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Former blues guitar player Nicholas Colt is a down-and-out private detective. He lost his wife and daughter, along with his band, in a plane crash from which he managed to walk away—and he hasn’t played the blues since.
Just when he begins to wonder how he’s going to pay his latest bills, Leitha Ryan hires him to find her younger sister, Brittany, who may or may not have run away from home because she didn’t want to submit to Leitha’s authority as an adult. In reality, though, Brittany witnessed something that she wasn’t supposed to, and she’s now on the run, trying to stay alive.
It’s not long before murder enters into the picture, but Brittany still cannot be found. Fearing that she’s already dead, Colt follows the trail to a domestic terrorist camp that’s disguised as a religious community. He infiltrates the camp in an attempt to bring them down—and hopefully find Brittany alive.
Nicholas Colt is about my age, so I could really relate to him. He’s funny and sarcastic, and he’s just a fun character to hang out with for a few hours. He’s got this whole knight-in-rusty-armor persona going on—and that makes him even more likable.
The plot, meanwhile, meanders along, on a slow but interesting path, often going off on what seem to be unrelated tangents. At one point, in fact, it feels as if a whole new story has popped up. But it all comes together in the end in a realistic and satisfying manner.
The only beef I had with Pocket-47 is that the author makes those who believe in Jesus sound like a bunch of crazy terrorists. Maybe some of them are, but the majority of us aren’t. Still, I do have to admit that the crazies make the story more interesting.
Pocket-47 may not be filled with non-stop action, but you’ll still be eager to get back to it at the end of the day, due in part to Colt’s irresistible personality. At the same time, the plot is just mysterious enough to make you wonder what’s going on and how each aspect relates to other aspects of the mystery.
This is an author—and a series—to look for in the future. I definitely can’t wait to pick up the next book featuring Nicholas Colt.
