Hard Stop

March 2, 2009
Sam Acquillo, who left his job as head of the Technical Services and Support Division of Con Globe for the humdrum life of a skilled carpenter in the Hamptons, is still a magnet for trouble in Knopf’s rewarding fourth mystery (after 2008’s Head Wounds
). George Donovan, Con Globe’s chairman of the board, tries a carrot and stick approach to get Acquillo to find his missing girlfriend, Iku Kinjo, a “brilliant and compelling” consultant. Half of that ploy works, and Acquillo is drawn back into the deadly machinations of corporate intrigue, where the payoff may be wealth or death. Knopf blends familiar elements (cop ally; cop nemesis; bad ex-wife; beautiful, independent girlfriend) in unusually pleasing fashion and adds plenty of original touches as well. Aside from his surprising computer illiteracy, Acquillo is a savvy operator who loves problem solving and has the tenacity of a pit bull. His penchant for intriguing predicaments bodes well for a long and successful series.

Fans of Knopf's Sam Aquillo series will not be disappointed by this compelling thriller in which their hero is drawn back into the secretive world of Con Globe by company head George Donovan. While Aquillo believes his responsibility lies in locating Donovan's missing lover, there's (naturally) more than meets the eye to this particular assignment. Narrator Richard Ferrone reins in his powerful voice to deliver a modestly restrained reading that captures Aquillo's yearning for the simple life he has left behind. Ferrone masters his emotions, knowing when to break out in a blind rage and when to quietly allow Aquillo's inner demons to haunt his soul. L.B. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine