Well-written and totally entertaining. Cal Claxton, a Portland lawyer, takes on Angela Wingate's investigation into the hit-and-run death of her mother. The investigation branches into high-end real estate, money laundering and several other murders while putting Cal and his cohorts at risk. Definitely will check out previous novels in this series.

Moving Targets is the sixth book in Warren C. Easley’s mystery series featuring Portland lawyer Cal Claxton. When Angela Wingate came into Claxton’s law office in Old Town to ask him to look for the hit-and-run driver who killed her mother, neither of them had any idea there was more to her death than an unfortunate accident and an unrepentant driver. As soon as Claxton begin looking into it, though, her mother’s lawyer and the CEO of the family business betrayed suspicious hostility. Digging deeper, Claxton discovers a conspiracy so outlandish, he’s not quite sure how to resolve it. Worse, the investigation as put a target on Angela and his back, putting them in the crosshairs of a very dangerous killer.


Moving Targets inhabits Portland completely, capturing the look and feel of the city and its unique zeitgeist. The story is rooted in the real conflicts about the future of the city, the constant gentrification and the sense the city is losing its identity as the people who make Portland weird are driven out by rising housing costs.

The story also inhabits contemporary America. Angela’s mother is changed by her participation in the Women’s March. Claxton’s lover Winona is changed by traveling to Standing Rock to protest DAPL, leading her to question their relationship. Portland has been the focus of federal investigations into the Russian mob and the population of immigrants is significant enough that recent local surveys at a clinic and a performance have added Slavic to the usual ethnic identifiers.

The mystery is fair, scrupulously so. I had an idea where the story was going by the time I was a third of the way through. More players were added in time, but the general outline was visible and just needed filling in. This may frustrate some readers who prefer more mystery to their mysteries. I prefer it when the detective can grasp the big picture quickly even if there’s no concrete evidence. That’s this story, Claxton’s problem isn’t so much wondering what is going on, it’s how to prove it.

My biggest complaint about Moving Targets is that I discovered this series on the sixth book, not the first. However, that does mean I have five books to look forward to that I expect to be enjoyable. I confess I may rate it more highly than someone who lives, say, in Coral Gables. A lot of my pleasure came in the sheer Portlandness of it. I know where he is in my city. I have been to those places, eaten at Pambiche, and enjoyed the exhilaration of a sunny day in a rainy spring. There were a couple places where the foreshadowing approached had-I-but-known territory, but other than that, the writing was engaging and evocative.

For organizers and activists made anxious by rising nationalism and corruption in our politics, Claxton has something to offer too, a reminder that the arc is long, and that sometimes the struggle is the reward. Wise words and a reminder that even when we know we will lose, we must still resist. If our reward is the struggle, that is still better than accepting injustice.

I received a copy of Moving Targets from the publisher through NetGalley.

Moving Targets at Poisoned Pen Press
Warren C. Easley author site

“Moving Targets” by Warren C Easley book six in the Cal Claxton series, but it stands alone, and a new reader will have no trouble enjoying it. This is another compelling story set in scenic Portland, Oregon. LA transplant now local lawyer, Cal Claxton, has a new client, Angela, a free-spirit sculptor and adopted daughter of a local real estate power couple. Angela’s current project is entitled, “The Jogging Woman,” a tribute to her mother, Margaret, who was recently killed in a hit-and-run accident. Of course, according to Angela, the police are doing little if anything to find the culprit, and she wants Cal to investigate.
Angela has also recently taken a new look Wingate Properties and its controversial upmarket waterfront development, and that stirs thing up as well. Local government entanglements, political connections, a dangerous assassin, and even the Russian mob all add to the complications. The action and tension escalate, and Angela’s mother is not the only murder victim along the way.
Easley interweaves a side plot when Cal discovers that an abandoned quarry next to his farmhouse in rural property is being mined once again. The explosions are terrorizing his dog Archie, and the local community seems to be powerless to halt the mining. Cal contemplates the possibility of having to sell.
The characters are strong, complex, and well developed. They evolve into powerful forces for change. Readers quickly connect with the whole cast. The plot is attention grabbing and engaging.
I received a review copy of “Moving Targets” from Warren C Easley, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley. It is well written and captivating to read. The multifaceted yet believable characters really make the story. I recommend it to everyone.

A very good read, a great plot and a cast of interesting characters.
Everything feels right in this book and there're also great descriptions of Portland.
It's a page turner that you cannot put down.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for this ARC

This is only the second in this wonderful series that I have read, featuring lawyer Cal Claxton set in Portland, Oregon, and already I feel a great sense of affection for it. Cal is a widower who changed the course of his life when his wife died in LA. His career ambitions have dampened considerably and he now does a substantial amount of pro bono work, operating out of his downtown Portland office at Caffeine Central. He has a farmhouse in rural Dundee, a beautiful dog, Archie, whom he adores and a girlfriend, Winona. He is hired by young, feisty ex-wildchild metal sculptor, Angela Wingate, adopted by the wealthy Wingates. She had troubled teenage years, but eventually began addressing her issues and reconciled with her beloved mother, Margaret, recently killed in a hit and run whilst jogging. A grieving Angela feels the police have done little to find the perpetrator and is keen for Cal to look into the incident. Meanwhile, to Cal's horror, a derelict quarry just outside his farmhouse is being quarried again, the explosions terrorise Archie, and the powerlessness of the local community to halt it has Cal considering the dreadful possibility of having to sell.

Margaret's curious will, along with her recent change of heart in the direction Wingate Properties, a real estate development company were moving in, particularly regarding the controversial upmarket waterfront development, has Cal looking at Melvyn Turner, lawyer and CEO Brice Avery. With more murder, and a dangerous assassin on the scene, the lives of Cal and his client, Angela are endangered. He joins forces with a local councillor who is unhappy about the river front project, gets useful information from an old Russian ally, now working as a bouncer, and brings in good friend, Cuban PI Hernandes 'Nando' Mendoza with his helpful connections to a skilful hacker. He is going to need all the help he can get as he comes up against powerful and corrupt global forces and the Russian Mafia. Cal's relationship with Winona has become troubled and looks to be heading to an end, which upsets him considerably. As Cal toys with the idea of selling his Dundee farmhouse at a loss, his fight against the quarrying receives an unexpected boost from Google.

Warren C. Easley has created a great central character in Cal, an endearing man who is willing to go up against the mighty corrupt forces that are willing to murder to further their agenda. Even when the FBI tell him to drop his investigations, and his career is threatened, he just will not let go. He has a close knit group of friends who are loyal and willing to do everything they can to help him. I particularly enjoyed the scenes that show Angela working on her current sculpting project, The Jogging Woman, a tribute to her mother. This is a great series, with a strong sense of location. I loved reading this entertaining, tense and suspenseful addition to the series and recommend it highly. Many thanks to Poisoned Press for an ARC.

Cal Claxton is a man of many talents running a mostly pro bono law office in downtown Portland. He left his life as a prosecutor in Los Angeles to open his small law office in the former Caffeine Central and would rather be fishing…with his faithful dog Archie. A young sculptor named Angela Wingate asks Cal to check in to the hit and run death of her mother, Margaret. Although her mother was a very well known and respected member of the community, the police have no leads in the case. Was her mother’s death an accident or murder? After her father’s death, Angela’s mother became responsible for Wingate Properties and Cal finds that there are issues over a proposed riverfront project as well as Margaret’s will. Cal is also trying to prove that the reopening of a quarry near his home is illegal, knowing that this will ruin the area near his and his neighbors’ homes. This is the sixth book in the Cal Claxton series and I have read and loved every book. This is a must-read series! In my opinion, Mr. Easley’s books are reminiscent of the Robert Parker and David Rosenfelt books. There is action, mystery, suspense and humor as Cal and his friends follow each new lead taking the reader along for the ride. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to give an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

My first from this author and it’s a doozy. It gave me the feeling of 1 man against greed and lies for his and his community’s quality of life. I could ‘see’ his home, hear the rumble of nonstop construction. Interesting and plausible
Free from the publisher and netgalley for honest review

Russian-mob, law-enforcement, lawyers, murder, murder-investigation, private-investigators, contract-killer, Oregon -----
Cal is a former assistant DA, currently a practicing lawyer, widowed, has a daughter in grad school across the country, a lovely old home out in the country but unfortunately close to a nonworking quarry operation, has good and helpful friends, and best of all is his big friendly dog. Enter the client highlighted in the publisher's blurb. The action and tension escalate as more vile characters are added in and the body count rises.
The characters are interesting and engaging, and the plot is ingenious. I have never read anything by this author before and can't figure out why. I plan to remedy that lack shortly.
I requested and received a free review copy via NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press. Thank you!