Archive for category Romance

Hardcover, 322 pages
Publisher: Five Star, July 17, 2009
ISBN-13: 978-1-59414-781-4
$25.99

Reviewed by Larry W. Chavis

In 1965 and 1966, the actor Chuck Connors played a character named Jason McCord, an ex-army officer, court-martialed and cashiered after his unit was massacred and only he lived. He was, as the theme song went, “Branded – scorned as the one who ran.”

Marcus Rydell, formerly of the Atlanta P. D. is also branded and scorned. Four years ago he, his partner, and two uniformed officers served a warrant on an ex-Marine, a professional hunter and guide named Iden Cantu. Cantu slaughtered all the officers except Rydell, who inexplicably–and unbelievably, to his fellow officers–suffered a blackout. Just as unaccountably, Cantu left Marcus Rydell the sole survivor when he was easy prey. Rydell’s career as a police officer did not survive. Four years later, adrift with purposelessness, having lost wife, family, reputation, and honor, he is about to eat his gun when a young girl in trouble and a pretty young doctor on a mission pull him back from the brink. Together, Rydell and Dr. Kat Holley plunge into a hunt for a brutal killer who quickly turns the tables and makes them the prey, with high stakes and high suspense the order of the day.

Dead On presents characters who respond authentically to the grim situations they face, not always logically or to the best end. These characters are first, people, so they don’t always act in the best interests of themselves or their purpose. The reader is taken into their minds as they face a truly remorseless and capable foe, and sees them struggling to focus and control the high levels of fear and apprehension. We see them rise above, but we also see them deal with the consequences of failure as well. The one thing that might be picked out as a flaw, if one is looking for a flaw, is that the dialog, particularly between Rydell and Kat, is sometimes a bit off-the-wall for their situation.  But again, real people deal with stress in all sorts of ways, and following a stray thought far afield or engaging in a bit of banter in moments of high anxiety is not unusual. Mr. Walker has produced a story of real people in the worst situation and the way he brings them through it is very satisfying.

Copyright ©2009  Larry W. Chavis

Paperback, 400 pages

Publisher: Pinnacle (July 7, 2009)
ISBN-10: 0786020873
ISBN-13: 978-0786020874

$6.99

Reviewed by Larry W. Chavis

Known only as Scorpion to his clients, Jonathan “Digger” Grave and his crew at Security Solutions represent the epitome of anonymous, private rescue services. Generously funded by an inheritance, backed by the finest in combat and communications equipment, confident with years of training and experience in the Unit, a covert-ops force, Jonathan and his associates provide what distraught families of kidnap victims most need – a focus solely on the rescue and safe return of their loved ones, rather than on the subsequent conviction of the perpetrators. Having connections at the highest levels of government, who are often his satisfied clients, Jonathan Grave specializes in swift and jarring assaults that bring the victim away alive, and leave no trace evidence behind.

As the story begins, the rescue of an Indiana college student goes bad, resulting in a firefight that leaves the bodies of three kidnappers in a bloody scene. Completing his delivery of the “precious cargo,” Grave is unaware that the local sheriff investigating the apparent triple-murder is not the typical small-town sheriff. With a doctorate in criminal justice and years of FBI experience, Gail Bonneville has not only the drive but the investigative skills necessary to track down the killer. As she and her top deputy read the scene and begin their pursuit, other, darker forces also pick up Scorpion’s trail, and the end result is a tale that seizes the reader and doesn’t let go for the whole ride.

A thrill-ride it is, too, with all the action, snappy dialog, and high-tech toys one might wish. As the hero Grave is, in his own mind at least, on the side of the angels and untroubled by his extra-legal escapades. The reader buys into his mind-set through Jonathan’s own actions and those of his fiercely loyal associates, laying off any moral qualms about his work by seeing, as Grave sees, beyond the system to the flesh-and-blood persons affected by evil. Jonathan Grave is a hero for whom one can root, even though in real life he’d probably wind up the target of some determined SWAT team somewhere. Justice in his world is relatively uncomplicated. In the book, the villains are villainous, the good guys virtuous, and moral ambiguities are, for the most part, left for another day. Sheriff Bonneville comes closest to grappling with these issues as she seeks the perpetrator of the initial killings.

That the characters are somewhat reminiscent of 1950s westerns (Jonathan even thinks of himself as Lone Ranger-like at one point) does not at all take away from the pleasure of an exciting tale well-told. The plot, while not particularly complex, is expertly executed, and keeps the suspense high. The climactic clash at the end is satisfyingly boisterous, enough so for most any thriller fan. All in all, this book is great fun. Look for it.

Copyright ©2009  Larry W. Chavis