Title: The Last Straw
Author: Ed Duncan
Publisher: Self published
Publication Date: 2nd December 2017
Pages: 227
Series: Book#2
Format Read: Paperback
Source: from author Via Book Publicity Services
Blurb
When a teenage girl witnesses a carjacking gone bad, she is marked for death by a crime boss with no apparent motive. A black lawyer and a white enforcer with an unlikely history forge an uneasy alliance to protect the girl from a hit man with an agenda of his own.
After they find out that the crime boss is the father of the black teenage carjacker, Paul Elliott - lawyer and close friend of the witness’s family - begins counseling them.
As the long-simmering feud between Rico and John D'Angelo reaches boiling point, bodies start to pile up in rapid succession... and old scores will be settled.
My thoughts
If you haven’t read Pigeon Blood Red, go read it first. You don’t necessarily need to read it to understand The Last Straw but you will want to because Rico is so freakin awesome.
Rico as cool
as a cucumber, hit man for hire, is the best anti-hero I’ve read for a long
time. Rico claims he never took out anyone who didn’t deserve it. A motto that
left some wriggle room. He doesn’t have friends but he does have respect and
Paul Elliot is a man he respects, they are worlds apart but also very similar
in many ways. When Paul ends up as a revenge target of one of Rico’s enemies,
Rico knows he must step in and protect an innocent man.
Rico always
gives his enemies a chance whether they take it or not is up to them. We see a
much softer side of Rico when he is with girlfriend Jean. He is protective but
not controlling.
’He
was a ball of contradictions; as faithful as a cocker spaniel or as vicious as
a pit bull’
Duncan gives
the reader a deep connection with each character; explaining their background
and current circumstances.
The plot was
well-rounded with defined characters and excellent pacing. The ending tied up a
little too nicely for this realist but this was a minor concern in an overall
superb read.
Content: infrequent coarse language. Some violence.
4/5 stars
Content: infrequent coarse language. Some violence.
4/5 stars
I received a
review copy from the author via Book Publicity Services
About the author
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Kc3fuIvSpEko1G39vCk49YutLdPcdY6eQ4RexeHqdBWkYO3TgOZWbUBwCJkhk7fV7C6fgKjs5gykgFQqf7TqykHMiaZpkCvDaNg2kqp_HwdBTKWlTcNXhvtF0lZYiwFJ6xF1usb_kbKI/s1600/15019118.jpg)
I like compelling characters like this - thanx for the review
ReplyDeleteI love coming across characters that are bad guys with good morals.
DeleteGreat review. I like these types of books where the bad guy is really a good guy. I will need to check this one out.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely check it out Allie. Try Pigeon-blood Red first.
DeleteSounds very interesting. Great review
ReplyDeleteThank you. I really enjoyed it.
DeleteGreat review.
ReplyDeleteThank you Nikki.
DeleteI like the sound of this book a lot. I will check out Pigeon-bood Red when I get the chance.
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it when you get to it.
DeleteGreat review, now I am really intrigued about this Rico character and I am very curious about the concept of this book as well. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post and for putting this book on my radar Veronica.
ReplyDeleteSelf publishing is a hard road and I think Ed Duncan has done a great job.
DeleteOkay I will start with Pigeon Blood red! I like complex characters..
ReplyDeleteHope you like it!
DeleteI really like the cover, but that's not my genre. But great review though ^^
ReplyDeleteThanks Alan.
Delete