(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

For once, things are going well for former DEA contractor Jon Cantrell. He’s got a real job as a fix-it man for a law firm that specializes in handling government contracts. But when his ex-girlfriend Piper asks him to meet with a high-ranking police official and Cantrell is forced to take an off-the-books assignment to find a missing boy, everything starts to unravel.
Not helping the situation is his client, Deputy Chief Raul Delgado, an up-and-coming politico carrying his own tragic burdens he doesn’t like to dwell on. Forty years earlier, a racist cop brutally killed Delgado’s brother. Now, in a weird twist of fate, Delgado works for the very department that altered his life.
As Cantrell proceeds, he uncovers a puzzling link between Delgado, the missing boy, and a series of vigilante murders. As the link becomes clearer, Cantrell struggles to stay alive and find the missing child.

I made the mistake of reading the third book in this series first (I wasn't aware, at the time, it was the third book...) and I quite liked it. In fact, this is how I described Jon Cantrell:

"There is a little Harry Bosch, a little Jack Reacher and a little Jason Bourne. And that is a great mix. He is a "hero" that we can get behind as readers."

And that still stands. I think he is one of the better action heroes recently in modern fiction.

However, the one thing that apparently annoyed me in the third book was evident here, too. The tense switches. First person to third person, at times seemingly for no reason at all. Even changes between third person past, and present, happens. Frustrating to no end.

The plot itself was good, if somewhat scattered. At times, I felt like I was reading a collection of short stories, where the cases Jon was working on, flick past at amazing speeds, like we are getting the "best-of" of Jon Cantrell, about how good he is, rather than building a substantial plot and working from there.

The action sequences are exciting, there is a great dash of humour and one-liners, and the settings are always great. All of that is handled really well.

I rated it three stars cos I think it is right down the middle of the road as far as I am concerned...


Paul
ARH

I was unable to connect with this book unfortunately so decided not to review