Red Right Hand by Chris Holm

Following a terrorist attack on the Golden Gate Bridge, a man long believed to be dead appears in a viral video capturing the destruction. With the FBI unable to divert their focus from the attack, Special Agent Charlie Thompson approaches Michael Hendricks to track down and secure this mystery man. But Hendricks has his own problems. Still intent on infiltrating and destroying the massive crime syndicate, The Council, from within, Hendricks comes into contact with an unwelcome ally – the daughter of a former client Michael had worked for in the past – and must choose between her invaluable assistance and the guilt he feels for getting his former partner Lester killed.

Chris Holm’s Red Right Hand is a great book. Its plot, while wide in scope (a terrorist attack on US soil), is meticulously crafted. While the big attack acts as a catalyst for all the events that follow, you’ve got several subplots on the go including Hendricks’ continued fight against The Council. With all that’s going on, the story never feels muddled; a testament to Holm’s growing ability as a writer to produce pulse pounding prose.

If the first time around served as an introduction to Michael Hendricks, Red Right Hand is where he really lets loose. With the introduction of a new sidekick in Cameron, it sort of fools the reader into thinking that Hendricks is not quite as capable as a solo act. But when the story heats up and the violence takes centre stage, Hendricks is a hell of a character to watch do his thing. As the individual threads of plot begin to weave together, seeing Hendricks in action made it nearly impossible to put the book down, especially when you throw in a villain as despicable as the novel’s chief antagonist Chet Yancy (c’mon – isn’t that just the most punchable name?).

As many are probably aware, I’m a big fan of Holm. I think he’s doing some of the best work out there in the thriller/crime fiction genre and Red Right Hand (as well as his recent Anthony Award) further cements him as a solid writer you should be reading. I’m hoping there is a book three in the works as I can’t wait to get my hands on it.