MURDER IN WINTER: ERIC BEETNER'S REAL BAD, REAL SOON

Right at the beginning of Eric Beetner's Real Bad, Real Soon, the follow up to his first Carter McCoy book, you know you're in the hands of a craftsman who has written many crime novels, but also read a hundred times as many in way he hooks with the first, simple sentence- On his way to kill a man, Carter McCoy saved a life.

On that first page he gives us everything you need to know if you haven't read the first book, The Last Few Miles Of Road, Diagnosed with a fatal disease, retiree Carter decided to murder the drunk driver who got away with killing his daughter. Circumstances from that killing led him into being semi-blackmailed by a Detective LeFore to be a vigilante against those who slipped from the justice system. He quickly informs the uninitiated reader, while also engaging us who read the previous book by dropping in just the right amount of details that update us what has happened between books, particularly that Carter has exceeded his estimated time for demise.

As he drives to one of his missions, Carter encounters a wreck and a man having a heart attack. He nearly kills himself doing CPR on the guy. This event and another makes him question what he's doing. Just as he plans to quit his executioner ways, even with DeFores pushing for him to continue, the wife of one of his intended targets shows up and wants him to help her take out her serial killer husband.

Beetner as always, delivers twists, turns, and (more lately) pathos than the books compact length would make you think. He uses short, direct sentences with canny word choice. He finds the best action verbs in the moments of violence, particularly in the climactic snowy shoot-out in the woods that turns into a gruelling chess game. He creates simple yet poet prose when Carter looks at his past and closing present. He holds a faith that the story and reader will meet in heart and mind with those twists and plot points reflecting the themes and emotions he is exploring.

I am hesitant to to speak more about Real Bad, Real Soon. You should be engaged and surprised as i was when reading it. I enjoyed the way it hooked me and admired Eric Beetner's execution in delivering it in a tight, clean package.