Friday, June 7, 2013

Brothers and Bones / James Hankins


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller

Approximate word count: 130-135,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

A screenwriter turned Boston lawyer, James Hankins now lives north of Boston, where he devotes his time to writing and raising his family. He has two other books available for your favorite eReader.
For more, visit Hankins’ website.

Description:

“Federal prosecutor Charlie Beckham's life turns upside down when a deranged homeless man calls him by a secret nickname known by only one other person in the world—Charlie's brother, who's been missing for thirteen years. Charlie needs answers, and his search for them will take him down Boston's darkest streets, into its blackest alleys, and right into the heart of the city's criminal underworld.”

Appraisal:

When their parents died, Charlie Beckham’s older brother, Jake, fought for custody and devoted himself to making sure Charlie had every opportunity he needed to become a success. Now an up and coming federal prosecutor in the US Attorney’s office, Charlie has achieved that success in his career. He’s engaged to an intelligent woman who coincidentally is his boss’s daughter. Yet he is still haunted by the disappearance of Jake thirteen years ago. When a homeless man calls him a secret nickname only known by Jake, it sends Charlie down the rabbit hole, in search of answers.

The premise is a good one and, given Charlie’s loyalty to Jake, his single-mindedness in trying to find answers, even when his actions are clearly going to cause him trouble, are easy to believe. The character development of the major players in this story seems to go deeper than with a typical thriller, but the more complex characterization didn’t feel like it slowed the story down. It’s a rollercoaster ride as Charlie uncovers a conspiracy that goes well beyond anything he imagined.

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.


Rating: **** Four stars

3 comments:

Vicki said...

Another book for my burgeoning to-read pile. :)

The title and premise alone were enough to spark my interest. The review was the clincher.

Vicki said...

And I can't be only one sold -- it's currently #51 Paid in Kindle Store!

BooksAndPals said...

This one does seem like a good fit for you Vicki, but I think your TBR pile might be taller than mine. :)