The contract by j.m. Gulvin.
#2 John q series.
In New Orleans, Texas Ranger John Q is out of his jurisdiction, and possibly out of his depth. It seems everyone in Louisiana wants to send him home, and every time he asks questions there's trouble: from the pharmacist to the detective running scared to the pimp who turned to him as a last resort. Before John Q knows it, he looks the only link between a series of murders.
A slow but readable. Good story and some good characters. I didn't have a favourite character. I just read it. It might be that I haven't read book 1 which I will when I'm able to. 3*.

a nice and well written crime book with a great setting and very entertaining overall. I enjoyed myself while reading and would recommend it.

I have read a number of books by the author so when I saw this available on Netgalley I requested a copy immediately then sat with my fingers crossed. When I received a copy it was immediately downloaded and filed as essential holiday reading. I was not disappointed as the book was excellent. There were shades of Harrison (a character from the Storm Crow series) with a bit of Jack Reacher mixed in. The book twisted throughout and it was difficult to separate the good guys from the bad. This is number 2 in the John Q series but can be read as a stand alone. There is a lot more to come from John Q, at least I hope so..

I don't know the background of the author but it appears as though he is struggling for a book deal. My advice snap him up now before someone else does. All of his books to date grab you from the first page and leave you intrigued till the last.

Last year I had the pleasure of reviewing J. M. Gulvin’s debut thriller, The Long Count  featuring Texas Ranger John Quarrie- a tough guy who could out-tough Jack Reacher.  The Contract sees John Q uprooted from his native Texas to the pulsing heart of New Orleans in this tale of corruption and exploitation echoing the reverberations of the Kennedy assassination…
John Q is a brilliant construct, oozing masculinity and toughness in a highly self-contained way, and like the heroes of the American Western tradition, imbued with a rigid core of morality and decency that permeates his dealing with those that have sinned and are sinned against. In comparison to other tough guy figures of modern crime thriller writing, he doesn’t go in for mawkish naval gazing, having found himself a sole parent, does not get drawn into unbelievable love entanglements, and when he does occasionally get his butt kicked we know that it does actually smart a bit.  Gulvin has characterised him with a laconic speech pattern that also plays into this hero tradition, and the brooding quality of the moral avenger. It works incredibly well, as Quarrie proves a menacing opponent for the cast of amateur hitmen and corrupt society figures that his jaunt to New Orleans uncovers.
The absolute stand out feature for me of the two books to date is the exceptionally visual nature of Gulvin’s writing. As he transports the reader between the two disparate locales of Texas and New Orleans, the depiction of both is beautifully realised. The stretching, arid and barren landscape of Texas where Quarrie dwells with his young son is the extreme opposite of the sultry, sensual New Orleans where violence always seems to dwell just beneath the surface. As Quarrie takes up temporary residence in New Orleans, Gulvin moves us effortlessly around the thoroughfares, taking snapshots of the architectural heritage, and immersing us in the culture, politics and spiritual traditions of this unique city. There’s racial tension, sexual exploitation, corruption, and the shadow of the Vietnam War. Coupled with the use of Jim Garrison- a lead figure in the investigation into the Kennedy assassination- and other cultural and social references that firmly fix this book in a period of space and time, Gulvin’s research and attention to detail raises this book above the simple tag of thriller into a richly rewarding read. In common with Tim Baker’s Fever City,  Gulvin provides little teasing references to future seismic events, that the modern reader quickly recognises, again adding another layer of interest into the story. It’s neatly done, but not to the point that it feels contrived.
Tapping firmly into my affection for the more literary, less overtly bish-bash-bosh crime thriller, and replete with period detail and sense of place, Gulvin has confidently matched the success of The Long Count for this reader. On tenterhooks to see what John Q will become entangled in next… Highly recommended.

I read and loved the first John Q book, The Long Count, so I was thrilled to see I had my wish granted for The Contract. Unfortunately, for me, I found that it just didn't keep me gripped in the same way as the first book did. I didn't really like the characters, other than the regulars, if I'm honest and this impacted my overall enjoyment of the book. While the plotting was good, it wasn't enough for me to love this one.

This is the first in the John Q series that I have read and it works perfectly well as a standalone. It took me awhile to get into the story but once I did, I was completely and utterly hooked. It is 1967 and John Quarrie, Texas Ranger, shoots Wiley dead and arrests Henderson, after they assault a gun store owner and take much of his stock. This leads him to an apparent natural death at Roosevelt Hotel which turns out to be murder committed earlier by Wiley. John's only clue is a chemist who issued the fatal prescription drugs to a patient in New Orleans.

John finds himself pursuing the lead to New Orleans only to find he is not a welcome sight for anyone in the city. Everywhere he goes he finds the same taxi driver which makes him suspicious. The pharmacist refuses to divulge any information and then goes missing, and the cops are looking at him as a suspect. He finds Gigi, a singer, and the patient for whom the prescription drugs were for. He find himself being set up for a number of murders and his only ally is Lieutenant Colback with whom he has history in the Korean War. He encounters an old ruthless Southern family lawyer, arrogant and certain in his white privilege, Rosslyn F Tobie, and other shady characters. This is a story of numerous twists and turns, and rooted in American political history. In a case where he faces betrayal and finds himself in extreme danger, John Q slowly begins to piece together a deadly conspiracy that goes right to the heart of the American political establishment.

This is an exceedingly well plotted story created out of real events and people in American history. The repugnant attitudes regarding race, class and women prevalent in that time are well captured. There is a strong atmospheric sense of location in New Orleans and the corruption that runs rife in the city. John Q is a disarming central character, he is determined and tenacious, and a man who should not be underestimated. If you like intelligent fast paced conspiracy thrillers, then this is likely to appeal. I very much enjoyed reading this and recommend it highly. Thanks to Faber and Faber for an ARC.