Simon Peake does care… he just isn’t sure about what right now. The ex-soldier’s life is as close to rock bottom as it gets.
He needs a job and he needs a quiet life.
What he gets is a whole load of mess working for New York-based Irish mobster Harry Lafferty. A job that requires him to use his special skills on some very unsavory people. His relationship with Harry’s niece isn’t exactly conducive to a quiet existence either…
As Peake tries to walk the fine line between surviving in this new life, and atoning for his old one, he struggles on both counts. And when his past comes back to bite him, and those closest to him are threatened, the reckoning will be merciless for anyone who stands in his way. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)
Dead Reckoning is a pure adrenaline rush, from start to finish! I appreciate characters who aren’t perfect and are pleasantly flawed–and Simon fits that to perfection. He tries to do the right thing but it seems the more he attempts it, the less “right” his decisions can be, often influenced or forced by the people around him.
Being an ex-con doesn’t make it easy for Simon to find work that is above board, leading him to the Lafferty clan. He is aware that the type of work he’ll do isn’t anything he can divulge to others, but Simon never imagined that working with the Laffertys' would later lead him down a path that would reconnect him to his turbulent ex-soldier past. It was a nice twist amidst a brawling plotline, and I loved getting to see the present time and the flashbacks provided, when the reader is given background information into Simon’s past.
Simon tries to keep himself apart from others, not wanting to form any connections. But he can’t help but show his human side, as witnessed by the way he treats Harry’s niece, Katie, and Simon’s neighbor, Jelena. I really liked the relationship with Jelena; it’s not conventional and not romantic. Its basis has formed on the need to gain an alliance with someone, even in the most unlikely of places.
This is my first experience with reading anything by Rob Sinclair, and it won’t be my last. The succinct writing style and to-the-point hard hitting dialogue made me feel like I was watching some sort of crime drama thriller on TV, an experience that would appeal to anyone who appreciates an exciting wild ride through chaos of the best kind. Dead Reckoning is a definite five-star read!
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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