Born Scared by Kevin Brooks

Born Scared by Kevin Brooks - 247 pages

Elliot's whole entire life has been governed by fear, or the "beast" as he calls it.  The beast can be kept at bay by pills but it has made Elliot view his bedroom as the only safe place in the world.  On Christmas Eve a mix up at the Pharmacy causes a delay in his mother being able to get his pills which leads to a nightmare series of events for all involved.  This sounds like a horrible book of darkness that no one would want to dive into but its not.  Brooks takes us into Elliot's psyche so we understand his view of the world and the demons he is fighting to just try and make it through the night.  At times poignant and at times horrifying, this teen book reads like the best adult suspense novels.  I highly recommend it. 

The Drop by Dennis Lehane

The Drop by Dennis Lehane - 224 pages

Lehane returns to the neighborhood featured in Mystic River to tell the story of a lonely barman who rescues a puppy from a trashcan at Christmas and then finds a life no longer spent alone is filled with entanglements both romantic and criminal.  Lehane is awesome at atmosphere and populates a world with vividly flawed characters that seem very real.

I was intrigued to see that this book was made into a movie with James Gandolfini and Tom Hardy.  The still photos show that they used a ridiculously cute puppy and of course Tom Hardy is pretty easy on the eyes as well.

The Devil's Right Hand by J. D. Rhoades

The Devil's Right Hand by J. D. Rhoades - 288 pages

Ex-cons Dewayne and Leonard thought they had a foolproof plan.  Rob the old man at the construction site of the cash payroll and make a clean getaway.  Their first mistake was leaving the owner dead in the course of the robbery.  The owner's son is a violent drug dealer that vows vengeance on the murderers of his father and anyone who gets in his way.  Bounty hunter and military veteran Jack Keller is tasked with capturing Dewayne who has skipped bail on a previous charge.  Even Keller is thrown by the level of violence that ensues in the quest to bring Dewayne and Leonard to "justice".  This book is very gritty and starts out slow but the payoff is rewarding.  Keller is a tortured hero along the lines of Jack Reacher.