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*Starred Review* A steady stream of trouble flows along the Iron River, the gun-trafficking corridor straddling the Mexican-American border from California to Texas. Los Angeles Sheriff's Deputy Charlie Hood knows the passageway's dark history all too well; he helps monitor it for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In this compelling conclusion to three-time Edgar-winner Parker's best-selling Charlie Hood series (after The Jaguar, 2012), Deputy Hood once again finds himself in the company of unsavory sorts. Shady Los Angeles cop Bradley Jones, son of late L.A. outlaw Suzanne Jones, is still in tight with the Baja Cartel. (Deputy Hood was deeply in love with Bradley's mother and feels a certain bond with her son, despite his wayward ways.) Bradley's wife is pregnant, and Hood hopes the responsibilities of parenthood will force Jones to shape up. Meanwhile, sinister salesman Mike Finnegan continues to snake his way into Hood's life. (This time, he mysteriously surfaces in a House committee hearing in which Hood is testifying.) The sheriff's new and equally nefarious nemesis is Lonnie Rovanna, an unhinged soul with an itchy trigger finger and voices in his head. Parker's knack for intriguing characters and steadily escalating suspense make this a memorable finish to a standout series. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Parker is a three-time Edgar winner one of only three writers who has won more than one and this stirring conclusion to a critically acclaimed series will draw his established ­audience.--Block, Allison Copyright 2010 Booklist

Publishers Weekly
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Edgar-winner Parker's complex, ambitious, sixth and final Charlie Hood novel (after 2012's The Jaguar) finds the affable, tireless deputy in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's office working undercover for the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Posing as an arms dealer named Charlie Hooper, Hood is trying to stop the flow of guns between Southern California and Mexico-and locate the elusive Mike Finnegan, a mixture of Professor Moriarty and Doctor Faustus who featured prominently in The Jaguar. Meanwhile, Bradley Jones continues to work both sides of the fence as a deputy with the sheriff's office and as a courier for the Baja Cartel, while trying to reconcile with his pregnant wife, Erin. And Clint Wampler, a wannabe gun runner, is looking to make a score. As usual, Parker combines an artfully constructed plot with memorable prose (e.g., "the dusty burnt breath of a space heater"). This highly impressive thriller demonstrates how genre fiction can take on substantial themes in an entertaining and provocative way. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media Group. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Library Journal
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In the sixth and final volume of Parker's Charlie Hood series his hero is working undercover for the Feds and struggling to stop the flow of guns to Mexico. Undermining his efforts is Mike Finnegan, a former bath-fixture salesman who has turned gunrunner. Although Hood and his staff pose as cartel members during complicated sting operations, Finnegan's mysterious contacts enable him to transport 1,000 illegal guns into Mexico, a few of which are used to slay innocent civilians. The Feds hold Hood and his colleagues responsible. Meanwhile, the young L.A. deputy Bradley Jones must choose between upholding the law and working with the cartel while awaiting the birth of his first child. In the final chapters, Parker brings the series to a somber close. VERDICT Parker pulls it all together in a rather complex plotline that first-time readers might find confusing and slow-paced for a police procedural. But series fans will want this. [See Prepub Alert, 10/28/12.]-Jerry P. Miller, Cambridge, MA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.