Synopsis/blurb……
Jackie Nolan knows
how to drive big trucks and she's facing a mountain of debt. Put the two
together, and Jackie soon finds herself hijacking semis from truck stops around
Albuquerque, NM. But when one of the trucks turns out to be full of stolen Army
munitions, Jackie finds herself in deep trouble. A lot of bad people are after
those guns, and they're willing to kill to get them.
"Enough criminal
mayhem ... to fill three crime novels." -- Albuquerque Journal
"SHOTGUN BOOGIE
is my kind of crime novel. Brewer creates a cast of genuine characters and
thrusts them into a zip-line plot involving drug cartel killers, the U.S.
military, the DEA, and a pair of deplorables in search of weapons to further
their misguided cause. The storytelling is effortless and compelling. Steve
Brewer delivers another winner!" -- Bill Fitzhugh, award-winning author of
PEST CONTROL
Steve Brewer writes the kind of books I like to read. The
only problem I have is, I didn’t discover him early enough to be able to read
as many of his books as I would like to. With over 30 to his name and the pace
at which he produces them, I’m doomed to be forever playing catch up.
Shotgun Boogies introduces us to Jackie Nolan. Jackie was
taught to drive big trucks by her dead father. With her mother suffering from
Alzheimer’s and a stack of medical bills, she’s reduced to boosting trucks in
order to juggle finances and try and keep her head above water.
Jackie’s a decent person faced with an impossible dilemma.
She loves her mother and the criminality is not a feckless choice, it’s an
economic necessity. One truck she boosts sparks her spider sense and getting a
bit too nosy for her own good, she cracks the load and takes a peek………guns,
guns, and more guns. Her morality belatedly kicks in and she isn’t going to
hand it back, despite the threat from her boss. Multiple deaths in a Mexican
drug war won’t sit easily on her conscience.
Cue mayhem – Mexican hitmen, an ex-Army hardcase trying to
secure his pension, some peckerwood white supremacists, a frazzled boss and an
agent for the Bureau of ATF – all want their hands on the weapons and a piece
of Jackie Nolan is the best way to go about it. If she can keep her head down
long enough some of the competing outfits may cancel each other out.
I really liked this one. A likeable character in an
impossible situation with only her wits to help her survive and the added
baggage of an ailing parent who is only fleetingly in possession of her mental
faculties. Great action and pace and a strident rhythm to the piece that keeps
you turning the pages.
Plot, setting, character, humour, a hint of romance and
a decent pay-off at the end. What’s not to like?
Even better is the fact that Jackie returns in a sequel, Homesick
Blues.
4.5 from 5
Steve Brewer has his website here.
Read in February, 2018
Published – 2016
Page count – 327
Source – Kindle Unlimited
Format - Kindle
This sounds interesting, Col. The Jackie Nolan character does sound decent, and I like the context: boosting trucks from truck stops. That's innovative. Glad you enjoyed this.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I do like this author's books. Usually ordinary people caught up in events of their own making, but which seem to spiral out of all control. Boosting trucks is a new one on me.
DeleteA bad girl hunted by really, really bad guys, sounds like a winner, Col. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteElgin, I would definitely recommend trying at least one of Steve Brewer's books - you could do worse than this one!
DeleteI like the female protagonist and the cover. Sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy Steve Brewer's books. Maybe if you have time...
Delete