FIRETRAP

5 stars out of 5

For my reading pleasure, nothing makes me happier than a good old shoot- 'em-up police story with no annoying flashbacks in time or character perspective - just a straightforward investigation with plenty of action. And when the main character is as, well, unorthodox as Washington, D.C.-based Marko Zorn, it's a special treat. I've read the first two in the series, and my reaction to both was exactly the same (this one, the third, can be read as a standalone, though).

This one begins as Marko, who's almost always at odds with his department superiors, visits a grisly scene at which a human has been incinerated along with the car in which he (or she) was sitting. As what's left of the body is extricated from the ashes, Marko is called elsewhere: Sister Grace, elderly leader of a sort of Washington crime underworld, wants to see him immediately. It's not a request, but a command; and when he's escorted in to see her, she issues another one: Marko is to rid the city of a rival criminal element that is bringing in a deadly drug known as Speedball - thereby encroaching on Sister Grace's territory and giving her neighborhood a bad name.

When it turns out that the body in the car belongs to a biochemist who owned a prominent drug company, some of the puzzle pieces begin to fall into place; this leads to discovery of an off-label and extremely dangerous drug produced by a company owned by two elderly - and elusive - twin brothers. Marko's drive to find the twins for a "come to Jesus" meeting is fraught with danger, especially after he discovers their possible connection to the theft of a priceless work of art.

Yes, it's a rather complicated story, but one that's quite easy to follow and hard to put down. Will Marko once again emerge triumphant, or will he finally push the patience of the powers-that-be over the line with his unorthodox methods? Well, you'll just have to read the book to find out as I did. Now I'm looking forward to the next installment, and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of this one. Well done once again!

Firetrap by Otho Eskin (Oceanview Publishing, January 2024); 276 pp.