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Gregg Hurwitz's Tim Rackley is an intriguing, solid and at times unpredictable character, a deputy U.S. Marshal who is just this side of believable and almost larger than life. LAST SHOT, Hurwitz's latest work, brings the conflict between Rackley's duty to uphold the law and his personal feelings front and center.
The book begins with an up close and personal look inside Terminal Island Penitentiary, which ends in a daring and ingenious escape. Walker Jameson, the escapee who draws Rackley into the chase, is a dishonored marine who had seen action on several war fronts before being convicted of weapon profiteering. Jameson's escape is quite puzzling. Given that he had been serving his prison sentence without incident and was due to be released in a year, it doesn't make sense for him to do such a thing now. There is also the "how" behind the escape. The process by which Rackley solves the mystery of Jameson's prison break plan is classic and in some ways is my favorite part of LAST SHOT.
Having determined the method of Jameson's escape, Rackley must then figure out Jameson's motivation. The only intervening event in Jameson's life is the apparent suicide of his sister Tess, an occurrence that was at odds with her behavior. As Rackley slowly and methodically uncovers the circumstances behind Tess's death, Jameson, always a step or two ahead, unleashes a vengeful storm of death across Los Angeles. The intriguing element here is that Jameson isn't wrong --- not by a long shot --- and Hurwitz walks a taut tightrope, keeping the reader's sympathies in flux between cheering Jameson on and waiting for the ultimate confrontation between him and Rackley.
LAST SHOT is full of subtle comparisons and contrasts that nicely balance the riveting action and suspense that have been the trademarks of Hurwitz's previous Rackley novels. Rackley has achieved a domestic peace of sorts, falling into the role of an overprotective father who requires the balance and wisdom of his wife, a former peace officer herself. Even though his professional life is chaotic, Rackley seeks --- requires --- the quiet and stability of his home life, wishing (sometimes desperately) to compartmentalize one from the other.
If there is a weakness in LAST SHOT, it is the ultimate villain of the piece --- the pharmaceutical industry --- which has become an easy, predictable and questionable target in all too many novels. This is a minor quibble, however. The combination of Hurwitz's riveting narrative and sympathetic characterizations will keep you reading at breakneck speed from explosive beginning to poignant end, and wanting more.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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