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Saturday, April 4, 2020

Review: The Heartless by David Putnam

49212836. sy475 Synopsis: Former LA County Deputy Bruno Johnson is now a bailiff in the courts having stepped down from his role on the Violent Crimes Team to spend more time with his daughter, Olivia. Bruno fears his job decision may have come too late when he gets a frantic call to extricate Olivia from a gunpoint situation in a LA gang-infested neighborhood. His desperation escalates when he realizes Louis Barkow, a stone-cold killer awaiting trial, had orchestrated that deadly tableau. When Barkow and three other criminals break out of jail and hit the streets, Bruno is plunged back into violent crime mode. Now, the agenda is personal—Olivia has become a pawn in the desperate chase of this sinister murderer. The walls are caving in on Bruno as violence escalates in his hunt for Barkow and his heart strings are stretched to the breaking point as he struggles to protect his daughter not only from the criminal violence swirling around them, but from Olivia’s own impetuous life choices.


So this was number seven in a series - and this is where I started.

For me there was no real connection with the character of Bruno as I had come late to the party, and Olivia, quite frankly needed a good kick up the proverbial. However, I liked the fact this this was based on real events when the author himself was a cop in the Violent Crimes Unit in 1995 - this adds authenticity to the storyline which I appreciated. I would love to have known the actual crime this was based on as I conduct follow up research when a topic strikes my fancy.

I think it is best to start with the first in a series and work your way up from then. I am sure had a done so, my affinity with the character of Bruno may have differed.


further adventures of Bruno Johnson

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