Assessment:

Plot: The plot of this non-stop thriller races along, adhering fiercely to Paul Bacon's story. Unexpectedly, religion and the search for true happiness play major yet somber roles in the novel.

Prose: Quick, sharp, and well paced, Burchfield’s storytelling and realistic dialogue maintain readers’ interest in Bacon’s exploits — even when the scenes Bacon encounters seem beyond belief.

Originality: Throughout the book, Burchfield places Bacon in a series of circumstances that, while sometimes straining credulity, are packed with intensity and drama.

Character Development: By the end of this book, Bacon is a fully drawn character, and the author reveals enough about the other characters for readers to develop mixed feelings about them. Only Molly Carver seems to lack definition, perhaps because of the mysterious role she plays early on. Additionally, some of the book's “bad guys” become caricatures of themselves, their barbaric appetite for revenge and murder making them seem too similar to each other.

Blurb: A sexy, violent non-stop thrill ride deep into the seedy underbelly of post-World War I San Francisco.

Date Submitted: March 29, 2017