Red Right Hand

Starred review from July 25, 2016
Near the start of Holm’s explosive and timely sequel to 2015’s The Killing Kind, a tourist taking photos with his daughter’s cell phone manages to capture not only a terrorist attack on the Golden Gate Bridge but also the image of an older man thought long dead by both the FBI and the shadowy criminal organization known as the Council. Frank Segreti gave evidence against the Council seven years earlier and—allegedly—got blown up for his troubles. Now he’s back, and FBI special agent Charlie Thompson knows that the only person who can protect him and lead her to the Council is one of the Bureau’s most wanted. Enter hit man Michael Hendricks, who’s been gunning to take down the Council ever since it dispatched its own hit man to take him out and his best friend got caught in the crossfire. While Charlie begins investigating a Syrian group claiming responsibility for the Golden Gate attack, Michael travels to San Francisco to find Frank amid the law enforcement mayhem. Holm expertly balances weighty issues of national security with more intimate personal losses, and makes it clear that the best stories happen in the gray area between good and evil. Agent: David Gernert, Gernert Company.

Narrator John Glouchevitch's deep, rich, slightly breathy voice works for thrillers. He conveys suspense especially well. This is the second in Holm's series about a hit man who kills other hit men. It revolves around an apparent terrorist attack on San Francisco and includes a panoply of Bay Area touches. While peppered with violence, the story isn't jarringly gruesome. Instead, Holm gives listeners well-crafted, sometimes lengthy descriptions and shadowy global conspiracies. Glouchevitch's pacing is good, if occasionally a little slow. His dialogue voices all sound similar (except for the real villains) but aren't difficult to identify. They'll keep listeners engaged. F.C. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine