The Replacements [Paperback]

Michael Connelly is a fan, callingThe Replacements: ...gritty street poem recited by a voice unalterably committed to redemption and doing the right thing in a wrong world.

Bruno Johnson, ex-detective with Los Angeles County Sheriff s Department and an ex-convict, is hiding out from the FBI in Costa Rica, tending bar to support eight children he illegally rescued from abusive homes. Partway through a normal day, Barbara Wicks, a former colleague and the chief of police for Montclair, California, walks into his bar. Bruno is shocked to the core. Is she there to arrest him and take him back to California? Turns out shes there to request Brunos help. Two children have been kidnapped.

The kidnapper, Jonas Mabry, was himself a victim whom Bruno rescued as a small child. Now Mabry demands a fools retribution, a million-dollar ransom, and Bruno to put his life on the line to get the money. In this twisted turn of fate, Bruno returns as a wanted criminal to California. Despite the risk of arrest and even his life, he cannot turn his back on these kids.

The Midwest Book Review

Putnam steadily ratchets up the tension, while memorable supporting characters, like the courageous Marie, help engage reader interest.

Publishers Weekly

Harsh, brutal, violentBruno is not averse to employing a bit of the aforementioned in his efforts to get him closer to the missing kids. So probably not a book for the faint-hearted.

I loved it myself. & great characters with heart, doses of humour and plenty of action. Unlikely characters, such as Karl Drago  our whale-like bank rolCs