The Last Straw by Ed Duncan ~ A Review

by MK French

A teenage girl named Sandra witnessed a carjacking gone wrong. The boy was an inner city kid with no priors, coaxed into it, yet somehow a hitman is after the girl. Paul Elliott is a lawyer and was a friend of the girl's father, and has some history with Rico, the enforcer that had refused to kill the girl. The two team up to protect her, especially once they find out that the boy's biological father is the crime boss trying to kill the girl.
Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

December 2017; 978-1973444008
ebook, print (227 pages); crime, suspense

The Last Straw is a sequel to Pigeon Blood Red (read my review), where we first meet Rico, Paul, and Evelyn. There's a plot thread with Rico and Jean, which opens the book and shows us that Rico is still just as ruthless and deadly as ever. Paul is still the thoughtful man he was from the first novel, sure that its events are over and no longer haunting him. Because of those events, however, he thought that he was the target of the attempted assassination. Rico and his rival D'Angelo know full well that they're not good people but aren't bothered by it. If anything, there's a sense of professional pride in the rivalry, and Rico treats it with the same matter of fact style he does everything else.

In comparison to Pigeon Blood Red, the secondary plot threads don't seem to run as fast as the main one in this novel. They all finally twist together into a single cohesive story in the final quarter of the book, at which point it's consistent and steady movement. The action is fast-paced and doesn't shy away from any of the seamier side of gangs and criminal activity. There aren't many innocent characters in this book, but the ending ties everything together neatly and in ways that the characters all deserve.

Buy The Last Straw at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and golden retriever.

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