Former
Marine sniper who served in the Iraq war, Billy Summers is a hit man with a
conscience. Hired by Las Vegas mob boss Nick Majarian, for whom he's done jobs
in the past, Billy thinks this latest might be his last based on the payment
offered: two million dollars, with half a million up front, the remainder when
the job is done.
The target is one Joel Allen, whose execution
by Billy depends upon when and if he's extradited to the small southern city of
Red Bluff from California. Billy must thus establish himself in the city and
surrounding suburbs using fake identities, one of which is as David Lockridge,
writer working on a novel he won't talk about lest he talk it out and thus fail
to actually write it. In a different area near the city, he rents a basement
apartment under the name Dalton Smith.
In addition to becoming friendly with
occupants of the building he "works" in, the building from which, if
things go as planned and hoped, he'll fire the fatal shot and then disappear,
Billy also becomes friendly with his suburban neighbors. He knows from long
experience and caution that getting too close to anyone is potentially
dangerous to him, but this particular job rather demands more than casual
proximity. It might also bring regret.
When he
rescues Alice Maxwell, a woman half his age, he knows instinctively that his
life will never be the same. (No, I won't explain and thus spoil the nature of
the rescue and/or its consequences.) He knows on the one hand that he shouldn't
have meddled, knows on the other that he couldn't have not done so.
Beyond reporting that Billy had a gut suspicion that things probably wouldn't proceed as he'd been told they'd planned, and that those he'd trusted can't be relied on, which "revelation" will not surprise astute readers, I won't go further lest I insult anyone who has read this far. Suffice it to say that Billy Summers is a gem of a page-turner, revenge story, and an engrossing character study.
Barry Ergang ©2021
Derringer Award-winner Barry Ergang’s written work has appeared in numerous publications, print and electronic. Some of it is available at Amazon and at Smashwords. His website is http://www.writetrack.yolasite.com/.
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2 comments:
Nice review of a book I've been considering since it came out. What you had to say about the character increased my interest. I like complicated, unpredictable people in the stories I read. I just wish the Kindle price wasn't so high.
A lot of the Kindle pricing is just insane. I am on the hold list at the library for it.
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