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Jon Cantrell #2
Shadow Boys
A gritty, whip-smart thriller from acclaimed author Harry Hunsicker.
For once, things are going well for former DEA contractor Jon Cantrell. He’s got a real job as a fix-it man for a law firm that specializes in handling government contracts. But when his ex-girlfriend Piper asks him to meet with a high-ranking police official and Cantrell is forced to take an off-the-books assignment to find a missing boy, everything starts to unravel.
Not helping the situation is his client, Deputy Chief Raul Delgado, an up-and-coming politico carrying his own tragic burdens he doesn’t like to dwell on. Forty years earlier, a racist cop brutally killed Delgado’s brother. Now, in a weird twist of fate, Delgado works for the very department that altered his life.
As Cantrell proceeds, he uncovers a puzzling link between Delgado, the missing boy, and a series of vigilante murders. As the link becomes clearer, Cantrell struggles to stay alive and find the missing child.
For once, things are going well for former DEA contractor Jon Cantrell. He’s got a real job as a fix-it man for a law firm that specializes in handling government contracts. But when his ex-girlfriend Piper asks him to meet with a high-ranking police official and Cantrell is forced to take an off-the-books assignment to find a missing boy, everything starts to unravel.
Not helping the situation is his client, Deputy Chief Raul Delgado, an up-and-coming politico carrying his own tragic burdens he doesn’t like to dwell on. Forty years earlier, a racist cop brutally killed Delgado’s brother. Now, in a weird twist of fate, Delgado works for the very department that altered his life.
As Cantrell proceeds, he uncovers a puzzling link between Delgado, the missing boy, and a series of vigilante murders. As the link becomes clearer, Cantrell struggles to stay alive and find the missing child.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2014
321 people are currently reading
1191 people want to read
About the author
Harry Hunsicker
45 books132 followersHarry Hunsicker is the bestselling author of nine crime thrillers including The Life and Death of Rose Doucette, shortlisted for a 2025 Thriller Award, his second nomination. Hunsicker's work has been shortlisted for the Shamus Award. His story "West of Nowhere" (originally published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine) was selected to appear in The Best American Mystery Stories 2011, edited by Otto Penzler and Harlan Coben. Hunsicker lives in Dallas with his wife, Alison.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
November 7, 2014
Rating a book can be difficult at times, and this book is one of those times for me. It started out as a solid 4 stars. Hunsicker has a firm grasp on drawing a reader in with compelling sentences and interesting characters. By the time I was 1/3 into the book, it had dropped to a 3 star rating. By the end, it sat at 2 stars.
While Hunsicker is a good writer as far as sentence structure and such, my problems came with his writing style. First there is the issue of tense switching. We start out with flashbacks of one character's life - not the main character - in third person present tense. Eventually those flashbacks, for reasons unknown, switch to past tense. Other characters randomly pop in an out with POV parts, some in third person past and some in third person present. The main character is written in first person past tense. As far as I could tell, there was no reasoning behind which tense to use or when to use it.
Then we move on to the story's timeline, which is a jumbled mess. The flashbacks are not chronological. We move in and out of various years, merely for the purpose of showing us the back story of a character who, to me, is given far more importance than the main character is. These are long pieces, often short chapters. All these flashbacks make it difficult to gain a foothold in the present story.
Then we have the plot, which is a different sort of jumbled mess. There is either no plot or too many plots, depending on your viewpoint. We follow Jon Cantrell as he plays fix-it man for his employer. There are many cases that we wander in and out of quickly. Rather than feeling like a coherent plot, this feels more like we're being shown how awesome the main character is as he juggles all his duties. Several of the "bad guys" in these various cases also have POV parts, so we go along into their lives which have pretty much nothing to do with anything the main character is doing. Hunsicker does attempt to pull the large variety of cases and characters together at the end, but this winds up feeling far too convenient and unrealistic.
The main character doesn't seem to actually care about any of the cases he's working. Even the missing child case, which is mostly an afterthought throughout, doesn't seem all that important to him. If the main character doesn't care about what he's doing, it's hard for the reader to care.
When I finally untangled myself at the end of this book, I felt like the aerobic exercise of following along was far more work than the story was worth.
While Hunsicker is a good writer as far as sentence structure and such, my problems came with his writing style. First there is the issue of tense switching. We start out with flashbacks of one character's life - not the main character - in third person present tense. Eventually those flashbacks, for reasons unknown, switch to past tense. Other characters randomly pop in an out with POV parts, some in third person past and some in third person present. The main character is written in first person past tense. As far as I could tell, there was no reasoning behind which tense to use or when to use it.
Then we move on to the story's timeline, which is a jumbled mess. The flashbacks are not chronological. We move in and out of various years, merely for the purpose of showing us the back story of a character who, to me, is given far more importance than the main character is. These are long pieces, often short chapters. All these flashbacks make it difficult to gain a foothold in the present story.
Then we have the plot, which is a different sort of jumbled mess. There is either no plot or too many plots, depending on your viewpoint. We follow Jon Cantrell as he plays fix-it man for his employer. There are many cases that we wander in and out of quickly. Rather than feeling like a coherent plot, this feels more like we're being shown how awesome the main character is as he juggles all his duties. Several of the "bad guys" in these various cases also have POV parts, so we go along into their lives which have pretty much nothing to do with anything the main character is doing. Hunsicker does attempt to pull the large variety of cases and characters together at the end, but this winds up feeling far too convenient and unrealistic.
The main character doesn't seem to actually care about any of the cases he's working. Even the missing child case, which is mostly an afterthought throughout, doesn't seem all that important to him. If the main character doesn't care about what he's doing, it's hard for the reader to care.
When I finally untangled myself at the end of this book, I felt like the aerobic exercise of following along was far more work than the story was worth.
December 29, 2014
Hunsicker's captivating thriller contains great action, strong characters, expert scene-setting, and an insider's view of the history and complexities of Dallas-itself a welcome and refreshing location. Characters are more complex than they first appear and the red herrings are numerous. Well worth the time, as always from a Hunsicker novel.
August 5, 2015
As much as I enjoyed Shadow Boys, I have to say it had a little more plot that I like in a crime novel. My ideal crime novel is around 200 pages long and has an inexorable drive to its conclusion. Richard Stark, Derek Raymond, Georges Simenon (the roman dur Simenon, not the Maigret Simenon.) are for me the masters. Shadow Boys is 381 pages long, mitigated somewhat by the amount of dialog and chapter breaks. And it has two time lines. One begins in 1981 and continues to the present. The other is a first person narration that takes place “today.” And there are a lot of characters.
All that aside, Hunsicker handles this material with real style. The book is funny, the action varied and exciting, and he ties things up nicely in the end. At first I thought there were too many coincidences in the narrative, but these are not Dickensian coincidences. The story takes place in Dallas, which is not a small town. But I can imagine that the world of law enforcement, law breaking, and city politics makes for its own sort of small town within the city. The book covers thirty years, and this gives all the characters many chances to have crossed paths and to have set in motion the situation that fuels the plot.
This may sound provincial, but I also got a kick out of reading a novel set in my hometown. I assume readers in New York City, L.A., and London are inured to knowing the landscape characters traverse. I think the last book I read that took place in Dallas was North Dallas Forty back in the 1970’s. (The TV program Dallas took place in its own alternate universe.) Hunsicker moves all over the city, naming streets, highways and landmarks. When the drug kingpin, who’s just been shot in the leg, crosses six lanes of traffic on Singleton Blvd., I know exactly the challenge he faces – except for the bullet wound bit. And to read that a rundown apartment complex on Audelia Road off Loop 635 is a whorehouse confirms a long-held suspicion.
Hunsicker has written five Dallas-based thrillers, and, yes, I am going to read them all.
All that aside, Hunsicker handles this material with real style. The book is funny, the action varied and exciting, and he ties things up nicely in the end. At first I thought there were too many coincidences in the narrative, but these are not Dickensian coincidences. The story takes place in Dallas, which is not a small town. But I can imagine that the world of law enforcement, law breaking, and city politics makes for its own sort of small town within the city. The book covers thirty years, and this gives all the characters many chances to have crossed paths and to have set in motion the situation that fuels the plot.
This may sound provincial, but I also got a kick out of reading a novel set in my hometown. I assume readers in New York City, L.A., and London are inured to knowing the landscape characters traverse. I think the last book I read that took place in Dallas was North Dallas Forty back in the 1970’s. (The TV program Dallas took place in its own alternate universe.) Hunsicker moves all over the city, naming streets, highways and landmarks. When the drug kingpin, who’s just been shot in the leg, crosses six lanes of traffic on Singleton Blvd., I know exactly the challenge he faces – except for the bullet wound bit. And to read that a rundown apartment complex on Audelia Road off Loop 635 is a whorehouse confirms a long-held suspicion.
Hunsicker has written five Dallas-based thrillers, and, yes, I am going to read them all.
November 1, 2014
After three hard-boiled Lee Henry Oswald contemporary mystery novels in Still River, The Next Time You Die and Crosshairs, Harry Hunsicker introduces Jon Cantrell, a disgraced ex-cop, in The Contractors which was an exciting and compelling thriller, delightfully lapped up by readers as Jon take the reader for one hell of a ride through the drug and crime-ravaged dusty parts of West Texas and the backstreets of Dallas.
In this sequel to The Contractors, the much-admired author, Harry Hunsicker, plotted a sly and tight mystery thriller, full of action and suspense as the former DEA contractor Jon Cantrell must find a missing child while avoiding the carnage left on the backstreets of Dallas by a vigilante killer. Jon Cantrell has to contend with Raul Delgado, a murderous vigilante and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a boy. All Jon Cantrell can do is to trust his instinct and find the missing boy before time runs out.
The Shadow Boys by Harry Hunsicker is well paced and superbly written as only Hunsicker can with an exciting array of diverse characters populating the story. It is a heart-stopping thriller that takes the readers into a labyrinth of a deep-rooted conspiracy, murders and uncertainty. With a lot of unexpected twists and turns, this second book in the Jon Cantrell thriller series is a must read for all mystery thriller lovers.
In this sequel to The Contractors, the much-admired author, Harry Hunsicker, plotted a sly and tight mystery thriller, full of action and suspense as the former DEA contractor Jon Cantrell must find a missing child while avoiding the carnage left on the backstreets of Dallas by a vigilante killer. Jon Cantrell has to contend with Raul Delgado, a murderous vigilante and the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a boy. All Jon Cantrell can do is to trust his instinct and find the missing boy before time runs out.
The Shadow Boys by Harry Hunsicker is well paced and superbly written as only Hunsicker can with an exciting array of diverse characters populating the story. It is a heart-stopping thriller that takes the readers into a labyrinth of a deep-rooted conspiracy, murders and uncertainty. With a lot of unexpected twists and turns, this second book in the Jon Cantrell thriller series is a must read for all mystery thriller lovers.
November 21, 2014
Author bio: "Harry Hunsicker was raised by wolves in the rain forests of central Dallas, near the headwaters of Turtle Creek."
...um, well ok, whatever works...gotta question wolves~ perhaps Coydogs, eh? Dallas World Aquarium and Rainforest? LOL.
Politically correct protocol seems to hit upon Positives before Negatives; not being particularly pc, I say get the Cons out of the way immediately, clear a path for the good stuff.
The occasions of flashbacks and "BAM!~ in your face" introductions of new sub-plots/characters were at first a bit unnerving, causing me to flip back a page, repeatedly, did I miss something?? Nah, just author's style, apparently to keep readers on their literary toes, literally. Throughout the entire storyline, there were sprinklings of descriptions and conversations that felt dull, dusty and draggy.
However, (the Pro part!) overall... the main plot, with all its side diversions, was a darn fine, satisfying read... at times, the flow of written words were sooo pleasurably immersive. Superb cast of characters to Boo-hiss or root for. Enough fast-paced action for armchair detectives to live vicariously through, while yelling "SHOOT the scumbag!"
...um, well ok, whatever works...gotta question wolves~ perhaps Coydogs, eh? Dallas World Aquarium and Rainforest? LOL.
Politically correct protocol seems to hit upon Positives before Negatives; not being particularly pc, I say get the Cons out of the way immediately, clear a path for the good stuff.
The occasions of flashbacks and "BAM!~ in your face" introductions of new sub-plots/characters were at first a bit unnerving, causing me to flip back a page, repeatedly, did I miss something?? Nah, just author's style, apparently to keep readers on their literary toes, literally. Throughout the entire storyline, there were sprinklings of descriptions and conversations that felt dull, dusty and draggy.
However, (the Pro part!) overall... the main plot, with all its side diversions, was a darn fine, satisfying read... at times, the flow of written words were sooo pleasurably immersive. Superb cast of characters to Boo-hiss or root for. Enough fast-paced action for armchair detectives to live vicariously through, while yelling "SHOOT the scumbag!"
October 1, 2015
After the shoot-out in West Texas, featured in The Contractors, Jon Cantrell has been hired by an East Coast law firm to facilitate investigations in Dallas. His on-again/off-again girlfriend, Piper, is now a Dallas police officer. Assistant Chief Raul Delgado also dates Piper and he asks Jon in look into the disappearance of a young African-American boy, Tremont Washington. Tremont was the son of a friend of Jon's, so he is happy to oblige. The only problem is Jon gets caught up in a vigilante killer, working to rid the streets of Dallas of low-lifes. Jon and Piper keep getting pulled together, even though both of them know it is not a good idea for them to be a couple. Lots of action in this well-written and enjoyable look at crime on the mean streets of Dallas TX.
November 13, 2014
This novel started out like it was going to be great. Then, for whatever reason, the author decided to add subplots to the point it became just too busy. Add to that flashbacks to establish a backstory for one of the characters and it became ridiculous. Too many characters, too many loose ends and a very unsatisfying end game.
November 19, 2014
Usually when I read a bad book I don't bother saying anything about it, but this is unusually bad. It's bad even "for-a". It's bad for a thriller. It's bad for a free book (kindle firsts). It's bad for a book about race. It's bad for a book about sex. It's bad for a book about mental illness.
November 20, 2014
What a rush! Love the action and characters in this book. As I've said before, heroes with a bit of tarnish on them make such interesting people! A must read for every action lover.
November 10, 2014
Shadow Boys
This was an interesting read. I enjoyed the book but found myself wanting the loose ends tied up a bit more at the end. All in all I would recommend it.
This was an interesting read. I enjoyed the book but found myself wanting the loose ends tied up a bit more at the end. All in all I would recommend it.
February 25, 2015
Slow start
I had a hard time getting into this book, then really enjoyed it.The book was full of lots of unexpected twists. I will read more from this author.
I had a hard time getting into this book, then really enjoyed it.The book was full of lots of unexpected twists. I will read more from this author.
March 28, 2018
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
For once, things are going well for former DEA contractor Jon Cantrell. He’s got a real job as a fix-it man for a law firm that specializes in handling government contracts. But when his ex-girlfriend Piper asks him to meet with a high-ranking police official and Cantrell is forced to take an off-the-books assignment to find a missing boy, everything starts to unravel.
Not helping the situation is his client, Deputy Chief Raul Delgado, an up-and-coming politico carrying his own tragic burdens he doesn’t like to dwell on. Forty years earlier, a racist cop brutally killed Delgado’s brother. Now, in a weird twist of fate, Delgado works for the very department that altered his life.
As Cantrell proceeds, he uncovers a puzzling link between Delgado, the missing boy, and a series of vigilante murders. As the link becomes clearer, Cantrell struggles to stay alive and find the missing child.
I made the mistake of reading the third book in this series first (I wasn't aware, at the time, it was the third book...) and I quite liked it. In fact, this is how I described Jon Cantrell:
"There is a little Harry Bosch, a little Jack Reacher and a little Jason Bourne. And that is a great mix. He is a "hero" that we can get behind as readers."
And that still stands. I think he is one of the better action heroes recently in modern fiction.
However, the one thing that apparently annoyed me in the third book was evident here, too. The tense switches. First person to third person, at times seemingly for no reason at all. Even changes between third person past, and present, happens. Frustrating to no end.
The plot itself was good, if somewhat scattered. At times, I felt like I was reading a collection of short stories, where the cases Jon was working on, flick past at amazing speeds, like we are getting the "best-of" of Jon Cantrell, about how good he is, rather than building a substantial plot and working from there.
The action sequences are exciting, there is a great dash of humour and one-liners, and the settings are always great. All of that is handled really well.
I rated it three stars cos I think it is right down the middle of the road as far as I am concerned...
Paul
ARH
For once, things are going well for former DEA contractor Jon Cantrell. He’s got a real job as a fix-it man for a law firm that specializes in handling government contracts. But when his ex-girlfriend Piper asks him to meet with a high-ranking police official and Cantrell is forced to take an off-the-books assignment to find a missing boy, everything starts to unravel.
Not helping the situation is his client, Deputy Chief Raul Delgado, an up-and-coming politico carrying his own tragic burdens he doesn’t like to dwell on. Forty years earlier, a racist cop brutally killed Delgado’s brother. Now, in a weird twist of fate, Delgado works for the very department that altered his life.
As Cantrell proceeds, he uncovers a puzzling link between Delgado, the missing boy, and a series of vigilante murders. As the link becomes clearer, Cantrell struggles to stay alive and find the missing child.
I made the mistake of reading the third book in this series first (I wasn't aware, at the time, it was the third book...) and I quite liked it. In fact, this is how I described Jon Cantrell:
"There is a little Harry Bosch, a little Jack Reacher and a little Jason Bourne. And that is a great mix. He is a "hero" that we can get behind as readers."
And that still stands. I think he is one of the better action heroes recently in modern fiction.
However, the one thing that apparently annoyed me in the third book was evident here, too. The tense switches. First person to third person, at times seemingly for no reason at all. Even changes between third person past, and present, happens. Frustrating to no end.
The plot itself was good, if somewhat scattered. At times, I felt like I was reading a collection of short stories, where the cases Jon was working on, flick past at amazing speeds, like we are getting the "best-of" of Jon Cantrell, about how good he is, rather than building a substantial plot and working from there.
The action sequences are exciting, there is a great dash of humour and one-liners, and the settings are always great. All of that is handled really well.
I rated it three stars cos I think it is right down the middle of the road as far as I am concerned...
Paul
ARH
May 24, 2023
I truly enjoyed this one better than the first book in the series. This one in a very broad way dealt with parenthood. Several characters had abysmal childhoods with neglectful or abusive parents. They were either not having children so as to avoid repeating the pattern of abuse. Or they were trying to be better parents. When viewed through that lens, it's very thought provoking as well as a well written gritty thriller set in Dallas.
March 17, 2017
Couldn't finish. I've tried on and off for months and months to finish reading this story. I was put off by the racism and bigotry that seemed to be an undercurrent for some of the characters--not to mention the way the story began with cops murdering a child. Nope. Not for me.
January 31, 2019
Good book
It’s a good thing that there is a third book because this one just ended without an ending. The first 2 books have been good. I will download the next book now and report on it in a couple of days.
It’s a good thing that there is a third book because this one just ended without an ending. The first 2 books have been good. I will download the next book now and report on it in a couple of days.
August 8, 2023
This was not good. The plot was a mess and never came together. The main character - Jon Cantrell - was just a narrator of events and really did near nothing. Just a mess. Done with these. I gave it a 2 b/c I actually finished it.
February 8, 2018
Great story!
Another good story by Harry Hunsicker. More fast paced action and deep character development, leaving the readers wanting more. Read it.
Another good story by Harry Hunsicker. More fast paced action and deep character development, leaving the readers wanting more. Read it.
April 25, 2018
This is a husband read book. He thought it was a good read.
May 15, 2018
fast read with a lot of actions, the ending is somewhat disappointing.
February 22, 2019
Dallas is a complicated city
Being from Dallas Harry makes the city come alive with his writing. The Jon Cantrell charachter has so much of Texas in his mannerisims it is great.
Being from Dallas Harry makes the city come alive with his writing. The Jon Cantrell charachter has so much of Texas in his mannerisims it is great.
September 2, 2020
This was a decent read but I didn't care much for it, the plot and the characters.
May 18, 2025
Waste of time
Too many stories going on at once. Jumps 3+ chapters before continuing on with prior story. Kept thinking it would get better. Never came to solid conclusions.
Too many stories going on at once. Jumps 3+ chapters before continuing on with prior story. Kept thinking it would get better. Never came to solid conclusions.
September 12, 2015
Author Harry Hunsicker spins tales of Dallas that don’t fit the glitzy image advocated by the Chamber of Commerce. His Dallas is one of dope dens, backstabbing in the barrios as well as city hall, a river and a roadway system that was deliberately constructed to divide the rich and poor, where the ends justify the means in you are on the winning side of the deal. Where the streets are paved with broken dreams amidst the cracked asphalt and where babies are born with no hope and no chance to get out. This view was part of the backbone of his very good Lee Henry Oswald Mystery Series (begin with Still River) and is also present in the Jon Cantrell Thriller Series. The second book in the series, Shadow Boys, picks up a few months after, The Contractors and leads readers on a history lesson while dealing with a violence fueled here and now though not all of the violence comes by way a weapon.
When he isn’t messing with the tourists at the Grassy Knoll by tossing around empty rifle cartridges, Jon Cantrell works for a law firm out of Washington, D. C. He is paid well to discreetly handle situations that arise when government shipments of important cargo are not returned or fall into the wrong hands. While the law firm prefers that he not moonlight, in this case, his boss has granted Jon Cantrell permission to meet with someone that they would like to have a relationship with going forward.
That someone is Deputy Chief Raul Delgado of the Dallas Police Department who is a rising star in the DPD despite, or maybe inspite, of his violent background. The movers and shakers have begun grooming Delgado and offering advice as they believe that he is a person who someday might be sitting in the governor’s mansion down in Austin or occupying a legislative seat in Washington. The same drive that got Delgado to where is now is the same drive that in some ways is preventing him from rising further. While aware of that dichotomy, Delgado is more focused on a mission of a personal nature. Delgado wants a certain 13 year old autistic boy who lives with his elderly grandmother in West Dallas found. The child has been possibly missing for a few days now and the details of his living situation are very sketchy. Delgado can’t use the vast resources of the DPD and needs a man with the proper skills as well as being sufficiently motivated to get the job done. Considering the boy’s name is Tremont Washington Jon Cantrell is most definitely the man on both counts. Not only does he have the skill set, Jon Cantrell owes a debt to Tremont’s father that he can never repay. Cantrell is also seriously annoyed that despite what he had been told by the Texas Department of Public Safety ten years ago the family was never relocated to California and has remained in a very bad situation in West Dallas.
Tremont Washington has to be found. That storyline is the primary storyline for the book which features several other storylines all interconnected in various ways to the primary hunt for the child. Throw in a missing government weapons shipment, an out of control SWAT officer, city politics, and a series of vigilante murders, among other items, and things get very interesting in the Texas heat.
Shadow Boys is a fast moving and intense read that surpasses the first book, The Contractors. Interspaced with the action and the mystery are small flashes of cynical and often sarcastic humor. Violence comes in many forms in this thriller as does political expediency and deceit. As in the first book of the series, there is some hard edged sarcasm about the city along the Trinity River that has no real reason for being other than sheer force of will. While the Chamber of Commerce may hate Hunsicker’s non photo shopped version of Big D, the author showcases yet again that he has a very good understanding of makes the city and its residents tick in various ways. Along the way he delivers a complex thriller that crisscrosses time and space all across the city proving that Shadow Boys is one book to make sure and read.
Book Three in the series is titled THE GRID and was released August, 2015. The book is in my tbr pile and will be read and reviewed soon.
Shadow Boys (A Jon Cantrell Thriller Book 2)
Harry Hunsicker
http://www.harryhunsicker.com
Thomas & Mercer
http://www.apub.com
December 2014
ISBN#: 978-1477825754
Paperback (also available in e-book and audio forms)
384 Pages
$8.99
Material was supplied by the author quite some time ago in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
When he isn’t messing with the tourists at the Grassy Knoll by tossing around empty rifle cartridges, Jon Cantrell works for a law firm out of Washington, D. C. He is paid well to discreetly handle situations that arise when government shipments of important cargo are not returned or fall into the wrong hands. While the law firm prefers that he not moonlight, in this case, his boss has granted Jon Cantrell permission to meet with someone that they would like to have a relationship with going forward.
That someone is Deputy Chief Raul Delgado of the Dallas Police Department who is a rising star in the DPD despite, or maybe inspite, of his violent background. The movers and shakers have begun grooming Delgado and offering advice as they believe that he is a person who someday might be sitting in the governor’s mansion down in Austin or occupying a legislative seat in Washington. The same drive that got Delgado to where is now is the same drive that in some ways is preventing him from rising further. While aware of that dichotomy, Delgado is more focused on a mission of a personal nature. Delgado wants a certain 13 year old autistic boy who lives with his elderly grandmother in West Dallas found. The child has been possibly missing for a few days now and the details of his living situation are very sketchy. Delgado can’t use the vast resources of the DPD and needs a man with the proper skills as well as being sufficiently motivated to get the job done. Considering the boy’s name is Tremont Washington Jon Cantrell is most definitely the man on both counts. Not only does he have the skill set, Jon Cantrell owes a debt to Tremont’s father that he can never repay. Cantrell is also seriously annoyed that despite what he had been told by the Texas Department of Public Safety ten years ago the family was never relocated to California and has remained in a very bad situation in West Dallas.
Tremont Washington has to be found. That storyline is the primary storyline for the book which features several other storylines all interconnected in various ways to the primary hunt for the child. Throw in a missing government weapons shipment, an out of control SWAT officer, city politics, and a series of vigilante murders, among other items, and things get very interesting in the Texas heat.
Shadow Boys is a fast moving and intense read that surpasses the first book, The Contractors. Interspaced with the action and the mystery are small flashes of cynical and often sarcastic humor. Violence comes in many forms in this thriller as does political expediency and deceit. As in the first book of the series, there is some hard edged sarcasm about the city along the Trinity River that has no real reason for being other than sheer force of will. While the Chamber of Commerce may hate Hunsicker’s non photo shopped version of Big D, the author showcases yet again that he has a very good understanding of makes the city and its residents tick in various ways. Along the way he delivers a complex thriller that crisscrosses time and space all across the city proving that Shadow Boys is one book to make sure and read.
Book Three in the series is titled THE GRID and was released August, 2015. The book is in my tbr pile and will be read and reviewed soon.
Shadow Boys (A Jon Cantrell Thriller Book 2)
Harry Hunsicker
http://www.harryhunsicker.com
Thomas & Mercer
http://www.apub.com
December 2014
ISBN#: 978-1477825754
Paperback (also available in e-book and audio forms)
384 Pages
$8.99
Material was supplied by the author quite some time ago in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2015
September 23, 2016
I thought this book moved very quickly and was a good story, with some great plot twists that kept me interested. If you like crime thrillers and are trying to pick which Kindle first book to choose, I think that you'll enjoy this book.
January 23, 2015
I was a lucky winner of "Shadow Boys," by Harry Hunsicker on goodreads. It truly was a stoke of extreme luck "Shadow Boy,s" the second Jon Cantrell thriller, features intriguing characters, snappy dialogue, a great plot-line and an inside look at the city of Dallas. A missing boy with ties to Cantrell, a vigilante killer, a police official with secrets to hide, a love interest and a cast of characters who range from good to extremely bad into worse, keep the action moving. This is a fast paced read, with points of view shifting from the character leads keeping you on the edge of your seat or up late at night deep into this story rather than in of your bed. The action ends with a bang and the epilogue fills the blanks with a suitably dark conclusion. I highly recommend this book, so much so that I will be getting the first Jon Cantrell book, "The Contractors," to read next. Well done Harry Hunsicker, well done. You've made a fan out of me and a big thank you out to goodreads for leading me to yet another sterling author!
November 12, 2014
I received a copy of this novel through Kindle First Picks.
This novel tells several parallel stories for the various characters as well as including the occasional flashback. For one character, the story is told in first person; for the rest of the characters, third person limited is used. I found this to be a bit jarring and frequently read paragraphs in which I wasn't sure which of the characters I was following (or in what time frame we were). While the storylines nominally feed a final outcome, the wrap up left me feeling a little flat. Some of the parallel/supporting plots are interesting, but they were unevenly developed. The approach also resulted in an excessive number of characters, seemingly central to the novel, that were poorly developed. Finally, the central conflict to be resolved wasn't clearly the central conflict until mid-way through the book. Overall, I was not impressed with the story, the characters, or the style of the novel.
This novel tells several parallel stories for the various characters as well as including the occasional flashback. For one character, the story is told in first person; for the rest of the characters, third person limited is used. I found this to be a bit jarring and frequently read paragraphs in which I wasn't sure which of the characters I was following (or in what time frame we were). While the storylines nominally feed a final outcome, the wrap up left me feeling a little flat. Some of the parallel/supporting plots are interesting, but they were unevenly developed. The approach also resulted in an excessive number of characters, seemingly central to the novel, that were poorly developed. Finally, the central conflict to be resolved wasn't clearly the central conflict until mid-way through the book. Overall, I was not impressed with the story, the characters, or the style of the novel.
January 6, 2015
A strange but enthralling tale involving police, FBI, Homeland Security, law firms and a variety of contractors. Don't, however, let this put you off! Jon is the security contractor, an ex-cop now working for the law firm, recovering property, searching for missing persons, essentially whatever they want doing. Piper, his ex, is a police officer in the area he's now working in - their paths are bound to cross and the dynamics of their relationship. past and future all contribute significantly to the story.
There are lots of scary hoodlums, a missing autistic child, drug dealers and a vigilante involved, too - all contribute to make this a fast paced story with mysteries, action and a hint of romance. The writer has combined strong characters, pacy events, mysteries with lots of misdirection, twist and turns to make this a captivating read.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.
There are lots of scary hoodlums, a missing autistic child, drug dealers and a vigilante involved, too - all contribute to make this a fast paced story with mysteries, action and a hint of romance. The writer has combined strong characters, pacy events, mysteries with lots of misdirection, twist and turns to make this a captivating read.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 22, 2015
My second novel from Amazon's Thomas and Mercer imprint, and a much better experience than the first - this one would be at 2.5 stars if half stars worked. Still, Shadow Boys left a lot to be desired. It's not really a mystery or a detective story; it's an episode in the life of a character who happens to work in a field where detecting shows up. Since it's about the character, not the story, the story ends with a whimper. The character, however, isn't a likeable, noble, or decent guy, and so the story is the only bait to make you want to spend time with him. Misdirection abounds, on a couple of different levels, postponing the realization that the story is thin. The writing itself was competent, and the pacing was decent (if you can tolerate a BOGOF special on flashbacks), but if in the end there isn't a gripping story or a character I want to spent time with, then it's hard to like the book.
August 24, 2015
Really enjoyed Shadow Boys (though I was never quite sure to whom the title referred). Fast paced thriller, snappy dialog, good mystery to boot. The plot structure weaves together a number of story strands (from different POVs, which drives some readers nuts, but which I thought well done) that advance the characterization and motivations of most of the players in the novel. Well written scenes, quick and vivid descriptions of Dallas landmarks, ongoing cop/gangster tension, a missing child, a vigilante serial killer, and a progression of clues kept me guessing as to who did what. As for the hero, I don't mind the ambivalent protagonist every now and then, as long as he/she isn't a total loser. In this case, Jon Cantrell does have a bit of moral/honorable streak, so overall I felt him a sympathetic main character. Adult language and situations make this an R-rated thriller, but recommended if you enjoy detective/police procedurals with grit, grime, and crime.
November 26, 2014
I received an ARC from the Publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I like detective stories a lot, and felt this would be a very good read. I was disappointed. The author should have stayed with a single POV and story line. Instead what you had was multiple POV's, chapters that flashed between present time and the past from the perspective of various POV's which lead nowhere, except to throw more stuff into a confusing plot. It is unusual for me to take more than 3 days to finish a read. I just finished reading this, about 7:00 AM today (11/26/14). I had a hard time to stay interested and kept looking to see what percentage I had left, which is a bad sign.
To sum it up, I can't really talk about the story much as I didn't get interested enough in it to feel connected. I kept reading hoping I would find that a-ha moment, sadly it never showed up.
I like detective stories a lot, and felt this would be a very good read. I was disappointed. The author should have stayed with a single POV and story line. Instead what you had was multiple POV's, chapters that flashed between present time and the past from the perspective of various POV's which lead nowhere, except to throw more stuff into a confusing plot. It is unusual for me to take more than 3 days to finish a read. I just finished reading this, about 7:00 AM today (11/26/14). I had a hard time to stay interested and kept looking to see what percentage I had left, which is a bad sign.
To sum it up, I can't really talk about the story much as I didn't get interested enough in it to feel connected. I kept reading hoping I would find that a-ha moment, sadly it never showed up.
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