Publisher: Alibi (Random House)
Date of publication: April 2014
Bud Knox isn’t your average bank robber. He’s happiest fixing a nice lunch for his wife on her lunch break or watching his two young daughters play soccer. He leaves the boldness and brawn to his partner, Mick Wyman. In the past fourteen years, they’ve hit nearly thirty banks all over the West—everywhere but “Duke City,” their hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
So when Mick calls him about the perfect job, Bud is less than convinced, because the target is on their own turf. But with the potential to haul in millions, Bud simply can’t say no. If they do this job right, Bud may never have to work again.
I flew through this book and I'm not sure I let go of the breath I held until the end of the book. It was that exciting. Duke City Split starts out fast and never stops. It's like one of those movies that starts out with a bang and you just have to hold on for the ride. After Bud and Mick agree to help a young kid rob a bank in their own hometown, the "easy job" turns out to be their biggest mistake. As the reader, you never know who is going to pop up wanting a piece of the action. Nor do you know who is going to be safe.
Even though they are criminals, I found I liked Mick and Bud. Especially Bud because he is a family man who is upfront with his wife about his "job". In general, you aren't supposed to root for the bad guys, right? But as you read, you can't help but hope Mick and Bud get away with it. The ending had me yelling in frustration. Not because it wasn't good, but because I wanted more! This is supposed to be the first in a trilogy, so I can't wait to read the next book. I definitely recommend this one. It's a quick read that you won't want to put down!
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About the author:
STEVE BREWER is the author of more than 20 books, including the recent crime novels A BOX OF PANDORAS, PARTY DOLL, LOST VEGAS and CALABAMA. His first novel, LONELY STREET, was made into an independent Hollywood comedy starring Robert Patrick, Jay Mohr and Joe Mantegna. Under his new pen name Max Austin, Brewer is writing a series of hard-boiled crime stories set in Albuquerque, NM. The first, DUKE CITY SPLIT, will be published by Alibi/Random House in April 2014.
Brewer's short fiction appeared in the anthologies DAMN NEAR DEAD, THE LAST NOEL and CRIMES BY MOONLIGHT, and he's published articles in magazines such as Mystery Scene, Crimespree and Mystery Readers' Journal.
Brewer has taught at the University of New Mexico, the Midwest Writers Workshop and the Tony Hillerman Writers Seminar. He regularly speaks at mystery conventions, and was toastmaster at Left Coast Crime in Santa Fe, NM, in 2011. He served two years on the national board of Mystery Writers of America, and twice served as an Edgar Awards judge. He's also a member of International Thriller Writers and SouthWest Writers.
A graduate of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Brewer worked as a daily journalist for 22 years, then wrote a syndicated weekly column for another decade. The column, called The Home Front, produced the raw material for his humor book TROPHY HUSBAND.
Married and the father of two adult sons, Brewer lives in Albuquerque, NM.
Connect:
www.stevebrewer.us.com and www.stevebrewer.blogspot.com
Twitter: BrewerRules
Buy links: Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble
Tour stops:
Monday, March 31st: Musings of a Bookish Kitty
Thursday, April 3rd: Reading Reality
Friday, April 4th: A Bookworm’s World
Monday, April 7th: Tales of a Book Addict
Tuesday, April 8th: Mom in Love with Fiction
Wednesday, April 9th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Monday, April 14th: Crime Book Club
Friday, April 18th: From the TBR Pile
Wednesday, April 23rd: Cupcake’s Book Cupboard
Monday, April 21st: …the bookworm…
Friday, April 25th: Patricia’s Wisdom
2 comments:
Thanks so much for the kind words about DUKE CITY SPLIT! I hope lots of your readers give it a try.
Best,
Steve Brewer (Max Austin)
Thanks for being a part of the tour!
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