No Mercy
By John Gilstrap
Pinnacle, $6.99
ISBN: 978-0-7860-2087-4

On the surface, Jonathan "Digger" Grave is a private investigator for Security Solutions. In reality, he is “Scorpion,” a former Special Forces soldier and problem solver for hire employed by the government and those willing to pay for extreme solutions. His last assignment ended with the rescue of young college music major Stephen Hughes and death of the takers, one of whom has ties to an environmental extremist group. The real mess though, comes when Jonathan is met at the airport by his ex-wife Ellen begging for help tracking down Tibor Rothman, an investigative reporter and the man who replaced Jonathan and even instigated a lawsuit against him on Ellen's behalf. Unknown to Jonathan, the small-town sheriff who also happens to be a former FBI agent is determined to bring in the man responsible for the shooting deaths in her town even though she suspects that he was a rescuer on the side of the angels.

Before he can even begin investigating into Tibor’s disappearance Jonathan is shocked and infuriated when Tibor is found brutally murdered and Ellen tortured and raped. Despite the pleadings of his college roommate, best friend, and priest Dominic D’Angelo and office computer guru Venice Alexander Jonathan embarks on a mission of retaliation with the aid of Boxers, a massive pilot and soldier who questions the righteousness of his actions. Additional brutal murders connected to Stephen Hughes and his family lead Security Solutions to a confrontation that is nothing short of a full-out war.

The bestselling author of Nathan's Run, John Gilstrap has written another unrelenting thriller that manages to combine action, humor, and very compelling characters. While at times Gilstrap seems to toe the line with stereotypical thriller characters (a socioapathic partner who does the dirty work, a by-the-book sheriff who shares a background with Jonathan yet who is his polar opposite, a priest friend who acts as Jonathan's conscience) he manages to surprise readers by forcing the characters to make choices that challenge their moral beliefs. No Mercy is a very exciting thriller for fans of Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, and John Sandford, and Jonathan and Sheriff Gail Bonneville are individuals whose new directions in life foreshadow very promising and riveting futures.

Review by CINDY CHOW

©2009 Lorie Ham. All rights reserved.