No Way Out by Joel Goldman

In No Way Out, ex-FBI agent Jack Davis meets a young bookkeeper, Veronica "Roni" Chase, during a shootout. Roni has just shot a man after he shot and killed his wife. Jack is working in the private sector now and comes to Roni's rescue as the shooting appears to be justified. However, it turns out one of the guns used in this shootout was stolen from a gun dealer. Things are about to heat up and get very dangerous for everyone involved.

This is the 3rd book in the Jack Davis series, but the first one I've read. I loved it! It's fast paced and provides an edge-of-your-seat intensity that doesn't let up. It starts off with a bang and goes right to the end with hardly a break. Besides the shootout, there's also a case of missing children and another where guns are being stolen from gun dealers. Somehow these are all connected and Davis tries to sort it all out as he searches for redemption.

I loved Jack. He was forced to retire from the FBI because of a movement disorder, but that didn't really slow him down all that much. He paid attention to details and worked the cases while juggling a former love interest, an ex-wife with terminal cancer and his disorder. I admit his movement disorder made me a little uncomfortable. It was all so unknown; how/why did he get it, how is it treated, when will it manifest itself. It scared me a little because it's the first time I've heard of it. After I finished the book, I learned that the author suffers from the same disorder. Looking back, that part of the story was quite the eye-opener. I think now if I meet someone who also suffers from this, I won't be that uncomfortable or scared.

As for other characters, I also really liked Davis's co-workers, Lucy Trent and Simon Alexander. Kansas City also plays a big part in the story. I've never visited there, but I almost feel like I have after reading this book.

Favourite quotes:

Never watched a [hockey] game from beginning to end, but I've liked Gretzky ever since I heard him say that you miss a hundred percent of the shots you don't take. (page 325)

Each of us serves different kinds of sentences, some imposed by law, some self-imposed, and some that are part of the inexplicable nature of life.(page 437)

New words:
kvelling (page 210): being extraordinarily proud. Yiddish.

Highly recommended. I'd love to go back and read the first two books in the series. I just know I'm going to love them. Also, I'm going to keep an eye out for other Goldman books.

For more information about this book, please visit Kensington's website.

For more information about the author, please visit Joel Goldman's website.

Thanks to Dana Kaye from Kaye Publicity for this review copy.

No Way Out by Joel Goldman, Pinnacle Books (Kensington Publishing), ©2010. ISBN 9780786020416(Mass Market), 439p.