon. The surviving officers are still in danger and only Blair's courage and resourcefulness can rescue them. Even if Evan is recovered Nash wonders if he will be able to give his friend the kind of support he will need, the kind of caring he has observed between Jim, Simon, and Blair.
No Center Line is the sixteenth installment in a long story arc, though each one can be read as a stand alone. If you want to start at the beginning, go here.
LRH Balzer writes with power and sensitivity, building to a breath-taking climax. Don't miss it.
Excerpt from 'No Center Line'
"Sandburg's alive. I'll find him."
"Damn right, we will."
"I mean it. He's alive."
Banks looked over to the detective, the conviction in Ellison's words beginning to make him nervous. "Jim... We don't know for sure if--"
"I do. I know."
"How? Still hearing things? Or did you have a dream this time?" he asked brusquely, then his eyes widened as he realized his almost sarcastic remark had been accurate. "You had a dream?" he repeated.
"Last night." Ellison drove onward, taking the '69 Ford truck through the city streets. "Do you want the long version or the short?"
"The short," he said quickly, adding with a smile, "As few details as possible, please."
Ellison nodded, the barest hint of a smile touching his face for a moment, then he took a deep breath. "I saw him, Simon. Well, I saw the wolf, actually," Ellison corrected, casually turning a corner on a late light. "In my dream, I was moving through the jungle when I heard him whimper. I followed the sound and found the wolf crawling toward me. He had been beaten. His ears were flat, his tail was between his legs. He was terrified and in pain. I knelt beside him, and he moved forward enough to put his head on my lap. When I touched him, he became Sandburg. He was unconscious. I couldn't rouse him. But he was alive."
"Maybe it was just a dream, Jim," Banks said softly. "He's been gone four days, without a word. Without a phone call, or ransom note, or anything," he amended. "Don't get your hopes set on this."
"I heard him that first day. And last night, it was a dream, but I know the difference. It was one of those dreams. A Sentinel dream."
"And sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."
"But not this time."
No Center Line
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More than once crossovers have led me into whole new fandoms for my enjoyment.
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Also, just wanted to say, I'm really enjoying your TS recs as a whole - nice job :-)
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