Baby Shark — Robert Fate

In a roadside pool hall out west of Abilene, Kristin Van Dijk, 17, is forced by four thugs to watch the murder of three men, including her pool hustler father. She's assaulted and beaten and left for dead as Henry Chin, a Chinese immigrant whose grown son was one of those murdered, saves her and secretly helps her recover. Because the local police show no interest in solving the pool hall crime, Henry hires a private investigator more set on justice than law to start a search for the nomadic killers. Then Henry hires two vets to teach Kristin how to protect herself. She develops into one tough package of trouble as she also perfects her pool. At eighteen, she looks for the thugs as she hustles pool in west Texas and earns the nickname Baby Shark. Revenge is difficult, but satisfying.

Wonderfully drawn characters? as stark and beautiful as the Texas landscape from which they sprang. -- Billy Hayes, Midnight Express

The writing is top notch, the story won't let you stop reading, but who cares? Baby Shark is such a sexy cool character, I'm in love. -- Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller