This book is a combination of a lot of old standard themes: the "buddy" cops gone rogue, older cop mentor/green rookie & the evil FBI. There are lots of bullets flying, bleeding and/or dead bodies & vigilantism. So if you're a fan of B grade action movies that are heavy on violence but light on character development & realism, this is for you.
Kevin Kearns, our rookie, has been an Iowa Dep. sheriff for about 6 months & his career may already be over. He tried to stop a child abduction but it ended up with the bad guy escaping & the little girl murdered in horrific fashion. Now he's been detained by the FBI, his boss is using him as a scapegoat & the whole town seems to blame him.
Bob Farrell, a former San Francisco police inspector, is trying to enjoy retirement. Finally divorced (again) & with too much free time, he's bored. Reading the paper one day, he comes across the story of a child abduction/murder. And he recognizes the killer's MO.
20 years ago when Bob was an MP in Vietnam, he tried to court marshall an american marine with a penchant for raping women & children before hanging them upside down with slashed throats. But the brass was more concerned with bad PR & quietly tucked him away in a psych hospital. Bob has never forgotten Lance Corp. Vernon Slocum, a man completely devoid of humanity. Now it looks like he's out & reliving the good old days & Bob decides it's up to him to put the freak down permanently.
One road trip later & Bob meets up with Kevin, disguised as his lawyer. Kevin identifies Slocum from the documents Bob has kept all these years & hears the whole story. Bob has a proposition. He convinces Kevin his career is basically over & they are the only ones who can bring Slocum down. And so the carnage begins.

What follows is the story of these two tracing our psychopath across the country as he leaves a trail of bodies in his wake. Along the way, they punch out FBI agents, break nto government files, steal cars & guns, threaten & rob police officers & kill bad guys. In alternating chapters, we travel with Slocum & learn of his horrific childhood as he murders everyone in his path, blows up a meth lab & continues stringing up his rape victims.
Besides the violence, this book is full of cliches. You have the alcoholic, good ol' boy sheriff, the world weary cop who drinks/smokes too much & virtually every FBI agent is depicted as arrogant and incompetent. Scanlon, the agent in charge, is portrayed as vindictive & completely inept & some of his actions defy credibility (he assaults an innocent woman in her hospital bed? seriously? Real FBI agents must love books like this). I know it's a popular plot device for authors, the age old turf battle between local cops & the bureau but it's taken to extremes here. Also, despite our dynamic duo breaking about a kabillion laws & constantly endangering the public, apparently it's ok because they're the good guys.
The dialogue is simple & short on any real humour that would have added much needed comic relief. Many passages deal with extreme child abuse so brace yourself for graphic & disturbing descriptions. There are lots of holes in the plot that require readers to completely suspend their disbelief & ignore logic but I think you get the gist. The ending is never in doubt & there's a nice, tidy resolution.
So it all boils down to what you enjoy reading & what you're prepared to give up for the sake of action. ( )

This is a non stop adrenaline filled ride. A severely damaged sociopathic Vietnam nam vet is slaughtering all who he comes in contact with, and it is up to a recently retired San Francisco cop to stop him. To say anymore will give away the story. The killing is gruesome but the storytelling is first rate. Read this book, and hope this new author has more stories to tell. ( )

Audiobook. Very enjoyable listen , written by a new author with a background in the subject matter ie forces and police.. The book was very easy to follow, logical and linear. The characters fun and there are touches of humour in an otherwise grim story of a child killer. Worth the time, More please. ( )