TIN CITY

McKenzie, that latter-day Galahad promoted by a fat inheritance from the St. Paul Police Department to freelance knight-errantry (A Hard Ticket Home, 2004), goes to bat for two friends.

Harm a hair of a McKenzie intimate, and you’re in harm’s way to stay. Consider the case of sweet old Mr. Mosley, a Marine buddy of Mac’s father, casually murdered by lowlifes unaware of the McKenzie credo. Or the case of lovely Susie Tillman, wife of Mac’s lawyer, beaten and raped by a pair of brain-dead Neanderthals. Is there a connection between the crimes? That matters less to McKenzie than the sense of outrage he feels on behalf of the victims. Before he can mount Operation Payback, however, he suddenly finds that the FBI has issued a Search Information Alert on him, avowing an interest in terrorist activities the feds know perfectly well are nonexistent. Though forced underground, McKenzie in due time collects an eye for each friend’s eye, identifies a viper in the FBI’s midst and rescues a gorgeous damsel in distress. If along the way he generates some serious enmity—hey, that’s why Galahad wore iron suits.

A bright second appearance marred only by McKenzie’s fondness for sermonizing.