Reads like a cold bullet out of Hell. Taut, razor sharp prose; tough ferocious heroes and even more ferocious villains. Imagine the bastard stepchild of Jim Thompson and Mickey Spillane fighting the good fight on the edge of the socioeconomic abyss. Yet above the bleakness, violence, and viciousness aimed at the weak and defenseless, there’s a glimmer of hope. Burke, the hero of these novels, offers that hope, especially when the law can’t or won’t help those who need it the most.