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constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars for a tense thriller/mystery. Jim Hardman is an ex Atlanta cop who does "favors" for people as an unofficial private investigator. In a previous book, his cop friend Art Maloney tried to persuade Jim to go legit and get a PI license. Jim declined, pointing out that this would cost him several hundred dollars initially and a hundred dollars a year thereafter. In addition, he would not be able to do some of the shady jobs that he takes on.
In this book, Jim is used by both the police and the top crime lord in Atlanta, "The Man." The police find out that someone has hired a hit man to kill "The Man." Jim saved his life once before and now "The Man' wants Jim to find out who is trying to kill him. This is exactly the shady type of job that a licensed PI could not do. However, Jim wants no part of getting in the middle of a crime gang war. He could get killed and he knows it. But "The Man" blackmails him into doing it.
Jim calls on "Hump" Evans, a black ex NFL football player for help and splits his fee down the middle as he always does with Hump. They are attacked and almost killed. Unlike some crime books, the violence is realistic. Jim has to eat soft food for days afterwards.
There is an afterword by David H. Everson and Christopher J. Everson. David Everson is a Shamus nominated author. He compares Jim and Hump to Spenser and Hawk. Although both debuted at the same time, there are marked differences between the 2: Spenser is a fitness freak, Jim is fat and out of shape. The afterword goes on with more differences.
I have also read every one of Robert B. Parker's Spenser books and enjoyed them. This series is grittier and darker.
One quote by Jim: "It was a kind way of saying it. Asking if there were still jobs for us on the dark side of the world. Our kind of jobs. The only kind of jobs we seem to get. What you got when you were on the low end of the seesaw."
This was a kindle unlimited book.
In this book, Jim is used by both the police and the top crime lord in Atlanta, "The Man." The police find out that someone has hired a hit man to kill "The Man." Jim saved his life once before and now "The Man' wants Jim to find out who is trying to kill him. This is exactly the shady type of job that a licensed PI could not do. However, Jim wants no part of getting in the middle of a crime gang war. He could get killed and he knows it. But "The Man" blackmails him into doing it.
Jim calls on "Hump" Evans, a black ex NFL football player for help and splits his fee down the middle as he always does with Hump. They are attacked and almost killed. Unlike some crime books, the violence is realistic. Jim has to eat soft food for days afterwards.
There is an afterword by David H. Everson and Christopher J. Everson. David Everson is a Shamus nominated author. He compares Jim and Hump to Spenser and Hawk. Although both debuted at the same time, there are marked differences between the 2: Spenser is a fitness freak, Jim is fat and out of shape. The afterword goes on with more differences.
I have also read every one of Robert B. Parker's Spenser books and enjoyed them. This series is grittier and darker.
One quote by Jim: "It was a kind way of saying it. Asking if there were still jobs for us on the dark side of the world. Our kind of jobs. The only kind of jobs we seem to get. What you got when you were on the low end of the seesaw."
This was a kindle unlimited book.
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