Smoker - Hardcover

Rucka, Greg.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0749904623 ISBN 13: 9780749904623

Publisher: Piatkus, 1998

Synopsis

There is only one way to keep a witness from testifying....

It was supposed to be an easy job: baby-sit a pampered playboy hiding from the angry brothers of an ex-playmate. But someone had forgotten to tell professional bodyguard Atticus Kodiak a few relevant facts. Now Kodiak's been drawn into the crossfire of a multimillion-dollar game of cat and mouse, guarding a potential victim with an explosive story to tell, and pitted against one of the ten most dangerous assassins in the world. One man is a protector. The other is a destroyer. They have one thing in common. Neither will back down. Each will raise the stakes in a deadly duel of wits and skill where the first player to flinch...dies.

About this title

Review

The subject is BGs--bodyguards--and Natalie Trent (bred and buttered in the personal security business, where her father, Elliot, is a top player) says to Atticus Kodiak, "You know what a bad reputation BGs have. Most people on the street think a BG is a muscle-bound heavy with mirror shades, undereducated and overarmed."

Atticus, of course--as readers of Greg Rucka's explosive and intelligent books about him (Finder and Keeper) already know--is none of the above. He does tend to get involved in running gun battles in heavily populated urban areas, however, and has lost a client or two in a shootout. No wonder the very slick Elliot Trent doesn't want him as an employee, let alone a son-in-law, in a case involving the protection of an eccentric scientist about to blow the whistle on a giant tobacco company. But Atticus worms his way in anyway--and the results are as exciting and packed with fascinating inside details of the BG trade as ever. Particularly entertaining is a scene where Atticus and Natalie are hired to test the security of a safe house, using everything from unordered pizzas to volleys of tennis balls to irritate the guards. And the presence of a very spooky world-class hired killer known only as John (or Jane) Doe keeps the tension wires at maximum tightness. Another fine performance from a writer ready to move up in weight and class. --Dick Adler

From the Publisher

Praise for Greg Rucka's Keeper:

"An impressive debut...Keeper is one to hang on to."
--People

"Keeper is no ordinary thriller. It pulls at the heartstrings and brings tears to the eyes....A remarkable first novel."
--The Orlando Sentinel

Finder:

"[A] top-notch thriller...a powerhouse of a story that will leave readers gasping."
--Booklist

"Rucka blends Spillane's 'tough-guy' private eye with Chandler's noir insights and Hemingway's spartan expression....Once you've picked up this book, chances are you'll just keep going."
--Statesman Journal

About this edition

• Publisher: Piatkus
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0749904623
• ISBN 13: 9780749904623
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288