Duke City Hit by Max Austin

Author: Max Austin
Publisher: Alibi
Date of publication: December 2014

According to Vic Walters, the secret to happiness is low overhead and few demands. Living rent-free in a modest bachelor pad behind his boss’s house, he has no debts, no entanglements, and no expensive relationships. He works just a few days a month, but his bank accounts keep growing.

Vic is a high-priced hitman with a legendary record of success. That is, until someone starts eliminating his marks before he can get to them . . . until his manager puts him in the middle of a vicious drug-cartel feud . . . and until a young man walks into his life with a big .45 and a startling revelation.

For Vic Walters, it’s time to step out of the shadows. Which means it’s killing time in Duke City.

I was looking forward to reading  Duke City Hit because I enjoyed the first book, Duke City Split. (my review).  I thought this would be a continuation of the first book, but they aren't related at all.  So both could be read as stand alone books.  Sadly, I didn't enjoy this one as much as I was hoping.  I did like the characters, but the story was just OK.  

I kind of felt like it was missing something.  After reading the end, I'm still not sure why the "twist" happened. The other thing that bothered me was all of the characters seemed too "happy-go-lucky".  Hit men with that attitude just doesn't sit right with me. I guess I expect to have a darker story-line when it involves a hit man and murder and I never got that feel in this book.  This book has gotten great reviews, so I urge you to give it a shot for yourself.  It just wasn't for me. 

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About Max Austin

Max Austin is the pseudonym of writer Steve Brewer. He lives in Duke City (Albuquerque), New Mexico.

Max Austin’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Tuesday, December 9th: Nightly Reading

Wednesday, December 10th: Patricia’s Wisdom

Thursday, December 11th: Reading Reality

Thursday, December 11th: Rhodes Review

Friday, December 12th: Mom in Love with Fiction

Monday, December 15th: Omnimystery News - author guest post

Monday, December 15th: Bell, Book & Candle

Wednesday, December 17th: Reading to Distraction

Thursday, December 18th: Teena in Toronto

Monday, December 22nd: Book Nerd

Monday, December 22nd: The Book Diva’s Reads

Tuesday, December 23rd:  No More Grumpy Bookseller

Monday, December 29th:  From the TBR Pile

Monday, December 29th: FictionZeal

Tuesday, December 30th:  Tales of a Book Addict

TBD: CiCi’s Theories

Blog Tour: Duke City Split by Max Austin

Author: Max Austin (AKA Steve Brewer)
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!

Enter to win some exciting prizes from Random House! 

A Grand Prize of a $30 egiftcard to the ebook retailer of the winner's choice, and a First Prize Mystery Prize Pack of mystery paperbacks from Random House:  The Alpine Xanadu, Dying for Chocolate and A Bat in the Belfry!

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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