Can’t wait to read the next Steve Rawlings book. Wishing my husband could read faster so I could start.
Picked up this book because I really liked the description. I tend to read mysteries and thrillers. The book lived up to the description. It is a really good story and was an easy read. The author is obviously very knowledgeable about his subject, particularly weapons. There are a lot of guns in here and a lot of graphic violence. This is not a book for the squeamish (I got a bit squeamish and had to step away). The language and violence are extreme so be warned.
The story is about Steve Rawlins and initially he’s a drifter and a bit of a mystery but eventually, it becomes clear he is far more than just a drifter. This dude is seriously skilled. I’m not going to give any spoilers but Steve sort of steps into someone else’s problem and feels he has to help.
I’ll just give you my pros and cons. I was caught up from the first few chapters and couldn’t put it down (except to fix meals and take potty breaks). I finished it in an afternoon.
Miller is a good storyteller. The action is steady but he used backstory for a couple of characters to slow it down. It doesn’t lessen the tension too much but they did run long at times.
One of the reasons I prefer reading male authors is because there is usually very little fluff. They just tell the story. They don’t get bogged down in the emotional drama and if there is a love story, it is usually relatively simple. There is a bit of love in this, in that Tom and Paula clearly care for one another but I did feel they weren’t as clearly defined as they could have been. Paula cooks a lot. Tom talks a lot but mostly about history. Still, they were likable people. They just weren’t quite real.
Miller mentions in his intro that any grammatical errors are his fault but there aren’t very many. I think he writes well. I am reading the Kindle version and errors seem to jump out at me more on that.
However, there is one major flaw – his use of exclamation points. They are everywhere. My journalism prof in college only allowed one and that was grudgingly allowed. Miller’s writing doesn’t need the emphasis. This is an exciting story and the words convey very well the stress, tension, and excitement. When Steve looks at something and states “It was a good setup.” It doesn’t need him shouting and jumping up and down. Which is what the exclamation point conveys. Take them all out.
The only other issue I had is probably just a personal preference. There is a prologue, although, I don’t think it is labeled as such, that’s what it is. It basically told me what was going on before the story dealt with it. This detracted from the story for me because I didn’t have to figure it out. It didn’t give me all the details but told me enough that I knew what was happening. As the story unfolded I kept wishing I had not read that opening. I prefer to discover the story. So, I’d suggest not doing that.
I’m giving it 4 stars because of the exclamation points issue and the prologue. I really liked the story but those two things just bugged me.