2020-06-24
In this debut thriller, the head of a newly formed organized crime unit searches for killers after a mob-related act of vengeance ignites a series of murders.
Denny Pogue, a New York college professor driving to work, fatally hits a boy on a bicycle. But as the boy was the son of Jimmy Morretti, who runs a criminal empire, authorities suspect the worst when Pogue later turns up missing. Meanwhile, Ben Hawkins, a contractor who once tracked down fugitives for the FBI, becomes the head of the Organized Crime Task Force. Before Hawkins can delve into Morretti’s crimes, which soon include Pogue’s homicide, someone starts taking out members of the mobster’s crew. Unexpectedly, another string of murders may have ties to these homicides, as some of the victims are associated with “assassin bureaus.” The OCTF’s theory is that a second culprit is hunting the contract killer targeting Morretti’s men. So there’s a chance Pogue’s relatives are in danger, as Morretti may conclude they hired the first assassin. While Hawkins and his team hunt both killers, the second one is “particularly savage,” and innocents sadly die in all the chaos. And if the assassins realize the OCTF is on to them, they may go underground. Lavi certainly doesn’t pull any punches in his hard-hitting tale. The murders are plentiful and especially coldblooded when involving family members and witnesses. Furthering the somber tone are perspectives from both killers, who, as professionals, are frighteningly methodical. Nevertheless, Hawkins, despite ongoing troubles such as a taste for alcohol, is sympathetic: He has endearing conversations with his wife, Vanessa, and, as a Black man, is no stranger to racism. The story moves at a steady clip thanks to shifting locales in various United States cities and brutal, concise confrontations that occasionally spin off into gunfights or close combat.
A riveting but grim and unflinching tale of two assassins.
