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Big City Heat by David Burnsworth Series: A Brack Pelton Mystery #3
Published by Henery Press on April 25, 2017
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 276
Format: Paperback
Source: a book tour
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Lowcountry bar owner and ex-Marine Brack Pelton heads to Atlanta in the wake of a panicked 3 AM phone call. A woman is missing and Brack’s friend Mutt is in danger. Brack’s old flame, investigative news correspondent Darcy Wells, now lives there and is set to marry another man. If Brack was honest with himself, and he usually wasn’t, he’d realize that the missing woman isn’t the reason for his visit. His Semper Fi buddy Mutt can handle himself just fine.
When Brack and Mutt team up to find the woman, the Atlanta underworld revolts, the two biggest players target them, and people start dying. Most people would size up the situation, call it impossible, and walk away. But most people are not Brack Pelton. Impossible situations are his specialty. He made it through Afghanistan and when the military commanders mistook suicidal tendencies for leadership qualities they promoted him. Can Brack succeed at finding the woman, protecting his friend, and winning the girl without destroying the Capital of the South? Not since Sherman’s march across Georgia has the city of Atlanta been in this much danger.
Is Your Bad Guy Bad Enough?
David Burnsworth
Is the bad guy bad enough? Not exactly a question readers may ponder, but as an author I ask myself this quite often. Not just bad, but believably bad. Like, to the point that the reader is thinking “I can’t wait for this guy (or gal) to get what’s coming.”
It’s part of the reason I read books. Life isn’t always fair. The good guys don’t always win. So when I’m ticked off, there is nothing I like better than a scene were Jack Reacher takes a three-fifty-seven Cold Python and blows a group of bad guys away. Somehow, my world comes back in order. Am I simply a violence junkie? Maybe. Is there a better way to solve problems than by killing? Yes.
But I like thrillers and mysteries. The more hard-boiled the better. So I don’t mind it when Joe Picket blows the top of his attacker’s head off with a shotgun. Or when his partner, Nate Romanowski, takes out three assailants with one shot from his fifty caliber. Or when Lucas Davenport watches a coworker who’d been brutally attacked and raped smash her aggressor’s skull in.
In fact, I like it. And I like writing about it. But, the bad guy has to deserve it. Meaning the writer has to convince me that their bad guy is so rotten that removing their sorry carcass from the planet is the only conclusion I want to come to.
Of course, a life sentence in a Mexican prison also sounds appealing as punishment. Especially if the man is so bad that sudden death feels too quick and easy. Thirty years of torture might be a better sentence for some.
Regardless of what fate the author chooses for her antagonist, they have to be so good at being bad that I also respect them. I didn’t say “admire,” I said “respect” meaning to appreciate their cunning and skill, their total disregard for civilized society, and believe that they would do what they are doing. Cringe as they approach their victim. And wonder when they are going to get what’s coming for them.
I want justice and I hope I’ve done a good enough job that my bad guys and gals deserve what I give them. For you the reader and for me.
Excerpt
My Thoughts
Big City Heat by David Burnsworth is the third book in the Brack Pelton mystery series. I love this series! It is one of my favorites and is on my must-read list.
Mr. Burnsworth is incredibly talented at writing the intricate details of a setting and really transporting the reader there. The previous books are set in Charleston, but I love that this one takes place in Atlanta. This really makes the story even more exciting. Brack and Mutt are two of my top mystery fictional characters.
If you enjoy fast-paced, gritty mystery that doesn’t quit until the last page, you need to read Big City Heat, as well as the other books in the Brack Pelton series. Brack is a character that quickly grows on you. The supporting characters are as strong as the main characters. The mystery is expertly woven and had enough twists to keep me guessing.
Giveaway
About David Burnsworth
David Burnsworth became fascinated with the Deep South at a young age. After a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and fifteen years in the corporate world, he made the decision to write a novel. He is the author of both the Brack Pelton and the Blu Carraway Mystery Series. Having lived in Charleston on Sullivan’s Island for five years, the setting was a foregone conclusion. He and his wife call South Carolina home.
I agree with you, this was one great read! I can’t wait to read the other books in this series.
Such a great and fast read!