Smoked
"Smoke Duggan is a hard boiled character who does not try to explain away his old life in a criminal gang…"
Synopsis:
Smoke Duggan was for years the explosives expert of a criminal gang. He prided himself that no one was ever killed by his work, until a bomb he makes is placed on an aircraft where innocent women and children are killed. In revenge, he kills his crime boss and goes on the run, eventually ending up in Maine where he lives a contended life with his girlfriend Lola.
Now his old gang have caught up with him and have sent Cruz, a flint-eyed killer, to kidnap Lola to use her as bait to catch Smoke. But Lola is girl with a past herself. She puts her experience to good use and now knows how to look after herself.
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Review:
This is an excellent debut crime novel from Patrick Quinlan. Smoke Duggan is a hard boiled character who does not try to explain away his old life in a criminal gang, but is haunted by his role in an incident which killed innocent women and children. His girlfriend, Lola, and her roommate, Pamela, are great characters. Lola is the sassy girl who has used the incidents in her past to good effect. The book opens with her successfully fighting off an attempted rape, which develops into an interesting subplot in the novel. Pamela, on the other hand, yearns for adventure. A desire that is soon fulfilled, much to her dismay. Cruz, the career criminal, begins the book as an unsympathetic hit man but evolves to a more complex character in contrast to the other criminals portrayed in the book. This is a great read and let's hope that the main characters reappear soon.