Point Doom
Fante’s new revenge thriller revisits the dark mix of anger and alcoholism so prevalent in his well-received Bruno Dante series. JD Fiorella’s last binge wrecked his life pretty thoroughly, but now, thanks to AA and his buddy Woody, he has a new job and is slowly paddling toward solvency. Unfortunately, those AA meetings haven’t mellowed JD’s anger, and a road-rage incident leads to the destruction of his newly ordered life. In rapid succession, his car is torched, and he’s booted from the new job. Then he visits Woody’s apartment and finds his friend murdered.JD is a loyal guy, and he uses his hunger for revenge and his wealth of PI experience (acquired before his bingeing days) to hunt the killer. Point Doom is all about suspense; JD’s investigative experience is valuable, but his impulsiveness and anger regularly eliminate that advantage. Fante seasons the story with a steady flow of inventive violence, but, in the end, it’s JD’s self-sacrificing loyalty that will win over readers. --Christine Tran