Patrick Quinlan

Een Amerikaan - expert op het gebied van explosieven - raakt in een net van intriges verzeild, als huurmoordenaars - ingehuurd door de maffia - via zijn vriendin, die achtervolgd wordt door pornohandelaars, hem een geldbedrag, waarmee hij er indertijd vandoor is gegaan, willen ontfutselen. In een spannende finale met veel kat-en-muisspelletjes wordt duidelijk wie er uiteindelijk wint. Een realistische thriller, met kleurrijke figuren die elkaar steeds te slim af zijn. Scherpe dialogen, gekruid met de nodige humor, veel geweld en seks. Een debuut dat liefhebbers van 'hard boiled' thrillers wel zal aanspreken.… (mehr)

Former safe-cracker turned bomb-maker, Smoke Dugan, made his retirement from the mob when one of his devices was used to blow up a plane instead of the empty buildings that were the norm. His former employers weren't too happy with his leaving, especially his retirement gift of $2.5m and a bonus of the corpse of they guy who'd given him his last job. So they're more than happy when Smoke pops up on the radar living the quiet life in Portland, Maine and send a few boys to bring him back for a chat.

Unfortunately, things don't run smoothly for the retrieval squad and events escalate to include Smoke's girlfriend and her room-mate. The leader of this squad has also been having second thoughts about his chosen career path and can't seem to be able to pull the trigger any more. Considering that he's usually employed as a hitman then that's not a good sign he's in the right profession. He decides this may be his chance to disappear.

This is not an overly complex book, just a case of who'll survive when the curtain falls. The characters are fairly standard fair but likable enough and I wouldn't say no to spending more time with those that did survive.… (mehr)