Regular readers of this blog will know that I rate Alan Baxter very highly indeed, and in this book, he still hasn’t let me down. It’s another different genre in his repertoire as well, a gritty noir revenge thriller with supernatural overtones.
Eli Carver wakes from a psychotic episode behind the wheel of a car, with a terrified young woman in the passenger seat with her hands bound. He has no memory of how he got there, who the girl is, where they’re going or why.
As his memories come flooding back, the gaps are filled one by one. He’s a hitman, an enforcer for a powerful crime boss. The back of the car starts to fill with the ghosts of his past victims and the reason for his breakdown is revealed. Along with the young woman he kidnapped, he plots his revenge. His body count is destined to grow a lot higher.
An amnesiac hitman searching for the truth followed by revenge is not the most original plotline in existence but with the breakneck speed this story is told at, you don’t have time to stop and think about that. And after you’ve put the book down, you’ve enjoyed it so damned much you don’t care.
The characters are well drawn and manage to be more than the one dimensional stereotypes that can infest noir fiction. Eli’s killer-with-a-conscience has depth and complexity. This is partly due to the ghosts following him around. Whether the ghosts are real or in his imagination is never made entirely clear, but that adds to the tension
It's action packed, well written and I finished it in one day. I seriously couldn't put it down. He manages to fill the first half of the book with flashbacks without ever letting the breakneck pace of the storytelling falter. That takes some doing.
it's available through Amazon, but you can order direct through his website like I did, and get them signed and personalised for no extra charge. Books By Alan - Alan Baxter
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