Book Buzz: Iron River by T. Jefferson Parker

It occurred to me that I post my impressions of books at Goodreads and sometimes at Amazon, but I've never done it here at the blog. So today I'm going to start. One thing that helps authors is word of mouth, and I want to be a part of encouraging folks to read more.

With that, I'm posting my short review of Iron River, a book I finished yesterday:

This was my first T. Jefferson Parker novel and my introduction to his series character, Charlie Hood, an ATF agent who patrols the "iron river" where illegal guns move from the United States over the Mexican border to the drug cartels. Much of the story's backdrop was new to me, and I appreciated the unique setting and inherent element of danger in Hood's life and in those of his colleagues. What really set Iron River apart for me were its characters. The story is narrated partially from Hood's viewpoint and partially from his adversary's. I liked the way Parker took the time to illustrate the humanness of all his characters, whether they were "good" guys or "bad." A favorite character was the puzzling and seemingly eccentric Mike Finnegan, who seemed to have insider information about a range of past, present, and future events, all from the confined space of his hospital room. Switching between the perspectives of these intriguing characters kept my interest high and made for a very enjoyable read. Recommended for those of you who like bad-ass operatives with a side dish of romantic interest.