The Mazatlan Showdown

Park and Walker Action Thrillers #1

by Patrick Weill

Champion surfer Jeff Walker was born into tragedy, his father’s life having been cut short before he was born, and his mother succumbing to heartache in a foreign land as she bravely raised him alone. Determined to find his father’s killer, Walker relocates to sunny San Diego and secures a job as a beach lifeguard, in which capacity a rescue mission at sea hurls him into the sticky web of an international smuggling ring.
As Walker, along with a rich cast of characters, aids the police in their investigation, the tension is ratcheted up when he discovers that the mastermind behind the criminal operation is the very man he’s been searching for since he was a teenager! In this tale of revenge, justice, and survival, only one will walk away from the showdown.
Weill’s award-winning debut novel marks the inception of The Park and Walker Action Thriller Series, taking the reader on a wild ride in an array of high-performance vehicles, racing through a variety of stunning oceanfront landscapes. If you enjoy well-crafted storytelling and explosive action, bump The Mazatlan Showdown up to the top spot on your to-be-read list.

2023 Killer Nashville Claymore Award finalist, best action adventure
2023 Adventure Writers Competition semi-finalist

Genres: Thriller

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 7, 2023

About the author

Patrick Weill is an award-winning translator, editor, author, and instructor. Visit his website to check out his books and stories!

Website: patrickweill.com

Facebook:
Patrick Weill, Author

Reviews

[Bob Asher · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mazatlán Showdown is the first of three books in The Park and Walker Action Thriller Series by Patrick Weill. If you like SoCal beaches, surfing, fast cars, motorcycles, and action, The Mazatlán Showdown is for you. Think Fast and Furious meets Bay Watch with a splash of Magnum P.I. (the Tom Selleck version) mixed in. If you’re from SoCal or have visited the area the local landmarks will sound familiar and add to your enjoyment. Weill writes like he’s been in a few fistfights, street races, and caught a few waves.
I really enjoy buddy stories like Craig Johnson’s Longmire series with Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear. They would kill and die for each other. This story centers on two similar buddies, lifeguards Jeff Walker and Tony Park. They use their lifeguard jobs as a form of therapy to help them cope with their demons. Jeff has difficulty dealing with his father's unsolved murder that occurred before he was born, and the premature death of his mother caused primarily by a stressful life of poverty as a single mother. Tony has a crippling case of PTSD from his service as a Navy SEAL.
Through no fault of their own, they become targets of an international criminal gang after conducting a rescue of a man overboard off their beach in Oceanside, California. The man has been shot dead and a piece of incriminating evidence against the local drug cartel is missing from the boat. Jeff and Tony assist the Oceanside Police in fighting off an undersea attack by cartel members as they fight the police for the evidence lost on the ocean floor. The gangsters are vicious and will stop at nothing to retrieve the evidence before it can be used. As the attacks escalate casualties mount and hostages are taken. With the help of OPD and DEA, the battle with the cartel moves to Mazatlán. Twists are revealed, scores are settled on both sides, and a few pleasant surprises are revealed at the end. The Mazatlán Showdown is well worth your time.

[Jethro Wegener · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pedal-to-the-Metal Action & Crackling Tension Combine for a Great Debut

I love finding writers that I otherwise wouldn't have on social media, and Patrick Weill is one such author. And his work doesn't disappoint.

In The Mazatlan Showdown, we follow champion surfer and lifeguard Jeff Walker as he gets embroiled in drug trafficking and murder that has a startling connection to his past.

Channelling Point Break with its combination of a surfer hero (I saw Jeff as Keanu Reeves instantly in my head) and setting, Weill gives us an action-packed extravaganza that refuses to let up.

Walker is a strong hero. Someone that's really easy to root for in his quest for revenge. And he's backed up by a fun and diverse cast that help him along the way.

The bad guys are equally easy to dislike, as with any good thriller. So you definitely want to see them get taken down.

This is one of those fun, easy reads that you'll settle into and probably finish in a single sitting, leaving you wanting more. Thankfully, Weill already has two more books out! Go get em, as I hear they only get better.

[Gabis Laberladen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darum geht’s:

Die Freunde und Rettungsschwimmer Jeff Walker und Tony Park werden gebeten, die Polizei bei einer Aktion gegen Schmuggler zu unterstützen. Als Jeff Walker entdeckt, dass der Boss des Schmugglerrings der Mann ist, den er schon sein Leben lang sucht – der Mörder seines Vaters – macht er es zu einer ganz persönlichen Sache, ihn zur Strecke zu bringen.

Meine Meinung dazu gibt’s hier

[Martin Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic action-thriller that had me engrossed from start to finish!

This first instalment of the series was great with action from start to finish. The author explores well the intimate relationships between the characters, which I felt built a wonderful bond with the reader and characters, pulling you further into the story as the stakes are raised. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Non-Stop action, and I anticipate that the rest of the series is as equally engrossing! Great job Patrick 😁

[Rainelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mazatlan Showdown. My fellow readers I have to say that this book is for those military honorable men and women who sacrifice themselves every time that they are called for duty. This may be a good book for them take along with them on some of those what are you doing nights. The book has an abundance of information, facts and details that surround the military world. As for the lifeguards and what they do I did learn a few things from them.
The stories plot is based around young Jeff Walker helping the police track down a drug dealer. He’s witness to some action that the police need. Now this is where it gets a little tricky for me. In the beginning the introductory of Jeff’s parents and how he came to be sitting on the beach I thought was perfect. It instantly grabbed me and me so excited to flip the page to see what happens next.
Now, I would have like to have read about some of Jeff’s fathers old partners or boys in blue helped to keep Jeff on the straight and narrow path. Maybe have Parker as an old friend to Jeff’s dad and steps in to see Jeff makes to what his father wanted him to be. Now I love a book with a number of different characters, but you have to be careful on how you introduce them to your story. If you dump them all in one bucket of the book, you will lose your readers on staying engaged with the main characters. The characters stories gets scrambled with the main characters stories and the plot to the book. When this happens I feel as though I’m just reading words with no point to that chapter of the book. Is there a connection of Big Dons trip down memory lane to Jeff Walkers story? I’m not sure, but I felt as though Jeff story got pushed to the wayside to tell the story of Parker and his men. The writer has some amazing action and entertaining parts that makes the book a good read. The excitement comes from when the high flying ammo action takes place in certain parts of the book.
As I said this would be a great book for our military friends and family. The book has an amazing plot and Jeff Walkers story makes this storyline even better. Until next time my fellow readers. Read on!

[George Cramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patrick Weill’s The Mazatlan Showdown started slow. I was torn between four and five stars because it was hard to buy into the first few chapters, and the middle seemed to drag out. I had problems with Park’s PTSD—it went up and down in intensity.

However, Weill’s ability to gently introduce his characters, good and bad, in bits and pieces spread out over the book had me happily put the pieces together as one would in real life. The harsh way Jeff Walker is treated is as realistic as one could hope for.

Weill is an up-and-comer. His work will be winning more awards. The Public Safety Writers Association has already recognized him.

I received an advance reader’s copy for free. I will buy Book 2,

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

He lost his father before he was born and his mother struggled bringing him up in a foreign country. He intends to find out what happened. He move countries and gets a job as a lifeguard to try to find answers. What will he find out? What really happened? How will it all go? See how he gets on
I received an advance copy from hidden gems and I want to review

[M.E. Roche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read the author's second book before this, made no difference in enjoying this one; it provided the history of the two main character's friendship. It's non-stop action, delivered with a clarity such that the reader feels they are actually there. The good guys are very good and the bad guys are definitely bad. A great read!

[Bluesman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What A Ride!!

I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to Walker and Park. The characters are complex, badass, flawed, and authentic! The sense of family and community really elevated the sense of danger that permeates this book, which made me even more invested. I'm definitely excited for book 2!

[Patricia Stoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that kept me up at night. It races from one heart-stopping scene to the next at a dizzying pace. The characters are well drawn and the baddies satisfyingly bad, with plenty of twists and turns, and a lot of blood and gore! Perfect for lovers of high-action adventure.

[Patricia Ruby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST READ !!!

Absolutely Fantastic Read, Great Gripping Story Line, Wonderful Strong Believable Characters !!! A Tale You Won't Want to Put Down !! The Author did a Marvelous Job, Can't Wait to get my hands on Book 2 !!

[Cherie Melbourne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of action that kept me turning the pages, the inconsistency in Park's PTSD made part of this story implausible and other parts, I just accepted that it was fiction after all.
I'll read more from this author.
I received a copy for free, and I am leaving this honest review voluntarily.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!!!

Mr. Weill handled every description of every action very well. I was very impressed and am looking forward to reading the prequel.

[Mik Wasiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story that a great thriller investigative story I like characters and settings with mixed relationships between characters that was easy to read and understand but also interesting

[Susan Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bang bang

A good thriller with twists and turns to keep it interesting. Books like this tend to be good at making the goodies win with a few losses to keep it intr

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written

Great storyline aided by the authors style of writing. The characters fit their parts seamlessly, and every twist was perfect

[Allison Valentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a rollercoaster of a read! Action-packed throughout. The scenes and characters are amazing, and I hardly stopped to breathe. Everything that I want in a book...fast cars, even better bikes, highs and lows with some great baddies in tow!