The setting for this dark character-driven story is the outskirts of Chicago, a city well-famed for its criminal citizens of past years and so, it should come as no surprise that this story, too, brings into focus the past lives of two supposed criminal friends.
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Danny Carter is a reformed thief, holding down a good job, living with his adorable girlfriend and generally feeling okay with the world. Then along comes Evan McGann, Danny's old buddy from his criminal past released early from prison and intent on exacting a certain revenge on Danny for not taking the rap for the crime they'd both been involved with some years before.
McGann is a muscle-man with a nasty temper; Danny is a more thoughtful and far less violent man so the author manages to convey the viciousness of McGann whilst making Danny sympathetic as he tries every which way to avoid the criminal future McGann has planned for them - the kidnapping of Danny's employer's son, Tommy.
Unfortunately for Danny, he hasn't the mental strength to deal with McGann's relentless determination to make his illegal million so he becomes embroiled in the event, bringing terror to the lives of his girlfriend, Karen, his boss, Richard and grief and pain to another former school-chum, Sean Nolan, now a police officer with not much sympathy even for reformed criminals.
Regrettably, McGann's temper soon leads to several murders, a betrayal of Danny's unwilling friendship and, ultimately, a grand finale on the construction site where Danny would normally have been supervising the new building programme.
The review of this Book prepared by michael watson
