Former Israeli Mossad officer Paul Goldman retired to Miami wishing to live a quiet life only to have his wife and son killed in the crossfire of a drug cartel war. Goldman calls on former colleagues from across the special ops world to seek revenge on Pablo Costa, the drug kingpin responsible. With the help of two Miami homicide detectives, Paul navigates the corruption-rich drug world to exact the justice his family deserves.
In THE THIRD LAW, author Lawrence Ricketts constructs a fast-paced thriller packed with intrigue, deceit, honor and betrayal. Goldman’s plight ignites sympathy and his quiet determination nearly turns the pages for the reader eager to find out just what happens next. And a lot happens. Cars get chased and shoot-outs blaze. Costa, mercurial and calculating, allows his arrogance to dig him deeper into a bind as Goldman and his compatriots push, prod and pull his empire apart, forcing him into the open for one last confrontation.
THE THIRD LAW reads quickly and easily, and the dialogue dances the story across Colombia, Miami and, in an intriguing side story, from Vancouver to Ontario and into New York. As the novel gathers momentum, Ricketts allows for the bonds between his characters to strengthen. These aren’t one-sided cops and robbers from dime-store paperbacks. Ricketts gives readers enough nuance that Goldman and the two detectives, Morgan Connors and Bonnie Story, become knowable, and likable.
Pablo Costa may be a caricature of a cartel boss, but he’s a fun one to enjoy as he grows increasingly annoyed and unhinged. Costa underestimates Goldman, and Ricketts paces the story quite well, turning Costa from a menace that surely will win to a despicable underdog in the fight. Each layered escalation by Goldman and his crew creates a reaction by Costa perfectly pitched by Ricketts to give the reader maximum glee. It’s pure schadenfreude.
The tragedy that launches the story steers it through thrilling twists with a clear moral compass. Actions and reactions surprise yet make sense. The lines of the law may be crossed, but the heroes keep justice as a singular guidepost as they calmly and smartly pursue the bad guys.
THE THIRD LAW takes the reader down a thrilling path through the shadows of the drug world. Don’t pass up the chance to pick up this enthralling and engaging story.
~Greg Rideout for IndieReader