LAST SHOT (Pub. 2006) by Gregg Hurwitz is the author's seventh novel, and the fourth in Hurwitz's Tim Rackley series. I stumbled across this author while perusing the library shelves a couple months ago, and he immediately shot to the top of my favorite-authors list. You know you've found reading gold when you scramble to get every book written by the author, no matter the cost or the hassle. I've blazed through almost the entire 20-book oeuvre, and thoroughly enjoyed every story, but LAST SHOT is possibly my favorite Hurwitz book, and that's saying a lot.Hurwitz has a magical way of weaving several plot twists and believable character issues into the main story that give all his books many layers. It's impossible to call any of them cookie-cutter thrillers.This story has everything a thriller reader wants - it starts off with a unique and intriguing bang, and keeps blazing away until the very last page, with the stakes steadily climbing at a relentless pace that kept me turning pages as fast as I could. Multiple story lines running at just the right level, with a strong and believable base plot backed up by great dialogue and fantastic writing that doesn't try to impress, but manages to do so any way. You can't help but marvel a bit at how well this author spins a tale without trying too hard. Hurwitz hits all the right notes all the way down the line. But what makes this one really stand out are the incredibly well-drawn characters that suck you into their lives in a subtle, yet irresistible way. And the brilliant characterization is capped off by a surprising twist on what's supposed to be the bad guy--a man who, at the end of the day, is really a good guy that made some bad decisions along the way. It brings a very interesting slant to the story, and makes this thriller far and above the usual fare.The protagonist, Tim Rackley, is a Federal Marshall brought in to hunt down a felon who's escaped from a maximum security prison, in what turns out to be a masterfully well-executed plan. The first thing Rack must figure out is why the man would escape when he had only a year left on his five year sentence? And it turns out Walker Jameson is not your average convict - he's a decorated former elite soldier / sniper, with several tours of duty in the Mideast under his belt before the government found a way to kick him out on a dishonorable discharge. Rack quickly realizes he's met his match in Walker Jameson, and it will take everything he's got to bring the man in without getting killed or worse. But what Rack doesn't know until the train's already left the station is, Walker escaped prison to seek revenge on behalf of his sister, and the man wastes not one minute of his hard-won temporary freedom. The blood-letting starts on his first night out, and continues until every man involved in his sister's murder is dead - dead in a big, ugly, public kind of way.LAST SHOT has such poignancy, real heart-pulling stuff--even while the thrills keep rolling--I have no doubt it will linger in my mind for days.
What do You think about Last Shot (2006)?
I hate reading a series out of order, but somehow read #4 before #3. Tim Rackley, back in the good graces of the US Marshal's office, is called in to solve the disappearance of a soldier from a maximum security prison, who has escaped to exact vengeance for his sister's staged suicide. I did not care for the somewhat silly plot line involving a biotech company IPO, with questionable ethics imperiling the life of the escapee's son. Rackley does the right thing. I also liked the title, which has several relevant meanings in the context of various story lines.
—Skip
This is a great book - its one of those that you can't put down so don't read it until you have a weekend to devote to it with no interruptions. So far I've read all 4 of the novels about U.S Marshal Tim Rackley and they are a great ride but this is my favorite. I love all the characters, new and old. The end scenario is not surprising but its well worth the journey of the read. The book does center on a lot of emotion from the various characters and of course from Tim and Dray as well. I found myself rooting for Tim at one point then rooting for Walker Jameson then switching my vote again. Definitely a good read!
—Stacy Buscaglia
