Red Tiger

Ryan Lock #9

by Sean Black

When the daughter of a Chinese billionaire is kidnapped from her mansion in Arcadia, California, Ryan and Ty find themselves caught in the middle of a vicious standoff.
Emily Yan is a Chinese 'parachute kid', one of thousands of children sent to study in America by their ultra-wealthy parents. Living in a multi-million dollar mansion in Arcadia, California with her hard-partying cousin Charlie, it's not long before their ostentatious displays of wealth attract the wrong sort of attention in the form of some MS-13 gang members.
But someone else has been looking for Emily, a shadowy figure from back home known only as The Red Tiger.
Two very different worlds collide in this explosive new thriller from Sean Black as Ryan Lock and his business partner, wise-cracking US Marine Ty Johnson, set out to save Emily from a violent tug of war between two deadly forces; the brutal members of America's most dangerous gang, and an equally determined Chinese enforcer called the Red Tiger.

292 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 30, 2018

About the author

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.

Reviews

[itchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

brief synopsis:
Ty and Ryan are called in after a Chinese billionaire's daughter and her cousin are abducted by members of a very dangerous gang. Meanwhile, a Chinese enforcer takes interest and joins in.

setting:
somewhere in China, possibly
Los Angeles, California
Arcadia, California

named personalities:
Tang Bojun aka Red Tiger - a bringer of justice, a righter of wrongs
Xi Yow Chang - a simple country folk
Li Yeng - a fixer
Emily Yan aka Ji Chi - Li's boss' daughter
Charlie Yan - Emily's cousin
Chow 'Chan'* Yan - Emily's father; Li's boss
Kanye - presumably Kanye West
Pony - a Mara Salvatrucha member
Joker - ditto
Tyrone 'Ty' Johnson - a huge black dude with a bad attitude
Ryan Lock - Ty's business partner and best friend
Sam - Ty's uncle
Carmen Lazaro - Ryan's lawyer girlfriend who was an abduction victim
Princess - a female Mara Salvatrucha member
Carl Galante - a former San Diego cop who is now a private investigator for Carmen's law firm
Hugh Grant - an English actor
Ernesto Flores aka Shotcaller - a local shotcaller for Mara Salvatrucha
Po - Chow's mistress
Noah Orzana aka El Mecánico - a first-generation Salvadorian immigrant
Barry White - an American musician
Ernesto 'Alex'** Flores Junior - Ernesto's son
Warren Buffet - a smart wealthy man
Jake - an attorney that previously dated Carmen

*I dunno why he was referred to as Chan at one point.
p97: "...Chan would talk about them."
Chan was Emily's father, Charlie's uncle.
p165: A steward greeted him at the door, and led him back to where Emily's father, Chow Yan, was sitting at a conference table in the middle of a call.

**I dunno how his nickname could be Alex.
p220: Shotcaller's son stared at him. His face was drawn and pale, and he was crying. "Alex," he said. "Listen to me. It'll be okay."
p226: "...Victim is an Ernesto Flores, and his fifteen-year-old son, Ernesto Junior. Flores is a local shotcaller for Mara Salvatrucha."

grammar:
p108: "...That's why I'm going ask you again."

plot:
p165: Chow Yan hated being out of the country. He only ever traveled when it was absolutely necessary, and never, in all the time Li had known him, took vacations.
-Then who does he have a full-time mistress in LA, hmm?-

label:
p185: Their hands were cinched behind their backs with plasti-ties.

Started a bit slow but had some decent material near the end.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Read in one sitting, it’s a rollercoaster from the first page. It’s fine as a standalone but definitely benefits from reading the series in order to keep up with the sub plots.

[Frank Roberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the entire series,

I always like to read books by authors that I haven’t heard of and new characters. This series was just that. I enjoyed the main characters in the series. Also, the plot in each book was different and sometimes looked like it was taking from recent events. I would recommend this series,

[Jean Brouder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read from Sean Black. I have read all of Sean's books and enjoyed every one. Red Tiger was a page turner all the way. The ending was exceptionally gripping. Didn't want to put the book down. I would strongly recommend Red Tiger.

[Ruth Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those books, hard to put down. OutstAnding

I love the character building. Ty and Ryan are opposites but great partners. Have read the entire series and always waiting for more.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edge of the Seat Thrjller

Another Ryan Lock/Ty Johnson adventure thriller theaters the reader on the edge of their seat. The twists and turns had me reading this book in one sitting. Time for bed!

[Beach Bum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good easy read

Similar to the previous books, maybe note as gritty, definitely not as focused on what are the usual 2 main characters. Much more detail about the others involved in the story and nice sub story with Carmen & Lock

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another exciting adventure

Ryan and Ty are back at it again. This was another entertaining adventure. Going to go back and reread the series while I wait for the next book.

[Connie Hamby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book

If you like good action books you will love this one I didn't want to put it down Sean Black writes good books

[rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action Thriller

I liked this book for the thought provoking action pace. I would recommend it to anyone who likes some physical and emotional action in the plot.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started reading it, it was good, fast paced, good story line. Curious about princess. Forgot to mark it finished till now.

[Best Crime Books & More · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been WAY too long since I have delved back into my superhero of fictional characters Ryan Lock’s life. This is the ninth book in the series and we are back with Ryan and his colleague Ty. These two are absolutely meant to work together and as much as I enjoyed the last short story featuring Ty on his own, they are so much more engaging when they are working side by side.

Emily the daughter of a Chinese Billionaire and her cousin have been kidnapped so Ryan and Ty are called in to help find them. The only problem is they seem to have been taken by the brutally and well known violent gang MS-13. On the opposite side of the story it seems there is another person also interested in finding Emily and at first there is no clear cut reason why.

This story was fabulous and kept me turning the pages until late into the night. One element which has slightly changed is the fact that Ryan now has a lady in his life and it’s amusing to see how that changes the dynamic of Ryan and Ty’s friendship. I also liked the addition of Carl Galante who featured in a previous book and thought he was a great addition to both Ryan and Ty.

There is plenty of pace in this book and it build up as the story continues. The story of the other man chasing Emily is slowly revealed making it even more tense for all those involved. In short this was another 5 star read and in truth Sean Black can do no wrong in my eyes. This is one of my favourite series and have enjoyed each and every book that has been released. It’s clear Sean Black knows his stuff and I can only hope this series continues for years to come. Hugely recommended and although it could be read as a stand alone, this series is too good to start here. So if you are interested do yourself a favour and go back to the first book and work your way through…I promise you wont be dissapointed

[Jeff Benham · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like intriguing, you are going to love this Ryan Lock novel! Red Tiger is an assassin of bad people in China. He is a major character in this book, or it wouldn’t be named after him, right? But what is his roll? That is the intriguing part. You can rest assured it has something to do with Ryan and Ty’s current client, but he keeps popping up in between chapters for a long ways and there is no clear indication if he is one of the good guys or one of the bad guys. As far as the plot goes, Chow Yan is a Chinese billionaire whose daughter Emily Yan and nephew, Charlie, are being educated over in the states. They end up being abducted by a very brutal and powerful Mexican American gang called MS-13. That gang sells them to the Mexican Mafia. What Red Tiger did, back in China, was to help parents who had a child abducted and he has a very personal reason for rescuing these kids. He is a bit like Lock, but not the negotiating type. A must read for Ryan Lock fans and those that think they might want to be!

[Andy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book which I read in one sitting. Superb plot and well written. Great addition to the series.