As the book opens, Bruno is recuperating from being shot twice (by his ex-wife) while breaking up a motorcycle gang's meth operation. Been in a too expensive hotel for a couple months running up five-digit bill. He has to stay low because of he has about a dozen warrants for his arrest on kidnapping (those kids) and murder (of a child trafficker). Mostly recovered, the Johnson's are packing up to go back to Costa Rica. The FBI knocks on his door. It's longtime friend and now a Deputy Director Dan Chulack.
Chulack's granddaughter was kidnapped two weeks ago. Two million ransom raised, paid, and lost at the drop/exchange. The FBI's investigation has stalled and Dan knows that no one on his radar knows the LA streets like Bruno. And no one hands out justice like Bruno. When Bruno gets on the scent, blood and bones are going to spill.
A street thug involved in the failed exchange is in county lockup. Bruno's first stop is to question him. But how will a wanted felon get into the jail, see the punk, and get out. An overgrowth of beard and hair while recuperating, some big sunglasses, still walking stooped over from his injuries . . . and a set of counterfeit FBI credentials (friends in high places helps) get him in the door but only under the watchful gaze of the LA detective investigating the kidnapping - Helen Hellinger, an intense and uber tough cop. Bruno sure hopes she doesn't put 2 and 2 together and figures out his real identity.
They meet at the jail to find out that two thugs drop the perp, head first, off the third floor landing in the jail's common area. To make things worse, the two thugs had just made bail. Best Bruno can do is corner one of the thug's cellmates in hope that inmates still love to brag. The cellmate is Whitey, a sleaze ball who could be a cousin to Lethal Weapon 2's Leo Getz (the Joe Pesci character).
Yeah, Whitey knows stuff and he's willing to trade. He'll talk, but he wants out first. The next two days Whitey takes Bruno and Helen into some of the worst areas in LA where beatings are as common as doorbells. Bruno isn't shy about getting what he wants. And there are a couple exit ramps from the main investigation to keep Bruno honest all the while gaining the begrudging respect of Helen.
One of the exit ramps is all Helen. Her sister is a biker bitch with a meth habit and a 4yo daughter. Once she unloads this on Bruno, the hunt branches from looking for Agent Chulack's granddaughter to include getting little Stephanie out. In the best of all worlds, He and Marie will take Stephanie into their home in Costa Rica. And find Chulack's granddaughter, too. But that's getting less and less likely as time drags on.
Turns out this is book #9 in the Bruno Johnson series. And while the publisher (Oceanview - one of my favs) says that each can be read as a standalone novel, it wouldn't hurt to start at the beginning. That could mean two things. Start with book #1 or start with book #6 because Putnam did a recent 3-book backstory run (books 6, 7, and 8). Knowing this, I might start with #6-8 and then do books #1-5. That way the books would be read chronologically. Time to hit that BooksInOrder.com website.
Bruno Johnson is one bad dude. And he's especially bad when the victims are children. You don't want to be in his way when he gets on a roll. Marie is a trained Physician Assistant and those skills come in handy at times. She has the same temperament as Bruno when it comes to abducted/abused children, having recorded a kill of her own in a previous book. She is also a saint for putting up with Bruno's aggression and single-minded pursuit and execution of justice. While the book is a good look at the gutter of LA, it's not quite as good as George Pelecanos' grasp of life on the streets (of DC). Just don't let your guard down when Bruno's around.
ECD
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