From Publishers Weekly
In Born's occasionally flat but mostly rewarding third crime thriller to feature Bill Tasker, the dogged, genial Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent looks into the murder of Rick Dewalt, a privileged inmate at the Manatee Correctional Prison in rural Gladesville, Fla. Tasker is nearing burnout after a couple of intricate, dangerous cases (presumably those chronicled in the first two novels in the series,
Walking Money and
Shock Wave), and after shooting a bank robber while off-duty (this shocking scene opens the book and is one of its best). The correctional officers at Manatee guard their turf with predictable jealousy, but it becomes apparent that Dewalt's murder is part of some much larger scheme. Tasker finds himself both hunter and hunted as he delves deeper. Born is good at characterization, notably the refreshingly modest Tasker, and the story line is reasonably plausible, but some awkward plotting and extraneous detail suggest Born is still learning his craft while retaining his "day job" as a special agent in the FDLE.
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From Booklist
After a routine trip to the bank with his two daughters erupts in gunfire, Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent Bill Tasker is sent to cool his heels and his gun by clearing up the death of a rich land developer's son who was serving time at Manatee State Correctional Facility. Justice behind bars is a tricky business, and fresh homicides soon complicate matters, as do both the escape plans of Tasker's clever old foe Luther Williams (aka Cole Hodges) and the proximity of two smitten ladies who threaten to be a major blind spot for our handsome hero. Tension mounts when corrupt prison officials try to throw a scare into Tasker, which isn't such a smart thing to do. While Lee Child's Jack Reacher has nothing to fear from the low-key hero of this standard-issue crime thriller, there are more than enough plot twists, tense standoffs, and authentic details to keep things interesting, and readers can look forward to this explosive sequel woven out of loose ends from Born's two previous books.
David WrightCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
