Fin dove saresti disposto ad arrivare in nome della giustizia?
In A Caccia del Diavolo, Ryan Lock e Ty Johnson tornano in un altro thriller mozzafiato.
Condannato per una serie di crimini terribili ai danni di alcune giovani donne nell’esclusiva città californiana di Santa Barbara, il ricco playboy Charlie Mendez fugge oltre confine in Messico.
Mentre uno dopo l’altro i cacciatori di taglie che gli danno la caccia vanno incontro a una fine orribile per mano del sanguinario cartello della droga che la sua famiglia ha assunto per proteggerlo, Mendez sembra un fuggiasco destinato a sfuggire al braccio della legge. O almeno è così che appare la situazione finché una vittima determinata non persuade l’esperto specialista in sicurezza Ryan Lock e il suo partner, il Marine in congedo Ty Johnson, ad assumere il caso.
Immersi in un mondo da incubo in cui non possono fidarsi di nessuno, men che meno delle autorità, i due uomini si imbattono in una città più mortifera di una qualsiasi zona di guerra. A peggiorare le cose, quando una giovane turista americana viene fatta sparire, sembra che Mendez sia tornato alle vecchie abitudini. Per fermarlo prima che mieta un’altra vittima, Lock e Ty dovranno forse andare A Caccia del Diavolo?
“È una vera caccia all’uomo, con azione e tensione in abbondanza…I lettori che amano salire sulle montagne russe della tensione e procedere a un ritmo frenetico esulteranno davanti a quest’avventura tra vita e morte.” (Shotsmag)
I write the Ryan Lock series of thrillers, which feature ex-military bodyguard Ryan Lock and his partner, former Marine, Ty Johnson. The first two books in the series, Lockdown and Deadlock, hit the Official UK Top 50 Bestseller Chart, and the third, Gridlock, has just been released in hardback. They have have also been translated into Dutch, German, and Russian.
I'm a firm believer in hands-on research, also known as 'any excuse to get out of the house', so before I wrote Lockdown, I trained for a month with former members of the Royal Military Police's specialist close protection unit. That turned out to be great preparation for Deadlock, which I researched by spending time inside Pelican Bay Supermax in California (see the TV interview on my author page). I recently completed a desert survival course in Arizona and ventured into the tunnels under Las Vegas, all as preparation for a new standalone thriller I will begin work on once I have completed the fourth Ryan Lock book.
Before I became a full-time novelist, I taught college and wrote television drama. I'm an Oxbridge and Ivy League graduate – try not to hold that against me.
Okay Ladies and Gents, meet Mr Sean Black. His first book was released in 2009 and featured Ryan Lock an ex-soldier turned Bodyguard and his partner Tyrone Johnson. I picked the first one up and if I’m being 100% honest didn’t expect all that much. Just how many more characters like this could my mind take? As it turns out, my mind was very open to Ryan and Ty and now let me introduce you to my latest character crush!
I have read each of Sean Black’s 3 books in the series so far and was really looking forward to this book which is the fourth instalment in the Lock series. Ryan Lock and Ty make a brilliant team and have been through the mill with various assignments going wrong. Ryan and Ty are currently doing the security for a rap group when trouble comes to find them for a change. A young girl approaches Lock and tells him that he is the only one that can help track down the wealthy playboy Charlie Mendez who has been convicted on a number of crimes but has fled the US over the border into Mexico.
The story takes less than two chapters to get going with a pretty fast paced scene kicking all the action off. It seems that a few Bounty Hunters that have tried to hunt Charlie Mendez down have ended up dead, so Ryan and Ty make it their mission to bring him back to the United States. There is a sense of real authenticity in Black’s books and you realise when you are reading that he has certainly done his homework. Knowing that Sean does things like a 24 day Intensive Body guarding Course makes you realise he takes his research seriously. Even more so when you find he spent time in Supermax Prison Pelican Bay also in the name of research!
With the story being fast paced the whole of the first half, I expected it to slow down a bit towards the middle but it kept up its suspense and we were thrown plenty of curveballs and surprises along the way. You can certainly read this book as a stand alone but for those that have read all the previous Lock books you will see Ryan try to move on from the issues he was dealing with at the end of the last book and this case seems to be a good way of moving forward. This book has plenty of action and suspense to keep you reading and although I loved every page of it I am looking forward top the next instalment more. That may sound strange but I want to see what happens next for Ryan and Ty, especially regarding their personal lives.
Overall, another solid read from Sean Black and he shows no signs of the series slowing down, it just appears to be getting better. As usual, having finished the book I was left with that disappointed feeling, I have to wait another year to reacquaint myself with my latest character crush. Mr Lock, we will meet again!
This was just an average story about a macho hero who captures a rich and very evil American who rapes and kills women. He has to go into a cartel controlled area of Mexico to find the guy, as the cartel is protecting the guy for some reason (revealed later in the story). The hero gets some help from an honest police woman who is familiar with the cartel players and the villain, and whose boss is controlled by the cartel. No surprises and minimal character development.
brief synopsis: our boy plays mr tough guy bounty hunter.
setting: santa barbara, california los angeles, california west hollywood diablo, mexico arizona
named personalities: cesar 'charlie' mendez - a sexual predator melissa warner - one of charlie's victims ryan lock - our boy tyrone 'ty' johnson - our boy's logistics officer raven lane - our boy's client and principal from a previous book carrie - our boy's late fiancee joe brady - a bondsman for brady bail bonds (formerly front bail bonds), deceased prior to the first chapter ken fosssum - a young santa barbara patrol officer marcie braun - the lead detective for melissa's case (said event prior to the first chapter), since retired miriam mendez - charlie's mother anthony 'tony' medina - charlie's lead counsel during melissa's case sarah - joe's widow rafaela carcharon - a policia federal detective senora valdez - the mother of still another victim jan - melissa's mother daniel front - a bondsman for front bail bonds and joe's mentor, deceased prior to the first chapter; progenitor of the eponymous phrase 'the devil's bounty' dwayne dikes - triple-c's lead rapper and our boy's principal hector - the leader of charlie's bodyguards; a former sicario julia fisher - a twenty-one-year-old who vacations with her parents rosa perez - a random decedent tynisha brown - a girl who offered ty a blowjob back in 8th grade manuel managua - a classic politician; mexico's future president federico tibialis - an alleged leader of one of the largest drug cartels gabriel zapatero - diablo's chief of police john - julia's father armando hernandez - a state department official maria sanchez - hector's #12 victim; #7 in rafaela's book angel - the labrador our boy had adopted a few books back
fact-check: p101: he opened the first and took out a sig sauer 226.
continuity: p173: lock's hand slammed down hard on the steering-wheel of the toyota rav 4. p174: lock eased up and the ranger dropped back.
colorful shit, literally: p232: he split open the avocados with his gerber knife, took out the stone in the center, scooped out the browny-green flesh and mushed it over two tortillas, which he then rolled up into wraps.
I loved this book. My favorites are all what they called in the Fifties “Pulp Fiction” and written very visually. This fit perfectly. Ryan Lock and his partner Ty Johnson are bodyguards. While protecting some rappers at a hotel in Los Angeles a young woman comes running into the Lobby obviously in trouble and bleeding from being gut shot. Lock takes her, in his car, to the Hospital and during her hospital stay learns her story. He also gets involved in returning a rich, entitled rapist and sadist who has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison for his crimes back from where he went into hiding in Mexico. Lock and Ty go South and that’s where the non-stop action takes place. There are way too many spoilers to go any further into the story. Suffice to say the protagonists are all you can hope for and the villains are truly evil. Thanks to the author and publisher for an e-Galley for an honest review.
Another cracking read & one which sees Lock & Ty on the hunt for Charlie Mendez, an American rapist & fugitive who’s under the protection of a dangerous Mexican drug cartel.
When an American tourist goes missing it would appear Mendez is up to his old tricks. Can Lock & Ty track him down & rescue the young woman before she becomes Mendez’s next victim. Well, I don’t want to give away any spoilers but this is Ryan Lock we’re talking about…so what do you think?
Like the earlier books in the series this is a fast-paced & action packed tale. Okay, some of the stunts might be a bit over the top but these characters can get away with it. Lock & Ty are great personalities, with the friendship & trust between the pair being both credible & endearing. Actually all the characterisation is good whether its Mendez’s stuck up mother or her scumbag son, even those with the smallest part to play come over convincingly.
In short, I got just what wanted & that’s a gripping storyline with credible characters that kept me entertained & hooked to the end. So if like me you’ve enjoyed Lock & Ty’s escapades in the past then you’ll love this one too…..& if you haven’t met Lock yet, what are you waiting for?
I finished this book, so it's good enough to read. Barely. A security guy and his partner chase a rapist/murder to Mexico and work him out from under the folks protecting him. SPOILER: some justice is served in this book. Nice set up, good plot idea, interesting team description and good rationale to drive the plot. But the execution never quite took off. This is definitely not Jack Reacher, or Elvis Cole, or Ethan Hunt.
Maybe I had a problem with the tedious detail in places: He approached the hotel door. He swiped his keycard. The light turned green. He turned the knob. He opened the door. He turned on the lights. Sheesh. I think it was Elmore Leonard who said the trick to success as an author is to leave out the boring parts.
Another hero for the underdog. Ryan Lock is asked by a dying woman to get the man who raped her, was found guilty and escaped to Mexico, protected by the cartel. The woman dies from injuries from the cartel doobies. Although several bounty hunters have returned empty handed or are killed tracking the rapist, Ryan & friend Ty go south. Lots of action and sorting thru the corrupt officials, trying to get the rapist home to serve his time (the woman's wish), and some interesting turns of events. Good action and it kept me reading!
3,5/5 Didn't appreciate this one as the previous chapters. I didn't mind the change in the action, with Ryan as a bounty hunter, but rather the way Black designed and presented it. The plot is a bit slow at the beginning and it evolves very quickly towards the end, where things seem to be happening at a mind-blowing pace. I had the feeling some twists could have been explored more, that Black could have developed them in detail and avoid rushing through the last 50 pages as he did. It feels like a half-missed opportunity
This book was action from the start to the finish. I enjoyed the authors way of writing that made me feel like I was involved in the action. While there were many characters you were able to identify with the good and bad right away, and even though it was rather brutal at times the story didn't dwell on anything that made me uncomfortable at any time. I recommend this book to everyone that like an action packed book that keeps you on the edge from beginning to end. I will definitely be reading more books by this author in the future.
Ty And Lock are good names for two bad hombres to have on the right side of the law. The story was great and the main actors were superb l. It gave us a look into the horrific problems that go on in border towns along the Mexican border. I love the way our two main characters brought justice to the murder of innocent girls. Keep up the good work Mr. Lock. I look forward to more of your adventures.
It is incomprehensible to most of us what happens in other countries when it comes to dealing with corrupt officials and their people. This novel was hard to digest and while I do believe events such as these happen I thank God for our country and those who protect us.
I love Ty Johnson just a little bit more than Ryan Lock. He has compassion. I guess something Ryan cannot afford in his line of work. Although Ty manages quite fine. Charlie Mendez is a narcissistic sociopath. He deserved far worse than he got. A shame.
I chose the 5 star rating because the story kept me interested and looking forward to more. Characters were well designed to fit the plot. The story was believable because of the actual actions of the Mexican cartels.
This why I use Amazon for the type of novels I enjoy. They keep them coming and this is an excellent example of what you can expect. Will request more books by this author. Exciting and keeps you on edge till the end.
I like that the characters weren’t made out to have superhuman qualities, but were rather pretty regular people and therefore believable. The story was good, not great, but that I liked the protagonists made it an enjoyable read. Probably about 3&1/2 to 4 stars.
Drugs, sex, border control, wealth, the law. Who will win.
After her rapist escapes and hides in Mexico she is determined to return him to prison. Now the cartel is after her and now women are being murdered in Mexico. Please help!
A fairly fast paced read with excitement on almost every page. The characters are well developed and relatable, either you loved them or despised them. Truly enjoyed the escape intrigue and the surprise that eased our conscious but made us want more.
This is the third book in the series that I have read. Sometimes it is fast paced and sometimes not so much. Still it captures your interest and you want to continue to find out what happens.
I have been reading The Ryan Lock series for a little while now and I've enjoyed each one a lot. Each book is different and has its own twists and turns.
This story was derived from the Max Factor heir who was raping girls in the Santa Barbara area. The writer added a nice twist to it by increasing the suspense; with the involvement of a drug cartel and money laundering.
I have no idea why I bought this. Anyway, marginal character development. Plot strained my credulity. I especially did not like Ty just being a worshipping side kick. Despite all this it was easy to read and I enjoyed it. Just won’t bother with another in the series.
Got to agree with this:nice set up, good plot idea, interesting team description and good rationale to drive the plot. Bad guys are very bad. Kept me turning pages. Read my thrillers--firefighter crime series and more
Sean Black nous entraîne cette fois-ci avec son héros, Lock toujours accompagné de Ty dans une chasse à l’homme sur un territoire que peu d’Américains oseraient fouler : le Mexique, pays gangrené par les cartels et la corruption au plus haut niveau. Mais Lock, encore sous le coup de la mort de Carrie n’est pas homme à refuser le dernier vœu d’une innocente.
La jeune femme Melissa a fait un long chemin pour demander à Lock de trouver et ramener celui qui l’a agressée. Mais ce dernier, issu d’une très riche famille a pris la fuite et trouvé refuge au Mexique où il est protégé. Ce n’est pas ça ni les menaces qui vont empêcher Lock d’accomplir la dernière volonté de Melissa.
Cela va être un long chemin semé de morts, les ramifications vont très loin dans ce monde sans foi ni loi. C’est haletant, bien construit et toujours aussi passionnant.