Anaconda Choke

April 1, 2015
After surviving his cage match with the formidable Zombi in Hook and Shoot (2012), Aaron Woodshed Wallace takes his talents to Rio de Janeiro in Brown's third installment of the mixed-martial-arts-thriller series. Wallace is looking forward to his Brazil trip: he has a fight with a legitimate title contender, he is helping his friend Jairo Arcoverde prepare for his cage-match debut, and he will reunite with his love, Marcela, Jairo's sister. Unfortunately, things go awry quickly as Wallace learns that a Brazilian crime lord has his sights on Marcela, a situation that leads to multiple fights with a host of bad guys. Brown effectively combines crisp action sequences detailing the intricacies of Brazilian jujitsu with a smart and entertaining narration featuring Wallace's self-deprecating humor. There is plenty of action here for MMA fans, but Brown's fast-paced and engaging style also lends itself to anyone who enjoys a raucous thriller fraught with eccentric characters and formidable enemies.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)