This is a fast paced thriller with a tough heroine in Camaro. She's out to rescue her sister and finds there's more to the story than she thought. It's a good read.

Sam Hawken has just released Walk Away - the second book in his Camaro Espinoza series. I hadn't read the first, but Walk Away can absolutely be read as a stand alone.

Camaro? She's a former combat medic who knows how to fight. She never backs down or walks away. When her sister Annabel asks her for help with an abusive boyfriend, she's on her way across country without a second thought. After all, family is family. But that abusive boyfriend has family too. And he's even worse than his brother. What starts out as a simple warning off soon turns deadly - for a lot of people.

I loved Camaro! Who doesn't love a kick butt female lead? (Think female Jack Reacher) Hawken slowly reveals bits and pieces of the sisters' past. I wasn't too sure about her sister - she's 'weaker' if you will, and seems to have has a history of making bad choices and needing help to clean up. I really liked two of the supporting cast - bail bondsman Yates and Deputy Marshall Hannon. I hope to see Yates in a future book. But boy oh boy, Marshall Way is a piece of work. He's a loose cannon with a temper. Hawken has written him well - it's impossible not to have a visceral reaction to this man.

Hawken's plot is well conceived and things move along at a quick pace. Great short snappy dialogue to match. And lots of action. Walk Away kinda reads like an action film. And I can absolutely see it as a movie. I look forward to the third installment.

A pretty fun mystery that I will recommend to people who are looking for something beyond a detective novel.

Loved this – it was fast, thrilling, addictive and totally cool beans.

It has to be said that I have not read the first in this series but that genuinely made no difference, in fact it felt like it could easily be the lead in, also Camaro is a bang on main protagonist – loved her. I’ve seen the comparisons to Reacher everywhere, but I would ignore that if I were you – seriously, Camaro, she’s got her own game going on thank you very much.

ANYWAY moving past that, the main story involves a sister in trouble, a pair of brothers that ARE trouble, a hot headed out of control Marshall, various other players and Camaro. Who will take the lot of them on and not even need a sit down.

I love thrillers like this because they are truly involving, you rock along with the characters, immersed in every moment, then Sam Hawken throws the odd unexpected spanner into the works making you crazy, then you head into a rapidly escalating conclusion that is proper edge of the seat stuff.

Its not rocket science – it is an adrenalin rush of entertainment with some well drawn and compelling characters, a proper dose of storytelling and a beautifully deft touch when it comes to dynamics and dialogue.

Definitely recommended for fans of ye good olde thrilling thriller with huge doses of that x factor thing that no reviewer ever had actual words for.

Enough said.

**Review also available on Goodreads and Amazon.

Hawken's tough female protagonist appeals to me on many levels and I understand this character's motivation. The novel moves at a fast click with good narrative and dialog and I've already recommended it to several colleagues.

Family is not an important thing. It's everything. - Michael J. Fox

I love the character of Camaro Espinoza. She's an ex-Army medic that got a Silver Star, she's an exceptional boxer, she shoots straight, is handy with a knife, but first and foremost, she's a sister and an aunt.

So when she gets a coded message from her sister, who she hasn't seen in a very long time saying she needs help, she leaves Miami Beach and heads to California.

I've read all the other novellas and the other novel about Camaro. The last novel THE NIGHT CHARTER wasn't my favorite. It was still very readable but it was missing the spark that the novellas have. Well, guess what? Not only is the spark back but it's turned into a raging forest fire.

Camaro is not a frilly, feminine woman. She grew up helping her Dad fix cars and motorcycles and she learned to box, like her father and grandfather before him. She is a kick-ass woman - one that you'd want at your back if you were in trouble.

I read the other books, which include:

FULL THROTTLE (four previously published novellas)
SWEET RIDE (a novella)
THE NIGHT CHARTER ( a full-length novel)

and now this full-length novel WALK AWAY.

Great protagonist and great stories.

I received this book from Mulholland Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.