Dead Men Rise Up Never

Ron Faust has been writing thrillers for thirty years, and every one of them is entertaining. Many of his earlier books are collector's items and almost impossible to find. I was so glad to see something new from him. I bought this book on a Friday and finished it a few nights later. Wow! What fun--intelligent, witty, and almost impossible to put down. Interesting characters, some extremely tense scenes, and a satisfying ending . . . I loved it. Kind of a cross between Travis McGee and Matthew Hope, I think. I can't wait for the second novel in the series.

After working for years as a military police officer and as a civilian patrol officer Dan Shaw is a paralegal going at night to law school. He also serves subpoenas to people to make court appearances until his last mark beat him up and Dan then decided to earn money in a safer way. Lawyer Tom Petrie hires Dan to travel to Key Largo to find Peter Falconer who is due to inherit millions of dollars. He locates Peter's boat but the only thing on board is a shaved dead goat. A female body is found at the bottom of the sea.When Dan returns to Bell Harbor, Petrie informs him that Peter has been kidnapped and the perpetrators demand $750,000 for his return. When Dan arrives at the exchange location, he realizes the perpetrators are pirates who trade in drugs, illegal immigrants and military weapons. The exchange fails to happen because nobody makes contact with him. A new location is arranged. This time Petrie and Peter's sister accompanies him but they find themselves in a boatload of trouble when they and the money wind up in the pirates' hands.The juxtaposition of beautiful tropical locales with horrific crimes being committed there brings a visual starkness and a feeling of gritty surrealism to DEAD MEN RISE UP NEVER. The protagonist skates very close to the wrong side of the law when he gets pushed too far and readers will approve his actions because he seeks justice not blind obedience to the law. Ron Faust knows how to write a crime thriller that will keep readers coming back for more.Harriet Klausner