Nick Borman doesn’t advertise. He doesn’t have to. He made his rep busting high-ranking US Army officers who were leaking secrets. He’s picky about who he works for.These days, he keeps secrets safe for corporate clients. Now, a client wants his help solving a murder. He says he doesn’t trust anyone else. Borman doesn’t like getting involved in murder investigations. He would like to say no, but … He would like to say no, but there’s not a chance in hell he’s going to be able to.
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We have corruption, contract killings, bent cops and an interfering reporter. A great premise for a tale and it starts with action which caught my attention. The first victim is connected to power, but from the right side of the fence. Cue – Nick Borman – investigator.
I liked the characterisation, the plot, and some of the imagery. Several of the action scenes were well thought out and delivered. I’m afflicted by watching for detail, so if something doesn’t ring true, it jars. There was no jarring in this story.
I’m not a fan of the changing point of view, but that’s one of those personal reading preference things. Many people see an alternating POV as a good stylistic move. It’s a difficult technique to pull off successfully, but this author has done so.
There is an indication of the main character returning … and he’s strong enough to capture a following.
A well-crafted thriller that hits the ground running!
A cracking debut thriller that really hits the ground running. I particularly liked the way the author preceded the main story with a dramatic event. The main protagonist, Nick Borman, is a private investigator in the murky world of high-tech big business and industrial espionage. Highly skilled at what he does, and able to handle himself too, Nick makes for a formidable character.
Nick Borman is asked to investigate the death of an investigative reporter, Terry Reynolds. It’s a little out of his usual line of work and comfort zone, but out of family and professional loyalty, he reluctantly agrees. He soon discovers there’s a lot more to Terry’s death than the official police report would suggest.
This is quite a complex story involving political and police corruption aligned with shady property deals which put Nick up against some serious and nasty characters, including a particularly ruthless professional killer. Despite its complexity though, the author makes the unfolding story surprisingly easy to follow and keep up with.
Overall, a good solid page-turning thriller. The action is fast-paced with excellent use of realistic dialogue, has just the right level of violence without over-doing it, and the author keeps things relatively simple without trying to impress or step into the realms of high-brow literature. It’s not an easy trick to pull off and not always a popular one, but I liked too the way the author switched the points of view between the main character and the overall one. I’ll definitely be reading Book Two in this Nick Borman series.
Robert LaLonde “THE BORMAN FACTOR”
***** A Real Page-Turner
This was such a good, no-nonsense murder mystery! Starting off with a punch, a self-satisfied man, a “fixer,” is doing what he likes best: killing. From there we go along with Nick Borman, hired to find out why his friend’s son-in-law, a journalist, was brutally knocked off and why the police department refuses to call it anything else but suicide. Corporate espionage, the Intel High Tech world, shady real estate deals, Russian mafia collecting on gambling debts, and blackmail are some of the areas LaLonde touches on, as we hang on tight for this thrilling ride and realize that it might all boil down to a card game with high stakes for low-principled players. Excellent storytelling!