Ralph Dennis wrote a number of “Hardman” books back in the day and they are back! Having never read them, I am excited to be finally doing so. I liked the first one, but his second surpasses that entry by far. Hardman and his sidekick, Hump (a former football player) attend a boxing match. Following that Hump is invited to a party which he attends only to discover that it was a set up.
When the mother of one of the robbers comes to Hardman to get her son out of the gang and to safety, he and Hump take the case. What begins as a by the numbers adventure mystery soon becomes complicated when an assassin for hire – The Charleson Knive – is hired to kill the gang members. This begins a race between the two elements to locate the gang first.
What a well plotted story. The author does not waste words, and yet conveys the location, characters so well that the plot absolutely moves swifter than a hot knife through melted butter. Narrator Shawn Compton, not a “showy” narrator, still conveys individual voices for the characters and guides the reader through this taught tale.
Hopefully each book in the series is better than the previous. In short time I will be reading and listening to the 3rd in the series. Note: you do not have to read the first entry to enjoy this one. Though there is some linking of characters, the plot of the previous one is referred to so a reader who begins with this will not be lost. Grab these books and listen/read as soon as you can. You will not be sorry!