Dodging Bullets

by Joe McKinney

On the bad side of San Antonio the Mexican Mafia runs things and small-time dealers like Peto Hurst do what they're told. But when Peto decides to get out of the Life, and get rich while he's at it, he upsets the natural order of things and brings hell down on himself--and the girl he did it all for. Between getting busted for dealing, striving to please his wealthy girlfriend, and ducking the gangsters who have begun executing people as they search for their dope and their cash, Peto will be lucky to get out of this with his skin.

Unknown Binding

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Joe McKinney has been a patrol officer for the San Antonio Police Department, a homicide detective, a disaster mitigation specialist, a patrol commander, and a successful novelist. His books include the four part Dead World series, Quarantined and Dodging Bullets. His short fiction has been collected in The Red Empire and Other Stories and Dating in Dead World and Other Stories. For more information go to http://joemckinney.wordpress.com.

Reviews

[Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Nobody ever changes,” he said. “Human nature isn’t a light switch you can turn on and off. Some people are pieces of (trash) and they’ll stay pieces of (trash) their whole lives. That’s the way of things. That’s why men like me stay in business….(and) business is very good.”

Dodging Bullets by Joe McKinney is a very well-written tale of Peto Hurst, a low level heroin dealer who makes a big move to not only to get out of the heroin business, but to take a little extra with him and his girlfriend. The only problem with his plan is that the little extra belongs to the Mexican Mafia and their affiliates. Although Peto thinks his plan is well thought out, he quickly learns that even the smallest strings that are left unties and quickly unravel even the tightest of plans.

The book has many great secondary characters, from mafia henchmen to Pet’s love interest. I especially likes the chapters that Peto interacts with the mafia henchmen, as they are cruel and callous and McKinney does a great job describing their inner evil as they search for the missing product and seek answers and retribution. These secondary characters helped propel the storyline forward and really added depth to the book.

McKinney has written many previous works, but this was my first exposure to him. I found his writing to be very entertaining. He keeps his plots tight and his characters are fairly well developed. He started the book with a chapter that sucked me right into the book and refused to allow me to put the book down. I think that is essential for a reader like me. I have so many books on my To Be Read pile that a book needs to grab me from the get-go and keep the story moving at a breakneck pace. McKinney did just that with this book and that is what makes it a winner in my eyes. I will be seeking out more of his work and I recommend you do the same. This is a great introduction to him for all readers of crime novels.

Recommended

[Clark Hallman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Dodging Bullets, Joe McKinney presents a very fast moving and violent story about a small-time dealer, Peto Hurst, who works for the Mexican Mafia in San Antonio. Peto and his girlfriend thought they would be free from the drug-dealing life and the Mexican Mafia when Peto stole eighty thousand dollars, three bricks of heroin, and the accounting books that detailed the fortune that his girlfriend’s father, a criminal defense attorney who worked for the Mexican Mafia, had embezzled from the Mafia. However, they very quickly learned that you do not steal from the Mexican Mafia, without horrible consequences. Their theft resulted in an all-out reign of terror that Peto and his girlfriend, and several others with whom they associated, tried to endure. Unfortunately, some did not survive. At the beginning, I thought this book would be a quick read and provide lots of entertaining action. That turned out to be true, but I was also pleasantly surprised that the book is very well written. I found the characters in this novel to be very interesting and, as far as I could tell, they seemed to be an accurate depictions of a drug-dealing community. I found Peto to be an especially interesting and complex character that engendered my sympathy. I enjoyed Dodging Bullets very much and I intend to read some of McKinney’s other novels.

[Brian Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe McKinney, a writer known mostly for his stellar zombie fiction, is also a veteran San Antonio homocide detective. In Dodging Bullets, McKinney departs from his horror fiction roots and uses his vast police experience to weave a story of drugs, mobs, cops, murder, and impossible love. Peter 'Peto' Hurst, a pusher for the Mexican Mafia that rules San Antonio's rough east side, has stolen from his boss--three bricks of heroin worth a small fortune. With his new girlfriend, a stunning beauty with a rich, powerful father, Peto becomes embroiled in a game of wits with Frankie Rodriguez, the stone cold killer who rules the gang with bullets and brutality. To describe the story as a rollercoaster ride sounds trite, even cliche, but it's true: the action is a nonstop thrill ride that leaves you breathless at the end.

McKinney's experience imbues Dodging Bullets with a gritty reality that is hard to shake. The gang violence is unrelenting, graphic, and ruthless. The cops are understandably jaded but thorough. The betrayals are unforgiving. The dialogue is vivid, compelling. It is as complete a crime story as you are going to get. My only complaint is that it is not long enough.

I highly recommend Dodging Bullets for anyone who likes true crime or police ficiton.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast moving and exciting read about what happens to a poor guy and his rich girlfriend when they try to walk off with drugs and money that belong to the Mexican Mafia - nothing nice, that's for sure.