From Publishers Weekly
Kernick (
The Crime Trade) blurs the line between the right and wrong sides of justice in his fourth novel, a tense tale about a British cop turned vigilante-for-hire. Det. Sgt. Dennis Milne fled London for the Philippines after murdering innocent men he mistook for scumbags. Three years later, after changing his name to Mick Kane, he earns a living in Sabang Bay offing bad guys for pay; his latest target is a familiar London snitch who's wanted back in England for killing Milne's friend, Det. Asif Malik. Hungry for further vengeance, Milne risks his freedom and returns to London to track down others connected to Malik's murder. Milne re-examines the case Malik was investigating, sets up a meeting with a crime boss and gets ambushed for his troubles. From then on, Milne barely stays a step ahead of death. Though uneven at times, this action-packed page-turner will earn Kernick new followers.
(Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Fans of Kernick's stellar debut (
The Business of Dying,2003) will hail the return of pragmatic disgraced copper Dennis Milne to the series after a two-book hiatus. With a new face and a new name (Mick Kane), Milne is now incognito in the Philippines as a hotelier, dive instructor, and reluctant hit man, who kills only those who deeply deserve it, such as a homicidal pedophile on holiday, or the slippery fellow killer-for-hire who did in his old partner, Asif Malik. Returning to London to hunt down those responsible for Malik's death, Milne eases onto the brutal streets and into his old ways with all the relish of tucking into a plate of chips, a pint of bitter, and a pub brawl. Milne's arrival has been anticipated, and the tension doesn't let up for a single page as he dodges a nasty array of potential captors and killers, teaming with a comely journalist to go after very big bottom-feeders. Kernick spins a nonstop mystery thriller, leavening the grimy noir with a renegade hero every bit as likable as Spenser and as tough as Hawk. A good book for a breakthrough and a sure bet for fans of gritty Brits and hard-boiled thrills from Ken Bruen to Ian Rankin to Michael Connelly.
David WrightCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved