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Nicholas Colt #2
Pocket-47
Fifteen-year-old Brittney Ryan has taken to the streets. Leitha, her older sister and legal guardian, hires private investigator Nicholas Colt to find her and bring her home. Piece of cake, Colt thinks. With Brittney's forbidden boyfriend's address in hand, he plans to make a surprise visit and put this one in the scrapbook. But something more sinister is behind Brittney's disappearance, and Colt soon finds himself in an ever-widening maze of deceit, betrayal, and murder. When Colt learns what the mysterious phrase Pocket-47 means, he is haunted even more by the plane crash that killed his family and rock band twenty years ago-a crash he now realizes might not have been an accident. Determined to save Brittney, Colt struggles to untangle the threads of his own tortured past. Unfortunately, one of the most heinous and violent criminals in modern history has other ideas.
222 pages, Hardcover
First published April 22, 2011
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407 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
January 8, 2024
Pocket-47 begins with a seldomly-employed, rarely-compensated Private Investigator (Nicholas Colt) accepting an apparently run-of-the-mill case. Despite Colt's prickly personality and unapologetic smart-aleck comments and mannerisms, he quickly becomes endearing to the reader. His passion and commitment to his new client allow glimpses of the kind and generous heart Colt has tried so hard to harden.
It becomes apparent that the case is so much more than Colt could have imagined. As the body count increases and the plot thickens, the fast pace of this story takes him back to times he's tried to forget. He accepts that things aren't often as they appear; accidents are often carefully orchestrated disasters and regardless of how ignorant the "reasoning" is, people will still follow.
I enjoyed this book tremendously. It grabbed me and pulled me in quickly and it was tough to put down. I thought that it was well written with charasmatic main characters, the perfect number of supporting characters and the amount of detail provided for each character was spot-on. The story wrapped up nicely, leaving no loose ends and not dragging out long after I stopped caring. The horror in this story is so real that this was a bit scarier than I expected, in addition to being an outstanding mystery. I will look forward to reading more by Jude Hardin.
It becomes apparent that the case is so much more than Colt could have imagined. As the body count increases and the plot thickens, the fast pace of this story takes him back to times he's tried to forget. He accepts that things aren't often as they appear; accidents are often carefully orchestrated disasters and regardless of how ignorant the "reasoning" is, people will still follow.
I enjoyed this book tremendously. It grabbed me and pulled me in quickly and it was tough to put down. I thought that it was well written with charasmatic main characters, the perfect number of supporting characters and the amount of detail provided for each character was spot-on. The story wrapped up nicely, leaving no loose ends and not dragging out long after I stopped caring. The horror in this story is so real that this was a bit scarier than I expected, in addition to being an outstanding mystery. I will look forward to reading more by Jude Hardin.
August 9, 2011
This book had me hooked right from the start. Nicholas Colt was a happy, successful musician, until the day he lost his band, his wife, and his baby daughter in a plane crash. He survives and somehow stumbles into a less than stellar career as a private investigator. When he is hired to find a fifteen-year-old runaway, he expects the case to be quick and easy money. But each step he takes drags him deeper into a tangled mess.
Nicholas is flawed and driven by emotions even he refuses to acknowledge. I connected to his story and couldn't help but hope for him to come out on the winning side. The mystery and suspense kept me guessing. Just when I thought the plot had reached the point where the story had to wrap up, something else happened and took me in a new direction. This is a dazzling first book by Jude Hardin. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
** I received this ebook as a review copy from Oceanview Publishing, via NetGalley. **
Nicholas is flawed and driven by emotions even he refuses to acknowledge. I connected to his story and couldn't help but hope for him to come out on the winning side. The mystery and suspense kept me guessing. Just when I thought the plot had reached the point where the story had to wrap up, something else happened and took me in a new direction. This is a dazzling first book by Jude Hardin. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
** I received this ebook as a review copy from Oceanview Publishing, via NetGalley. **
August 12, 2011
Pocket-47 by Jude Hardin introduces us to Nicholas Colt, a stylish private eye, in this searing bullet of a novel. It’s a quick 222 page slice of tough Florida life and also a descent into a private compound of white supremacists where the murder of innocents and the drugging of the inhabitants is de rigueur. In any PI book, there are three essentials, characters, plot and dialogue. This book scores a 10 in each category. A rare triple play.
Colt is a down on his luck PI, who used to be a great guitarist in a hot band, but his band and family were blown up in a freak accident. He is tough, witty and a real piece of work. He is not afraid to break the rules.
PI novels are a bedrock of literature. The solo man ‘s quest to solve the mystery and in the process vanquish his foes must resonate among us, because the bookshelves are full of them. This novel has depth and great dialogue. It should be at the top of your to read list.
Colt is living in a trailer park gutting some fish when he is approached by Leithia Ryan, a cute blonde nurse, to find her 15 year old sister Brittany, who she is raising by herself. Brittney used to be taken care of by the Spiveys, a doctor and his wife in a nice house, where she got free tennis lessons, but Leithia is now raising the girl herself. Brittney still gets lessons from the Spiveys tennis pro. Brittney has runaway from home, and the Spiveys have not seen her. Leitha tells Colt that she forbid Brittney to see her 19 year old boyfriend and found her sister gone.
Colt however does not find Brittney with the ex boyfriend, but tracks her down to the pad of a huge pimp named Duck. He takes her home. While there Brittney says she ran away because someone is after her and wants her dead. Colt is unbelieving. That night he sees a mystery car outside his place and tails it. On his return, Colt finds Brittney gone. Leithia is then murdered in a particularly vicious manner setting Colt on a manhunt for the girl again. Colt tracks the mystery car to a dealership, which apparently is a front for an illegal car theft operation. Colt is captured and almost dies, but escapes, with the help of Massengill, an ex roadie from his band, now turned cop sniper.
After questioning the surviving felon Beeler with a nasty bit of Chinese toothpick torture, Colt is told about Pocket 47, a myth about a how bad things happen to people by bad people by sabotage or other means. Beeler also alludes to Colt’s family being blown up, which sets to Colt thinking there is more to their death than an accident.
Soon Colt will tie other people in Brittney's life to her disappearance.
Ultimately, Colt links a tattoo on Beeler to another tattoo and finally to a nasty white supremacist compound, where Colt must confront a gang of ruthless killers.
In between there are twisty plot lines and great action. The book was unputdownable.
Highly recommended for all thriller fans. Jude Hardin is going places. Get on the bus now at the beginning.
Colt is a down on his luck PI, who used to be a great guitarist in a hot band, but his band and family were blown up in a freak accident. He is tough, witty and a real piece of work. He is not afraid to break the rules.
PI novels are a bedrock of literature. The solo man ‘s quest to solve the mystery and in the process vanquish his foes must resonate among us, because the bookshelves are full of them. This novel has depth and great dialogue. It should be at the top of your to read list.
Colt is living in a trailer park gutting some fish when he is approached by Leithia Ryan, a cute blonde nurse, to find her 15 year old sister Brittany, who she is raising by herself. Brittney used to be taken care of by the Spiveys, a doctor and his wife in a nice house, where she got free tennis lessons, but Leithia is now raising the girl herself. Brittney still gets lessons from the Spiveys tennis pro. Brittney has runaway from home, and the Spiveys have not seen her. Leitha tells Colt that she forbid Brittney to see her 19 year old boyfriend and found her sister gone.
Colt however does not find Brittney with the ex boyfriend, but tracks her down to the pad of a huge pimp named Duck. He takes her home. While there Brittney says she ran away because someone is after her and wants her dead. Colt is unbelieving. That night he sees a mystery car outside his place and tails it. On his return, Colt finds Brittney gone. Leithia is then murdered in a particularly vicious manner setting Colt on a manhunt for the girl again. Colt tracks the mystery car to a dealership, which apparently is a front for an illegal car theft operation. Colt is captured and almost dies, but escapes, with the help of Massengill, an ex roadie from his band, now turned cop sniper.
After questioning the surviving felon Beeler with a nasty bit of Chinese toothpick torture, Colt is told about Pocket 47, a myth about a how bad things happen to people by bad people by sabotage or other means. Beeler also alludes to Colt’s family being blown up, which sets to Colt thinking there is more to their death than an accident.
Soon Colt will tie other people in Brittney's life to her disappearance.
Ultimately, Colt links a tattoo on Beeler to another tattoo and finally to a nasty white supremacist compound, where Colt must confront a gang of ruthless killers.
In between there are twisty plot lines and great action. The book was unputdownable.
Highly recommended for all thriller fans. Jude Hardin is going places. Get on the bus now at the beginning.
October 9, 2017
Wow! Really very good. If you like the hardboiled stuff give this a try. Two novels worth of action in one book. Suspense, violence, mystery, and a great hero who makes the occasional mistake. Plus, laugh out loud humor in high tension moments, just like real life. A blast from start to finish.
April 12, 2021
Nicholas Colt returns.
Things were never as they seemed to be for me. Every time I thought I had everything figured out something happened that changed everything.
A good read.
Things were never as they seemed to be for me. Every time I thought I had everything figured out something happened that changed everything.
A good read.
May 2, 2011
Longer ago then I would like to remember I picked up a book with an odd name. I read it. I loved it. I told my mother she had to read this author as well. She read it. She loved it. The book was “The Godwulf Manuscript” and the author ended up writing a few more books, all of which I devoured, and loved, along with the rest of Robert B. Parker’s works.
The late Parker, and the amazingly productive Lawrence Block who writes, amongst other series, those about the fascinating Matthew Scudder, gave us two of the most interesting Private Investigators since the days of Phillip Marlowe. Not hard-boiled dicks, but hard enough to be secure in those times when they were not hard; a new breed of detective.
Parker will be missed, and Block doesn’t write enough pages (or enough of his “own” stuff) anymore for me to be as excited as I used to be by his new offerings. Jude Hardin may very well fill that gap. His novel Pocket-47 introduces Nicholas Colt, a PI with the requisite diverse and troubled past. Yet, there are no clichés here, and the dialogue is well above average.
The plot is good, a variation on a theme, “Find missing youth, realize there is more to the story. Bond. Roadblock Have to fix things because it is the right thing to do,” yet also different enough that very little of the story was telegraphed. I was a tad taken aback when there was –more- to the story which, at first, seemed to come out of the blue, but it was a good enough “next part” that I soon forgot my “Huh?” and went along for the very enjoyable ride.
This is definitely series material, and I will very much look forward to watching Colt grow and mature, along with some of the sidekicks we know will be there by his side. I will not only be reading all future releases, but I’ll be recommending to friends (and my mother, of course).
The only downside? Starting a series with a character already in his 40s means he will have to age out and slow down too quickly! Let us not have him age in real time, all right?
This was really a fantastic read. Don’t miss the beginning of the next best thing.
(Thank you to Jude Hardin, who was kind enough to allow me to read a pre-release copy of Pocket-47.)
The late Parker, and the amazingly productive Lawrence Block who writes, amongst other series, those about the fascinating Matthew Scudder, gave us two of the most interesting Private Investigators since the days of Phillip Marlowe. Not hard-boiled dicks, but hard enough to be secure in those times when they were not hard; a new breed of detective.
Parker will be missed, and Block doesn’t write enough pages (or enough of his “own” stuff) anymore for me to be as excited as I used to be by his new offerings. Jude Hardin may very well fill that gap. His novel Pocket-47 introduces Nicholas Colt, a PI with the requisite diverse and troubled past. Yet, there are no clichés here, and the dialogue is well above average.
The plot is good, a variation on a theme, “Find missing youth, realize there is more to the story. Bond. Roadblock Have to fix things because it is the right thing to do,” yet also different enough that very little of the story was telegraphed. I was a tad taken aback when there was –more- to the story which, at first, seemed to come out of the blue, but it was a good enough “next part” that I soon forgot my “Huh?” and went along for the very enjoyable ride.
This is definitely series material, and I will very much look forward to watching Colt grow and mature, along with some of the sidekicks we know will be there by his side. I will not only be reading all future releases, but I’ll be recommending to friends (and my mother, of course).
The only downside? Starting a series with a character already in his 40s means he will have to age out and slow down too quickly! Let us not have him age in real time, all right?
This was really a fantastic read. Don’t miss the beginning of the next best thing.
(Thank you to Jude Hardin, who was kind enough to allow me to read a pre-release copy of Pocket-47.)
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August 21, 2011Synopsis from Publisher's website:
Twenty years after crawling from the fiery wreckage of a chartered jet and witnessing his wife and daughter perish, private investigator Nicholas Colt makes a horrifying discovery while tracking a runaway teenage girl.
Fearing for her life because of some incriminating evidence she stumbled upon, fifteen-year-old Brittney Ryan takes to the streets. Colt is hired to find her, but soon finds himself in an ever-widening maze of deceit and betrayal.
Determined to save Brittney and untangle the threads his own tortured past, Colt is forced to square off with one of the most heinous and violent criminals in modern history.
Author, Jude Hardin captures the inner turmoil of a man who has lost everyone he loves, but still has a desire to live and find the answers that will help him understand why this has happened. The protagonist, Nicholas Colt, embodies both strength and a gentle, caring nature, especially for those who represent innocence in danger of being stolen, just as the lives of his wife and baby daughter were stolen from him. Colt is not without flaws. He is a hard drinker with a wry sense of humor. Great character development, constant action and an outstanding plot make Pocket-47 a read not to be missed!
Twenty years after crawling from the fiery wreckage of a chartered jet and witnessing his wife and daughter perish, private investigator Nicholas Colt makes a horrifying discovery while tracking a runaway teenage girl.
Fearing for her life because of some incriminating evidence she stumbled upon, fifteen-year-old Brittney Ryan takes to the streets. Colt is hired to find her, but soon finds himself in an ever-widening maze of deceit and betrayal.
Determined to save Brittney and untangle the threads his own tortured past, Colt is forced to square off with one of the most heinous and violent criminals in modern history.
Author, Jude Hardin captures the inner turmoil of a man who has lost everyone he loves, but still has a desire to live and find the answers that will help him understand why this has happened. The protagonist, Nicholas Colt, embodies both strength and a gentle, caring nature, especially for those who represent innocence in danger of being stolen, just as the lives of his wife and baby daughter were stolen from him. Colt is not without flaws. He is a hard drinker with a wry sense of humor. Great character development, constant action and an outstanding plot make Pocket-47 a read not to be missed!
July 31, 2011
ehhhh...started off good then got more and more unbelievable and corny as it progressed. by the end i was mostly ready to be done with it.
August 14, 2011
Fast paced crime thriller but confusing as it skips from one thing to another. I could not wait to get over it so was glad the book was short. (only 222 pages)
July 9, 2012
My thirst for books in this genre got the better of me and I read this subpar book. Simplistic and predictable.
April 15, 2018
Would be better as a graphic novel, since the characters, plot, and situations are cartoons without much realism.
December 1, 2017
Pocket-47 is another excellent read in the Nicholas Colt Thriller series. Once again the characters are richly developed with the villains being as nasty as any I have ever read. The good guys are very human by that I mean they have good intentions but sometimes do wretched things in order to reach what his protagonist considers to be the just end. Colt is written as a complex person with a mostly good heart, questionable moral character, and a desperate need solve the injustices of his life and the lives of his clients. He is fiercely loyal to his friends and viciously proactive with his enemies. Colt's complex personality and tragic past makes him a character with a broken heart, fighting to overcome the heartbreaks of his past while tackling the difficult tests of his current life. There is much to like about Hardin's writing. This series is a real winner for him.
August 14, 2023
I found this author when I came across his Jack Reacher experiment book on Book Bub. I raced to my library to find more and this one was the only one my library had. I loved it!
Now I have to be a detective myself and track down more books about Nicholas Colt and anyone else that Jude Hardin has written about.
It seems this was the first about Nicholas Colt, former guitar playing star whose wife and daughter and band died in a plane crash. Now working as a down and out private eye, he gets a case involving a runaway teenage girl which ends up with him taking down a radical cult leader and ostensibly living happily ever after.
Now I have to be a detective myself and track down more books about Nicholas Colt and anyone else that Jude Hardin has written about.
It seems this was the first about Nicholas Colt, former guitar playing star whose wife and daughter and band died in a plane crash. Now working as a down and out private eye, he gets a case involving a runaway teenage girl which ends up with him taking down a radical cult leader and ostensibly living happily ever after.
July 19, 2025
What happened between Colt and this book? Why did you have to add all the swear words in this one? There are authors out there that can write an engaging story and be creative without the swear words. I'm so disappointed because I have read all the Reacher books and wanted to read this series too, but no thanks.
August 14, 2018
Easy read, main character has humor and is likable
Road trip of adventure not predictable . Writing style nice and compact. plausibility may be bit questionable but enjoyed read.
Road trip of adventure not predictable . Writing style nice and compact. plausibility may be bit questionable but enjoyed read.
September 18, 2018
Changed directions towards 3/4 of book. Really strange.
November 21, 2018
A real page turner
This is the first boo I have read by this author. The characters are very real and captivating
The story keeps you reading until it is told!
This is the first boo I have read by this author. The characters are very real and captivating
The story keeps you reading until it is told!
February 24, 2020
didn't read in order (started with this which is #2). it was okay
June 26, 2020
Keep in going you will get there
Your family may not be the best in the world, but it yours! Feel the love when you finally realize you are blessed.
Your family may not be the best in the world, but it yours! Feel the love when you finally realize you are blessed.
June 27, 2020
Cracking read
I do like these Nicholas Colt novels, as there is always plenty in them to keep you guessing. Yet another book that is very hard to put down.
I do like these Nicholas Colt novels, as there is always plenty in them to keep you guessing. Yet another book that is very hard to put down.
December 31, 2020
Interesting, Complicated, Sad... I enjoyed this, it got a bit complicated and confusing in the middle, and the resolutions were feasible and not our fictional ever after.
August 11, 2023
Quite the story and it all tied together in the end. I enjoyed it even if it wasn’t a thriller. Hardin is a good writer and Nicolas’s Colt is a decent character. Not that bad 4,6
May 15, 2024
I was on pins and needles reading this book. Especially, towards the end.
June 11, 2016
This book reminded me of Family Guy. There was a plot and the plot was going well. Halfway through the story everything changes and it feels like an entirely different plot.
I still devoured this one. I love the length of these books. So far all of them have been finished within 2 and a half hours. The next in the series is sitting on my Kindle right now, waiting for me. Private investigator Nicholas Colt is given a job to find a missing child. Things seem to go well at first but before he knows it he finds himself in the middle of a Neo-Nazi conspiracy.
I like this Nicholas Colt guy. There are tons of detective novels out there where the good guys follow protocol and slap handcuffs on people. The rogues who go about getting the job done by any means necessary are far more interesting. Coupling that with his demons and wit gives the book quite a bit of color. It's a bit odd how he seems to get away with so many crimes, many of which felonies, during his investigations but I guess you need to suspend belief a bit when you're reading thrillers.
I've also begun to really enjoy the writing style of Jude Hardin. It's very fluid and humorous. All the characters bounce off one another and there aren't outrageous methods used to get Nick out of sticky situations. The analogies are so brilliant in their simplicity and few writers I've come across have done as good a job describing settings. The twists and turns within the story aren't too predictable and it will definitely leave you guessing until the end.
I'm still having trouble trying to come up with a con in this series.
I still devoured this one. I love the length of these books. So far all of them have been finished within 2 and a half hours. The next in the series is sitting on my Kindle right now, waiting for me. Private investigator Nicholas Colt is given a job to find a missing child. Things seem to go well at first but before he knows it he finds himself in the middle of a Neo-Nazi conspiracy.
I like this Nicholas Colt guy. There are tons of detective novels out there where the good guys follow protocol and slap handcuffs on people. The rogues who go about getting the job done by any means necessary are far more interesting. Coupling that with his demons and wit gives the book quite a bit of color. It's a bit odd how he seems to get away with so many crimes, many of which felonies, during his investigations but I guess you need to suspend belief a bit when you're reading thrillers.
I've also begun to really enjoy the writing style of Jude Hardin. It's very fluid and humorous. All the characters bounce off one another and there aren't outrageous methods used to get Nick out of sticky situations. The analogies are so brilliant in their simplicity and few writers I've come across have done as good a job describing settings. The twists and turns within the story aren't too predictable and it will definitely leave you guessing until the end.
I'm still having trouble trying to come up with a con in this series.
August 4, 2011
Wow. This book was more than I expected.
The first page was not a great beginning for me. Probably because I was so confused.
"...exercised the first.""...busy with the second.""I never quite mastered the third."
That's what got me so confused, are they terms that have to do with guns?
The next page and after that was great. The action was there, events started rolling, and the ball just never stopped. It didn't get slower, only faster, which wasn't a problem.
Around the middle, thinking back to what I had read so far, my thought was:
This is a messed up book.
But then I figured, that's just because of the gory stuff. Some of it is detailed, while some of it is brief, but keeps a picture in my mind either way.
And I can't really call it messed up, because I couldn't stop reading this book, and it's pretty amazing.
The Pocket-47 part didn't seem to be a very big part in this book. Yes, it is metioned some, but it feels minor, and there isn't a very great closure to it. Pocket-47 is tied in with the death of Nicholas Colt's family and his band. In the end, there is a very vague summary written of the plane explosion that caused those deaths, but it doesn't give you any answers.
The resolution was nice, short, and sweet. I don't think it could have been any better.
I would give this book 4.5 stars, but obviously goodreads doesn't let you do that.
The first page was not a great beginning for me. Probably because I was so confused.
"...exercised the first.""...busy with the second.""I never quite mastered the third."
That's what got me so confused, are they terms that have to do with guns?
The next page and after that was great. The action was there, events started rolling, and the ball just never stopped. It didn't get slower, only faster, which wasn't a problem.
Around the middle, thinking back to what I had read so far, my thought was:
This is a messed up book.
But then I figured, that's just because of the gory stuff. Some of it is detailed, while some of it is brief, but keeps a picture in my mind either way.
And I can't really call it messed up, because I couldn't stop reading this book, and it's pretty amazing.
The Pocket-47 part didn't seem to be a very big part in this book. Yes, it is metioned some, but it feels minor, and there isn't a very great closure to it. Pocket-47 is tied in with the death of Nicholas Colt's family and his band. In the end, there is a very vague summary written of the plane explosion that caused those deaths, but it doesn't give you any answers.
The resolution was nice, short, and sweet. I don't think it could have been any better.
I would give this book 4.5 stars, but obviously goodreads doesn't let you do that.
February 16, 2011
Jude Hardin introduces us to Nicholas Colt, who reminded me of Jim Rockford from the Rockford Files. Colt is a private investigator living in a trailer, spending his free time fishing, minding his own business, but that’s where the comparison ends. There’s no Angel, no Beth, no Rocky and the story doesn’t take place in California.
Pocket 47 is a first person story, with Nicholas Colt, a PI who takes on a case in Florida to find a missing person. His investigation takes him into a private compound, living with a cult, playing in their band as he tries to find the missing girl. During the journey he battles his own, past personal demons as well as the real ones in the present and discovers they may somehow be linked together.
Jude Hardin, has a great “voice” and tells a story that is a pleasure to read. He offers great description, characters and circumstances that will keep you reading. I recommend you pick up his debut novel, Pocket 47, and look for his other future works as well.
Pocket 47 is a first person story, with Nicholas Colt, a PI who takes on a case in Florida to find a missing person. His investigation takes him into a private compound, living with a cult, playing in their band as he tries to find the missing girl. During the journey he battles his own, past personal demons as well as the real ones in the present and discovers they may somehow be linked together.
Jude Hardin, has a great “voice” and tells a story that is a pleasure to read. He offers great description, characters and circumstances that will keep you reading. I recommend you pick up his debut novel, Pocket 47, and look for his other future works as well.
November 25, 2012
Pocket-47
After getting through about ten percent of this book, I couldn't discern any reason to keep going. Neither the characters nor the plot grabbed my interest, and the writing is pure pot boiler. Perhaps I'll pick it up later and have a more charitable view of it. If so, I'll revise this review.
A note about my grading system. I rate books within their genres, as there is no point in comparing a self help book to a book of poems or a work of history. This is true within genres, and a four star for a detective novel is not the same as a four star for a work of serious fiction. Very few books rate five stars, which are reserved for masterpieces or near masterpieces, within their genre. On the theory that one should not read bad books, and therefore differentiating between bad, worse and really horrible is a waste of time, one star means simply not worth reading, period. Two, three and four stars all indicate that the book is readable, and one might think of them as meaning “a book with some merit,” “a good, solid book,” and “a very good book” respectively.
After getting through about ten percent of this book, I couldn't discern any reason to keep going. Neither the characters nor the plot grabbed my interest, and the writing is pure pot boiler. Perhaps I'll pick it up later and have a more charitable view of it. If so, I'll revise this review.
A note about my grading system. I rate books within their genres, as there is no point in comparing a self help book to a book of poems or a work of history. This is true within genres, and a four star for a detective novel is not the same as a four star for a work of serious fiction. Very few books rate five stars, which are reserved for masterpieces or near masterpieces, within their genre. On the theory that one should not read bad books, and therefore differentiating between bad, worse and really horrible is a waste of time, one star means simply not worth reading, period. Two, three and four stars all indicate that the book is readable, and one might think of them as meaning “a book with some merit,” “a good, solid book,” and “a very good book” respectively.
January 20, 2013
First paragraphs
My stepfather taught me three important survival skills: how to use a baitcaster reel, how to filet a bass, and how to adjust for the kick of a .44 magnum. I had gotten up at six a.m. and exercised the first. By nine, I stood under the shade of a loblolly pine, busy with the second. I never quite mastered the third. That’s why I carry a .38. I wore khaki shorts, no shirt, a pair of Top-Siders, and a ball cap that said Guinness. Typical north Florida fishing attire. I scraped the scales off my third and final fish, looked up and saw a little red car turning from Lake Barkley Road onto my gravel driveway. It was one of those cars I call a Bic. Like the lighters, they’re cheap and disposable. You buy one fresh off the lot, and by the time it needs new tires it’s ready for the junkyard. An internal timing device insures that all working parts take a dive at the precise moment the warranty expires.
Hardin, Jude (2011-05-02). Pocket-47 (A Nicholas Colt Thriller) (p. 1). Midpoint Trade Books. Kindle Edition.
July 1, 2013
Twenty years ago, Nicholas Colt had led a southern rock band, was married, with a daughter. Then the plane went down, killing his family, his band, and his career. He left music behind. These days he works as a private eye.
When Leitha Ryan hires him to find her runaway little sister, fifteen year old Brittney. He accepts the job at a flat rate and actually locates the girl fairly quickly. Brittney doesn't want to talk at first, only saying she'd left because they were going to kill her.
Who were they?
Soon shots come through the window of the Airstream on the beach he lived in, he chases after them, then finds Brittney gone when he gets back. In short order, he finds his client murdered, tortured first, and a trail that leads him to mysterious cult and a secret that stretches back twenty years.
Liked this one.
When Leitha Ryan hires him to find her runaway little sister, fifteen year old Brittney. He accepts the job at a flat rate and actually locates the girl fairly quickly. Brittney doesn't want to talk at first, only saying she'd left because they were going to kill her.
Who were they?
Soon shots come through the window of the Airstream on the beach he lived in, he chases after them, then finds Brittney gone when he gets back. In short order, he finds his client murdered, tortured first, and a trail that leads him to mysterious cult and a secret that stretches back twenty years.
Liked this one.
June 6, 2011
I really enjoyed this book from the moment I began reading it! Debut author Jude Hardin has made a great impression on me with Pocket-47. A great cast of characters inhabit this fast moving crime thriller. Florida Private Investigator Nicholas Colt specializes in missing persons and runaways. He is also a former famous musician whose wife and infant daughter along with the members of his band died in a plane crash twenty years ago. The memories of all of them continue to haunt him to this day. While investigating the disappearance of teenager Brittany Ryan he discovers new information about the plane crash. This novel has plenty of twists and turns and it was hard to put down!
Excellent debut crime thriller from author Jude Hardin. I'm looking forward to many more!
Excellent debut crime thriller from author Jude Hardin. I'm looking forward to many more!
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