by
Zafiro's first book. If you like Ed McBain this is the police procedural for you. In the fictional city of River City the novel follows the lives of the RCPD. River City is loosely based on Spokane, WA, Zafiro's home town.
The main thrust of the book is the apprehension of an armed robber who is holding up convenience stores to fund his drug habit. Each robbery gets more and more violent leading to the exciting conclusion of the novel. As police procedurals go, this is a good one, Zafiro takes us into the mundane world of a uniformed cop. Mundane with the ever present possibility that a routine event can turn deadly.
Being a first novel I found it a bit clunky at first, or perhaps it was just me not getting into the rhythm of his voice, but by the middle third the story really clicked along. I found myself flipping pages at a steady rate; I really ate up the book. Once I got to know the characters I began to have strong feelings for each one. Not knowing this author I really had a sense of dread for the safety of each officer of the RCPD.
For this type of story the conclusion was never in any doubt but Zafiro proved that he's not afraid to mix up the story or to have a character come to a sticky end. This book took few chances but the chances Zafiro took were a definite surprise.
For that reason I'm looking forward to his next book: Heroes Often Fail.
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