Call Me Sonny

This was really something special. I'm a fan of crime fiction that usually skews towards the literary (whatever that means) though still love a good old fashioned thriller. This has all the usual tropes - a former FBI agent turned PI with a troubled past, shady businessmen, drug runners, hitmen, plus the Florida Keys setting. Could be good, or it could be a cliched paint by numbers story. I love a breezy beach read, but often the writing and the story aren't up to par.

But this book grabbed me. It hits the expected beats, but it is put together in such a sharp way. The pacing is great, the characters are believable, and the author manages to shift POVs and juggle two plot lines without getting bogged down in the minutiae.

You have some legal and technical info dumps, but they're part of the allure of the genre for me and they're done with a ring of authenticity here. The writing is clean and effective, and keeps the story barrelling along. I really enjoyed the origin story of Travis Conway and The Network in particular.

With an ending like the one here, I'm hoping this becomes a new series. I'm a fan.

Bryce Chandler makes a great lead character in Call Me Sonny, a novel by former FBI Agent Steve Lazarus. It rings true both in the courtroom and in the streets...and yes, even in the bureaucracy. I am a fan of crime stories with courtroom drama and Call Me Sonny is a worthy addition to my collection.
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This the author’s debut in the mystery/thriller genre, it exceeded all my expectations. It’s also the first of a new series that I look forward to more of. In the plot there has been a string of seemingly unconnected and apparently professional hits on a Judge, a Federal prosecutor and a Federal correctional officer. The protagonist, Bryce, is a private investigator in the Florida Keys tailing a wealthy, cheating husband whose wife wants her half of everything. Opposing counsel, Ashley Oliver, represents the sleazy, wealthy husband. Bryce used to be a FBI agent in Atlanta before alcohol cost him that job and his wife. His fall left him chasing lowlifes and snapping pics of adultery. His best friend, Donnie, from those days remains an ally. FBI Agent Greg Peoples was never a friend, only caring about advancing himself. Now Bryce and Donnie are running an off the books investigation into the targeted hits without People’s knowledge.
As Bryce stumbles into more questions than answers the case expands to multiple agencies and participants. There are snitches, confidential informants, safe houses, authorities on the take, dirty cops, enforcers, the Cartel and all manner of criminal lowlifes. It is a complex plot where discerning who’s a good guy and who’s dirty is a challenge. The character development was well paced and I had no problem following all the high octane action. My biggest problem was that I couldn’t read fast enough. The final twist blew all my theories and suspects out of the water. It will leave you wondering what just happened. If you enjoy crime thrillers I highly recommend you read this one. This author knows how to construct a plot that grabs you.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “Call Me Sonny” A Bryce Chandler Crime Thriller (volume 1), by Steve Lazarus, published by Boyle & Dalton. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without any compensation.