Peter Ash, once a highly competent Marine Lt in Afghanistan,
is trying to adjust to life back in the States. He’d seen, and done, plenty he’d
like to forget, but his PTSD-induced severe claustrophobia limits his options. He was doing
trail maintenance work up in Oregon with a bunch of college aged tree huggers and Henry, a crusty
Vietnam-era vet. A couple months of sleeping in a hammock and writing weekly letters
to about the only woman who kind of understands him, June Cassidy, a foul-mouthed Portland-based
investigative reporter who worked her way through school as an exotic dancer.
Henry is from Denver and when the trail thing came to an
end, he invited Peter to come to Colorado for a few weeks to help with his daughter’s
security company. Sounds OK. And it’s outside, so even better.
Private security is a growth industry in Colorado. Federal banking
rules have forced the burgeoning cannabis industry to be a cash-only business.
So there are a lot of security companies opening up to protect the movement of
all that cash.
Today’s assignment requires four guards. They are taking a
bucket load of cash up into the mountains where a grower is stashing his profits.
The shipment is stopped way up in the mountains by an ambulance, a tow truck,
and what appears to be a state trooper. The robbery is a highly organized and
professional hit. A simple snatch-and-grab turns into a blood bath as 3 of the guards are
killed (including Henry) and Peter manages to take out 4 of the 5 bad guys
using all manner of skills perfected in the ‘Stan.
Detectives from the Denver and Colorado police join up to
question Peter. But Henry’s death weighs heavy on Peter and he decided to not
let the cops handle everything. With the help of Lewis, a long-time friend from
Milwaukee, Miranda (local lawyer hired by Lewis), and June’s online
investigative skills, Peter narrows down the who and the why of the attack (which carry a high degree of probability of being real-life situations).
It’s this combination of people with skills that sets
this story apart from other loner against the bad guys books. Peter, Lewis,
June, and Miranda are characters you want to hear more from (although I think Miranda
will be specific to these events). The book cover blurbs are glowing in the
comparisons to Jack Reacher and with good reason. Both are ex-military. Both
are loners. Both wander the country helping people in need. Both have lethal
skills. But there are differences, too. Reacher was mustered out of the Army during a reduction in force.
Ash was discharged and carries a couple huge pieced of baggage that weigh on is
conscious leaving him an emotionally wounded warrior. Reacher is cock sure of himself. Ash? Not so much. Reacher lives by his own code
of right and wrong that mostly ignores the law. Ash's crumpled psyche makes
getting by a daily challenge and much of his reaction to stress is an attempt
to keep manage his PTSD. But make no mistake, If Reacher isn’t available, Peter
Ash is a more than capable substitute.
This is the third of 5 Peter Ash books. I’ve already
requested from the library the first (The Drifter) to get all the backstory. Here's what
I found interesting. Petrie has undergrad and graduate degrees in creative
writing. But his day job is running a home inspector in Milwaukee. Some of my
favorite authors have a primary career and write as a side venture.
ECD
