Review: Humdinger of a Thriller
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 19, 2013
I'd read two other Russell Blake books a couple of months ago, King of Swords and one of the Jet books, and loved them. So when I was looking for a thriller that would be a sure thing, to escape from a week of nonstop mind-numbing work, I checked out this new one that I'd heard about, Blood of the Assassin. I was not disappointed.One of Blake's several strengths is in structure and plotting. There is never much dead space between action scenes, yet there is no gratuitous action, either. It all fits together like a smoothly flowing narrative unfolding. You can't put it down.Another thing I've come to admire in Blake's work is his knowledge of international locales, especially south of the border. The different levels of bureaucracy in the Mexican police system would be impenetrable to most of us, but he makes the intricacies of the Mexican intelligence agency working with the Federal Police and the local constabulary into a gripping story.This was the second book in which I came across Cartel Task Force Leader Romero Cruz and his second in command, Lieutenant Briones. Cruz is a full-fledged suffering three-dimensional character, and his pain and frustration and occasional moments of joy carry the story just as much as the action.Blake achieves just the right mix between a humdinger of a thriller plot and interesting and sympathetic characters. I achieved my well-earned escape, if only for a few hours. Now back to the real world of work and chores.