Synopsis/blurb….
"Bruno Johnson
believes so passionately in justice that he'll lie, cheat, and steal to achieve
it - and he'll pulverize anybody who gets in his way." - Booklist
Former cop and ex-con
Bruno Johnson and his wife Marie, living in their safe haven in Costa Rica with
the children they illegally rescued from certain death, find a message from
their outlaw motorcycle gang enemies written on the back of one of their
beloved children. The motorcycle gang, Sons of Satan, out for revenge, will
stop at nothing to lure the now furious Bruno back into their web. Bruno and
Marie, forced to return to Southern California, battle additional demons in the
form of an ex-spouse's entanglements.
The FBI, watching the
Sons of Satan, recognizes Bruno's unique skills and ties. They recruit him to
recover a stolen military drone armed with Hellfire missiles, while Bruno
struggles to keep pregnant Marie out of the crossfire. Ultimately, Bruno's
inability to ignore a woman in peril yields unspeakable consequences.
A fourth reading outing for me with Dave Putnam and Bruno
Johnson and if I’m being totally honest, probably my least favourite of the
bunch. Still an enjoyable read with lots of positives, but I think my reading association
with the main character might be drawing to an end.
Bruno, Marie and their extended family – the kids they
rescued a few years ago - are making a life for themselves down in Costa Rica –
still personas non grata and outlaws as far as the US authorities are
concerned. Bruno and Marie get sucked back yet again to the States, imperilling
their freedom in order to resolve some differences with biker gang – The Sons
of Satan – a nemesis from previous books and an ongoing thorn in their
collective sides.
Back in the US, Bruno has an unwelcome reconnection with an
old flame, Sonja from his days on the force many years ago. His former
colleague and lover gets in touch out of the blue and causes a slight blip in spousal
relationships between Marie and Bruno. Marie’s a bit of a jealous type.
Sonja is now involved with another biker gang – The
Visigoths and needs some help from Bruno. One thing leads to another, then
another and before too long Bruno is caught up in problems far removed from
those he thought he was returning to the States to resolve.
Bikers, law enforcement, family, pregnancy, old flames,
children, criminality, violence, a highway altercation with deadly
consequences, TV footage, more bikers, a fatality, stolen weapons and a lot
more besides.
I like Bruno as a character, I like his decency, his ability
to look after himself, the care he has for his children and Sonia and his
father, his striving to do the right thing and not run from a confrontation or
a difficult choice. He does seem to be a shit-magnet though, which I suppose
makes him such an interesting character to read about.
I felt a sense of deja-vous here, with Bruno returning to
fight his battles back in the US – the third book in a row that this has
happened after his involuntary exile to Costa Rica. It was one trip too many in
my eyes and I kind of wished he could have something to sort out on his own
patch now.
The plot if I’m being uber-critical did seem to rely on a
bit of suspension of disbelief and made use of a couple of unlikely
coincidences to move things along (in my opinion anyway).
I did like large portions of the book, especially the early
narrative where Bruno and Sonja work together and their shared experiences and
developing relationship, before it all fractured. I enjoy reading about Bruno
when he spends time with his kids and with Marie. I like the banter and the
conversations and their obvious affection for each other. Similarly, there are
some well-written confrontations and action scenes – something Putnam excels
at.
A fast read and a bit of a page-turner and while reading I
was fully involved in finding out how the latest scrape would resolve itself, but a few niggles.
Overall score 3 from 5 (originally a 4 - something which in hindsight seems a
tad high)
David Putnam has
his website here. His earlier books – all enjoyed are The Disposables, The Replacements, and The Squandered.
Never read his books. But would like to explore as I am on an 'exploring spree'
ReplyDeleteFast-paced with a fair bit of action (violence) - I hope you like them!
DeleteI know what you mean, Col, about series that use the same premise just a bit too much. That's happened to me, too. Still, Bruno does sound like an interesting character. I'm glad you found some things to like about this one.
ReplyDeleteI liked it, but the phrase that sprung to mind....went to the well once too often!
DeleteStill given that, I've read a helluva lot worse.
I thought the characters sounded familiar and it must be from your reviews of earlier books. Maybe interested.
ReplyDeleteTrayc, you should try at least one of the books, you might enjoy it.
DeleteSorry, Tracy!
DeleteThat's quite a complex setup and plot. Like Tracy, I think I remember hearing about him from you before.
ReplyDeleteI do read one a year! Full marks for memory!
Delete