Bruno is an ex LAPD cop who now lives in Costa Rica with his wife and a brood of children they rescued from abusive homes in LA. Bruno's wife is pregnant and has a difficult labour and delivery. Their doctor asks them to accompany his daughter back to LA - risky because Bruno is wanted by the police there. The daughter has a baby who has been kidnapped and is taking back the cash to ransom him. they make the drop but no baby is forthcoming. Soon Bruno realises it is all much more complicated and one of LA's worst gangsters is involved. He is going to need the help of his ultra violent friend Franco and there will be serious conflict.
If you like your airport fiction fast, action-packed and soaked in blood, this one is for you.

I enjoyed this mystery, it was well plotted, a bit humorous at the right places, Characters were a bit larger than real life, but it worked to make a good crime mystery. I would recommend this book to anyone, and I will be reading more from this author. I enjoyed the humor!

The Scorned is a fast paced, edge of your seat thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. It kept me hooked throughout and I could not put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for my ARC.

The Scorned is an old-fashioned hard-boiled detective novel but with modern problems. like human trafficking. At first, I was annoyed because most of the women are described as wearing form-fitting dresses. Then I thought, yeah well, that's how the hard-boiled detective novels were. Fortunately, the major women's characters have depth. They weren't just mannequins in tight clothes.

An interesting thing the author does is to make the despicable male characters likeable. That's not easy when your characters enjoy beating people up. One way is that the two men are rescuing women and child victims of trafficking and other abuses. So, the bad guys are really rotten and they're kind of deserving the iron rebar smacking them upside the head. The good guys also have soft spots for their love interests and for children. Well yeah, the good guys do cause a lot of blood to splatter but for a good cause, if blood splattering ever has a good cause. I mean, the villains really needed a can of whoop-ass opened on them.

There is lots of graphic, grim violence. There is child abuse but it is mostly seen off-screen, as they'd say in the movies. I'd go so far as to say some readers may be triggered.

If you like buddy movies, a hard-boiled tinge, some romance, and lots of whoop-ass, this novel will hit the spot, sometimes with a big 'ol' pipe across the nose. Thanks to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for allowing me to read and review an eARC of The Scorned.

Tenth in the Bruno Johnson series
Bruno is a former member of an elite police task force and ex-con hiding out in Costa Rica with
his family. When his wife Marie has a difficut labor and delivery, their friend Dr. Vargas comes
to the rescue. Although he would rather not leave Costa Rica, Bruno feels he has little choice
burt to go to Los Angeles and accompany the doctor's daughter back. Unfortunately, the daughter
has not been truthful with her parents - they are unaware of her involvement with a criminal kingpin
dealing in drugs, selling babies and trafficking women. Will Bruno be able to free the daughter
from the kingpin and make it safely back to Costa Rica to wife and family?
Action packed and graphic violence.
While it can be read as a stand alone, I felt I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous
books.
#TheScorned #NetGalley

Bruno is on the run from the law in the United States. He is hiding out in Costa Rica. His wife is pregnant and he is in charge of 10 kids he rescued from several terrible homes in Los Angeles. So, he is a pretty stand up guy. And when he becomes indebted to Dr. Vargas in Costa Rica for delivering his son, he does just what that doctor asks. He escorts Dr. Vargas’ daughter to Los Angeles.

This is part of a series. It is not necessary that you read the other books in this series to enjoy this one. But, I probably would have liked this book better if I knew more. I would have felt more of a connection to Bruno and his life situation.

I did love the chase though and the humor spread throughout this book! Pretty snarky in places. And the ending!! This needs to be picked up as a television series.

Need a good, action packed thriller…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

If there's one thing I love it's reading a David Putnam book. As an author I find his work fascinating and his background even better.
I enjoyed the ending in which he discussed some specifics about his own family's dire situations and how this book stemmed from a relationship with a partner of crime. His parents received government assistance and always helped many kids in the neighborhood.
I can recall the same as I'll be turing 50 in a few months. How the government back then passed out blocks of cheese. How my parents held several jobs (my mom alone was a mother, wife, real estate agent, private duty nurse, and an RN-OBGYN) and my dad also held jobs (UPS driver, TV/Audio engineer, Navy Vet, and numerous volunteer positions from church as Knights of Columbus, to usher, to Little League Coach and yes, even a Bear Creek Twp Supervisor).
The times were certainly different back then as I recall my dad buying bread from a second hand bakery and would offer it up to neighbors. Or, the fact that my grandmother had lost her first husband in the mines and how the government threw the body on the front porch and left.
I can also attest to the food assistance having been a recipient myself of WIC (Woman,Infant, Children) assistance to purchase things like Alimentum (special formula for kids w acid reflux) or the government equivalent of healthy foods required for families.
Or, how the government now provides my family EBT (food stamps) and how those green stickers back in the day are webbed on my mind from when my own family had to use the booklets.
So, yes we've all been there in fact as I write this I'm in extreme poverty, sought work since 2010, haven't worked since 17 now 49, as a factory worker who made 10cent raise and $7.25 hr., w/o benefits, and a one time bonus of $25 for being top producer/associate of the month.
I can tell you how I spent 20 yrs volunteering to be told by the United Way director of Wilkes Barre that I come across as 'entitled' because I'm seeking paid work now to raise three kids with one medically disabled with vater syndrome from birth. How my son's ssi/ssp was removed at 18 yet he'll have his disabilty for life with no changes since his birth.
Or, how Social Security is meant to assist those who can't work yet I was declined disability yet suffered for over 30 years from medical issues and now sit here with Covid pneumonia/sinus tach/sepsis and have again refiled.
Folks, this is one of those books that deals with numerous issues at once. Drug dealers, gangs, kidnapping, and obviously violence galore.
I'm perplexed with Layla and her love for Drago the friend of Bruno and Maria.
I'm perplexed with the parents and how they came to be with Bruno.
I'm perplexed with Layla's son Sonny by Johnny EF aka Johnny Fillmore.
Frankie Toliver as the boy was known to others prior to kidnapping and how the ending came to be wrapped up.
What more can I say other than what I've been told all my life, "Suck it up buttercup we all have problems."
I just couldn't really get into this one for whatever reason but I hope to get the chance to read whatever comes next because I enjoy this author immensely.

Ex-cop, ex-con Bruno Johnson stumbles into a criminal organization that exploits women and children—he must fight his way out and home. From the very first page of this book, I was stunned, mesmerised. Written with a ferocious passion that'll knock the wind out of you!

The Scorned is my first book by David Putnam. I wondered about starting so late in the series, but I did not feel lost at all. The characters are compelling and the story moves at a good pace. Putnam excels at bringing the setting alive and making you feel like you are there. There was at least one place where I gritted my teeth because the hero was being so stupid, but doesn't that always happen?

The variety of characters and their conflicts held my interest. I am intrigued by the main character and his story and will go back and read the previous books. A very interesting introduction to the series. I received an early copy of this book from Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley. All opinions are my own. #TheScorned #NetGalley

Bruno Johnson hated leaving his wife, Marie, and new born son but when their best friends Dr Aleck and Alisa Vargas begged for his help to save their only child, Layla, and absolute discretion was necessary; as Aleck was running for Governor of Costa Rica. Bruno was sure that 24 hours was all he would need to fly to Los Angeles and bring Layla back home.

An exciting raw thriller with many unexpected twists and turns. Very engaging storyline that kept me going to the satisfying end.

Although Bruno is a wanted man in the US, he goes back to LA to help a friend's daughter, but nothing is simple in his life, the girl has gotten herself mixed up with a gang leader who has taken their baby. He still has friends in the force who help him to achieve his goal but not without getting hurt. The Scorned is a fast-paced, and well-written novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the end. Really entertaining!
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for the copy of this book.

The latest Bruno Johnson story brings our hero back to the US from Costa Rica, where his wife has just given birth to their son. The trip is dangerous, since Bruno is a wanted man and can’t be caught in the US, but he feels obligated by loyalty to friends and family to take the huge risk. Despite the usual large number of thugs and the potential for disaster, this book is much less oppressive than the last, in which Bruno was reeling after unthinkable personal trauma. The more positive focus makes for a welcome change in this solid outing for fans of the series. Bruno’s allies—Drago, police buddy Helen, and Waldo the terrifying dog, help keep Bruno from (too much) harm and also keep the mood lighter even while Bruno goes after a crime boss. Bruno’s father and estranged mother make for entertainment and stress in equal measure.

Thanks to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for a digital advance review copy.

This is the tenth book in the series but my first read from this author.
The book doesn't disappoint and it is fast paced throughout. I'll definitely have to read the previous novels to get myself familiar with the character.
Bruno has settled himself in Costa Rica with his wife and soon to be born child for a simple way of life.
But when his father Xander and Dr Aleck Vargas asked for his help one last time how can he possibly refuse?
It means Bruno having to travel back to LA which he has sworn never to set foot in the place again but with Dr Vargas daughter Layla missing he doesn't have much choice.
A good all round action adventure.

Previously, having worked in law enforcement, American author David Putnam has used his vast experience to pen the Bruno Johnson crime series. The Scorned is the tenth in the crime series, featuring Bruno a former LA detective and fugitive ex-convict. Still hiding out in Costa Rica with Marie (wife), their infant son and ten rescued children, Bruno is asked to escort a friend’s daughter back home to Costa Rica. Upon arrival in Los Angeles, things get complicated and Bruno and his former partner, Karl Drago face the wrath of a notorious criminal gang. Once again, this one-man, vigilante justice fighter is back with another bruising, violent action thriller readers will no doubt enjoy. However, somewhat formulaic in narrative and outcome, this book is not the best of this genre, so only a two stars read rating. With thanks to Oceanview Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

As always, I love the Bruno books! Such a well written faced paced story you find yourself cheering on the good guys and wanting the bad guys to pay! If you have y read the other books in the series you are missing out, but this book will stand alone.

The Scorned
David Putnam
reviewed by Lou Jacobs


readersremains.com | Goodreads


Be prepared to immerse yourself in the chaotic crime world of Bruno Johnson as he reluctantly returns for yet another high-octane thriller brimming with mayhem and a high body count. Enter the violent and gritty world of Bruno where his name is spoken with reverence when uttered by his adversaries – known on the streets for his unwavering tenacity and penchant for meting out explosive violence when necessary.



His law enforcement career began almost thirty years ago in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and led to two decades of service on the Violent Crimes Team, hunting down murderers. He even had to do a brief stint in prison for killing his daughter’s murderer. Bruno does have outstanding warrants for kidnapping, which seem to go unchallenged and uncollected. Bruno and his pregnant wife, Maria, have taken sanctuary in Costa Rica along with his cadre of children that they have rescued and “kidnapped” from their abusive and hostile homes. Their efforts have achieved mythic proportions – referred to as the underground railroad for abused children.

On the eve of Maria’s unexpected and complicated delivery he is tasked with two requests that he feels indebted to fulfill. His best friends, Doctor Vargas and his wife, Alisa are visiting when Maria precipitously goes into violent labor. Dr Vargas, under tense and dramatic circumstances, saves the lives of both Maria and the baby boy. They reluctantly ask Bruno to retrieve and rescue their only child, Layla. She is a college student at USC in Los Angeles, and is terrified of a threatening stalker.

Knowing Bruno’s background, they absolutely feel he is the best one to rescue and accompany their daughter safely back home. How can he refuse what should be a 12-hour journey or possibly 24 hours at the most? Earlier in that same day, Bruno’s father entreated him to “forgive your mother” and escort her back to Los Angeles. He has given her one hundred thousand dollars (“his life savings”) and wants to assure her safe passage to a car rental agency. The details and necessity of this request is clouded in murky reasoning. (The details will obliquely unfold in a startling sequence of events.)Dr Vargas, with his many influential contacts has procured Bruno with a passport and Private Investigator’s license in a different name.

Once Bruno arrives in Los Angeles with “his mother” and Alisa in tow, all hell breaks loose.

Both Bea and Alisa soon mysteriously abscond from his presence in the airport. He soon learns that in fact Layla was kidnapped and Alisa is on her way to pay the ransom. Bruno immediately enlists the aid of his long-time friend and motorcycle gang washout, Karl Drago. Karl is a giant of a man, standing six-foot-three and weighing three hundred and fifty pounds with the prowess and skill to complement his size—no one willingly messes with Karl. Part of the package is Drago’s faithful dog, Waldo. Who would argue with a one hundred and thirty pound Rottweiler, who quickly responds to Karl’s multifaceted commands, meted out in guttural German? Bruno and Drago quickly realize they are up against Johnny “Ef” Filmore and his criminal enterprise that exploits both women and children. Gambling and prostitution is the least of their vices, and soon it’s evident that selling minors for sex and even babies is part of the equation. Bruno will not stop or be deterred in his goal of righteous justice.

David Putnam proves to be a masterful storyteller as he spins a gritty high octane street tale that is relentless and escalates in an exhilarating denouement. His skill is highlighted by the implementation of his quirky nuanced side characters like Drago and his dog Waldo, and the prison-wise mother, Bea, with a history of expert cons, who feigns the need for a wheelchair.

This gem is obviously penned by one who has “lived the life” on the street. The multilayered plot and characters will be ingrained in your memory long after you’ve turned the last page. Although this is the tenth foray into the world of Bruno Johnson, it can be enjoyed and devoured as a stand alone, as Putnam seamlessly supplies the necessary back story. The exploits of Bruno Johnson rival those of Harry Bosch and Jack Reacher, and certainly will quench the thirst of action-thriller enthusiasts.

Thanks to NetGallery and Oceanview Publishing for supplying an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The story begins with Bruno's father asking a favor of Bruno. He wants Bruno to take his mother back to the USA. Bruno is hesitant because Marie, his wife, is due to have his baby soon and he wants to be there for her. Later that day, the doctor and his wife are there for dinner and shortly Marie went into labor. She had a hard labor so it was good that the doctor was there. The doctor and his wife then had a favor that they wanted Bruno to do. He wanted Bruno to go to the USA and return with their daughter. Bruno at first wanted to pass, but he finally agreed to bring his mother to the USA and then bring the daughter back to Costa Rica. This task was only to take around 12 hours.

When they arrived at the airport Bea, his mother takes off and the doctor's wife receives a call from her daughter telling Bruno where to meet and pay the ransom. At the location, the dr.'s wife is told that it will cost another $50 thousand before the daughter would be returned. All of a sudden what should be a simple task now is much harder.

As the story continues, Bruno learns that he was not told the whole story. Bruno along with his friend Drago then proceed to try and make things right. See all of the obstacles that needed to be overcome and how Bruno's mother comes to help. There is a great deal of action and the ending is great.

This is definitely a book that you will want to read.

The Scorned is the tenth book in a series about former Sheriff’s Deputy turned vigilante rescuer of abused children Bruno Johnson. While these books feature adventures from different stages of Bruno’s life, and are designed to be stand alone stories which can be read in any order, I don’t recommend starting with this one if you don’t know the character. I’ve read three of the earlier books and still feel I missed out on a lot of the character development that leads us to this point, which did affect my enjoyment of it. This is another violent action adventure with a highly improbable plot, featuring OTT characters stampeding along the boundary between good and reckless badness.

Set about six weeks after the events of The Sinister, Bruno thinks he can finally settle into life in Costa Rica to process and recover from all the terrible things he has both endured and done. His wife Marie is about to give birth, and his rescued brood of foster children want him to be their father for good. Then two people he can’t say no to, his father Xander and his best friend Dr Aleck Vargas, both ask him to do the one thing he dreads - return to LA. Emotionally fragile for the first time in his life, he wants to refuse, but when Vargas saves Marie and the baby, Bruno feels he must honour his request to go rescue his daughter Layla, who got herself mixed up with a very bad man. Taking his manipulative mother Bea along, Bruno turns to old friend Karl Drago and his monster canine sidekick Waldo for help - but they have no idea of the danger they’re stepping into.

As mentioned, I’ve only read a few of the previous Bruno books, including The Ruthless, (which is the last, for now at least, of the prequels set before he goes to prison,) The Disposables, which picks up afterwards, and The Sinister, which precedes this one. You do get the relevant backstory here, but I struggled a little with the change in Bruno from uncompromising Tough Guy to angsty soft-boiled egg - brittle on the outside and leaking through the cracks. To be fair, he’s put in an impossible situation, and there’s a baby at risk, but when it became clear that all three women involved in this latest mission are lying and behaving abysmally, he would’ve had every right to turn around and go home to his own baby. He brings in Drago to inflict the brutality he’s no longer sure he can impart, and boy does he over-deliver on that front. Karl is a one-man wrecking ball, but I found his disregard for collateral damage chilling in someone who’s supposed to be one of the good guys, eg firebombing the villain’s mansions without care for who might get hurt. A series of unlikely events and inconsistent character decisions build to a high-stakes climactic scene which is resolved rather too easily and then it’s all over. Not my favourite of these books, the previous ones were more exciting as thrillers, but I’m rounding up from 3.5 because I appreciate what the author’s trying to do.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily. The Scorned is published on February 7th.

Johnny Fillmore is an LA entrepreneur who sits at the top of a SoCal business pyramid. Owns plenty of real estate, and restaurants - his crown jewels. A subordinate oversees the next layer down - bars and strip joints mostly. The lowest layer of his empire includes variations on houses of ill repute. Those places cater to the most basal of human demands and desires. While Johnny oversees all levels of his empire, it's hard to (legally) connect Johnny with the real money makers at the bottom of his holdings.

Call him Johnny Ef. A moniker that he doesn't appreciate it. Call that to his face and that face may be the last one you ever see.

Remember Bruno Johnson? First reviewed last year in The Sinister. Ex LA County Deputy Sheriff, Ex-con. Wanted for murder and kidnapping now living in Costa Rica with Maria, his father, and 10 kids they've liberated from shit environments and even shittier parents. Bea, his mom, is largely absent. Been that way since Bruno was a child; she lived the life of a con artist. She resurfaced in The Sinister bound to a wheelchair and looking 20 older from a life of hard living. More importantly, Maria is pregnant and due. Bruno is beside himself with joy at becoming a dad (again) at 50y.

Bea's back and Bruno ain't happy. He's sure she's only in Costa Rica to con his dad of what little money he has squirreled away - about $20K to get back in the game in LA. Bruno agrees to take her back to LA to drop her off under the condition she never ever make contact again.

Alisa and Aleck Vargas are Costa Rican friends in Tamarindo, CR. He's an MD and thinking about running for local office with the intent of an eventual national run. Their daughter, Layla, is an undergrad in LA. That's a problem. They tell Bruno that she's been kidnapped and the ransom demand is $100,000. They ask Bruno to deliver the ransom and bring Layla home. Bruno figures he can do both in one trip. Can it wait until Maria delivers?

That question becomes moot as Maria goes into labor and Dr. Aleck has to do the delivery. And it's a difficult one. So much so that Aleck tells Bruno that Maria will likely sleep for the next few days so he can do these two deliveries while she recovers from the birth. Reluctantly, he agrees. He owes Dr. Vargas.

Upon arrival, Bruno's first call is to his long-time wing man, Karl Drago. A massive beast of a man who thrives on violence. Keeps a rod of rebar up his sleeve and tampons in his truck (for wound care). And if his anger directed at biker gangs, all the better. Bruno and Drago are a team to be feared. Bruno's rep in LA lingers even as he hides in Costa Rica. Rumor on the streets that he is dead, but when he shows the unconvinced his BMF tattoo on his shoulder, attitudes change from arrogance to limp-wristed dread. He makes one other call. Helen Hellinger, LA deputy sheriff who worked with Bruno and knows the felony warrants against Bruno are meaningless.

A simple up-back delivery and pick up goes south. Mom disappears as soon as they land. Layla had fallen into Johnny Ef's orbit. The track of Layla leads to a seedy rundown hotel hard by a recent freeway where every basal human behavior can be bought. Even babies. Babies that have been given up by strung out women as well as babies bred specifically for sale. Yuck. What they've found has bubbled up deeply hidden feelings in both Bruno and Drago that can only be jammed back into the darkness with violence. Bone and blood they call it.

Was kind of surprised when I read that this is Putnam's 10th Bruno Johnson book. In each of the previous 8, Putnam develops Bruno's law enforcement history, how he ended on on the wrong side of the law, and more importantly, the back stories to how he and Marie ended up with 10 foster children, yanked from the mean streets of LA and taken to their home in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Also why and how Bruno lost 2 of his own children in LA. The publisher's website says all can be read as standalones, but it might help to start at the beginning with 2014's The Disposables.

The first half of the book is more about Bruno wrestling with his conscious about his mom/dad, his newborn son, this ill-advised trip to LA, and his own flawed history. More discussion about feelings than you might find in a romance novel. But once both Bruno and Drago take the bit, they are cleaning up all things connected to Johnny Ef. And not in a way that Helen Hellinger can take to court so they have to take out the garbage in a more biblical manner and get back to doing the thing he loves . . . being a dad.

An other Oceanview winner. What can I say.

Thanks to Netgalley for making the advance reader copy available. To be published February 7, 2023.

Book Review: The Scorned (Bruno Johnson #10) by David Putnam
Published by Oceanview Publishing, February 7, 2023

★★★★★ (4.5 Stars)
RAVE!

SIX WEEKS removed from the Johnson family's harrowing escape from L.A. ("The Sinister", Book 9, 2022), Bruno Johnson shelves his legendary tough guy act as he settles down quietly mixing cocktails as a shift bartender in a beach resort nestled in coastal Costa Rica, haven for Bruno and Marie Johnson and their lively youngsters.

Ten, as of the last count.

The Johnsons made it their mission in life to rescue battered and abused children, and give them shelter in the bosom of their abode. Far from well-to-do, they manage to find refuge in Central America. For the children. For themselves.

Marie and Bruno.
Her, a healthcare worker, homemaker and strong female whose opinions are not to be set aside.
Him, an ex-cop, ex-narc, ex-con, feared as a legend in both criminal and law enforcement circles.

But I digress.

// Flashback Six Weeks Prior.
"The Sinister", Book 9 (2022). A must-read pivotal segment for Bruno Johnson fans as the big guy gets reunited with his long-forgotten mom, Bea Elliot, now in a wheelchair, disabled, elderly, forlorn, and, as we find out in Books 9 and 10, wily, colorful and ensconced in a place where appearances can be deceiving.

Readers also get to meet a well-reprised version of "My Cousin Vinnie's" pesky eyes and mischievous smirk. That's when Book 9's "Whitey" cameo does those "Joe Pesci /Leo Getz in Lethal Weapon 3" classic antics. Made me laugh! //

The Scorned (Bruno Johnson #10) by David Putnam (2023)

Blest with a newborn son, new dad Bruno Johnson is beset with a debt of gratitude to anguished friends, and an urgent request from his father, desperate twin pleas which force him to risk a flight back to L.A., the place where his very presence sparks avid interest - not necessarily focused on his health and welfare, on both sides of the law.

It is in South Central L.A. where he once again goes mano-a-mano with the devil. This time, the vilest fiend and his friends, who prey on the most vulnerable - young women and babies...

Enter Drago and Waldo.

Him, a redneck "Sons of Satan" biker gang dropout. He's devoted to the Johnsons, a puppy who constantly seeks the nod and approval of Marie.

And it, a 130-pound Rottweiler who never barks, has a biggg bite, and understands and obeys commands from his master. In German, no less.

But will Team Bruno Johnson be up to task this time....?

-----

With uplifting themes of hope and redemption, and an attractive style in large part reminiscent of those classic Joseph Wambaugh police procedural novels, Author David Putnam parleys his many years of law enforcement into the palpable authenticity of his feel-good, action-packed writing - every book an entertainment gem!

Review based on an advance reading copy courtesy of Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley.