If you want to stay alive, you better know the rules . . .
Natalia Mayne said, “What’s the first rule?”
“Fear nothing,” I said.
“You have any more?”
“Do unto them before they do unto you.”
“Really?”
”And you don’t owe the truth to people who lie.”
“I’ve never met anybody like you.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
Mike Romeo is an ex-cage fighter living off the grid in L.A. Running from a dark guilt … an ex-cage fighter living off the grid in L.A. Running from a dark guilt that dogs him, he’s finally found a place where he can rest and even heal.
Then a church blows up. And with it all of Romeo’s hopes to be left alone. When he stops to help an injured woman whose kids are missing, someone decides to put a target on his back.
But whoever wants him dead picked the wrong guy. Because Romeo has rules––and he’s going to make them stick.
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Although I only gave it 3 stars, I enjoyed it. It was not great literature, but is mindless fun and I liked the lead character . I would read another in the series.
It was a good book, but not great.
I kept waiting for it to get better – it didn’t!
Thought provoking and thought filled. A literary son of John MacDonald. And heir of Travis McGee.
It’s rare to have a character that is actually educated!
Well done!
I’m reading this for the second time, what a great read, a good story filled with witty clips and so easy to “get into” the characters.
James Scott Bell is right up ther with John Grisham in my book (haha! Pun intended). This Mike Romeo series is a bit different than his former novels, but once again, he pulls it off with style & intrigue. I finished the book in 2 nights & immediately started the next one, Romeo’s Way.
This book is fast paced w/ a twist at the end, as every good thriller should have. It has violence, but it’s balanced by the main character’s references to classics and Latin quotes. Romeo is quite the philosopher in addition to being an unwilling crusader for justice. I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn’t see the end coming.
My first read of James Scott Bell. Fantastic! Enjoyed the story, the adventure and the characters. This one is hard to put down. Anxious for more.
i liked the main character.
Twisty
Incredible prose and excellent characters. He even manages to show low-life elements without being explicit or glib. The epitome of show-not-tell writing. 10/10.
Another page turning hit by James Scott Bell. Couldn’t put it down!
Ordinarily, I read mysteries & thrillers as a form of mind candy — a treat that I can consume & not have to dissect later — at times when real life stresses are too prevalent. However, this story has been a treat in a different way. Its noir-like, hard-boiled existentialism is funny, erudite, & smart-ass simultaneously.
Bell stays in protagonist Romeo’s head the entire story, keeping it firmly in Romeo’s perspective. There are few chapter demarcations to indicate when the scene changes, yet Bell makes the transitions smoothly, & the story keeps flowing chronologically with pertinent flashbacks, musings, & exquisite pacing.
It is a good read, good entertainment for people who like to stretch their mind. I’d read this author’s work again.
A fun read…stretches the realms of reality a little but not enough to detract from it.
Good story and a unique main character.
Good plot made it interesting.
Weird. I didn’t finish it.
Surprise ending!
This was a good book, the hero is a bit unusual but very enjoyable. Overall an entertaining book.
I loved the writing – intelligent and funny. Romeo is a terrific protagonist.
If you like fast paced and a lot of action, this book is for you. I personally did not enjoy all of the brutality.