by James Elliott

Three fascinating, fully fleshed central characters make James Elliott's new thriller take off and fly. Jack Kirby is a New York cop assigned to guard the memorable body of high-priced call girl Nicole Bass after she watches a cold-eyed, dapper mob boss named Vincent Genero take some very nasty revenge on a crooked accountant. Kirby is a believably flawed cop, attracted to the equally credible Nicole, and Genero--who starts out as a John Gotti clone--quickly becomes one of the best-drawn fictional mobsters since The Godfather. Elliott, as he proved in his excellent first thriller (Cold, Cold Heart, available in paperback), also knows how to create action scenes that grab you by the buttons and don't let go.