Eight stars
Having been offered the second prequel novella in Blair Denholm’s DC Jack Lisbon series, I chose to dive right in to get some context. While making his way to exchange some money, off-duty Jack Lisbon finds himself in the middle of a hostage situation. He has no weapon and only his wits, hoping to use this to help diffuse a tense situation. Denholm does well to set the tone for what I hope remains a strong series.
Since arriving in Australia a number of weeks ago, DC Jack Lisbon is still trying to get his life in order. Leaving behind the drama of the London Met, Lisbon has a few loose ends to tie off, including a large amount of money he smuggled into the country. Feeling he ought to do something with it, Lisbon travels across the city to use a currency exchange where no one knows him.
While things appear to be going smoothly, he is soon pulled into the middle fo a hostage taking. Being off-duty and with no weapon, Lisbon will have to play it cool, while trying to diffuse the situation at hand. It will take all his patience not to blow his cover and bring things to a peaceful ending. Does DC Jack Lisbon have the ability to be a hero without violence? Denholm does well to paint more of the Jack Lisbon picture here, effectively keeping the reader intrigued.
There is so much that I have come to learn about Jack Lisbon in the short time I have been reading about him. Blair Denholm does an effective job at filling some of the gaps left by the opening novel, yet still keeps things open for interpretation. With this quick story, Denholm provides more insight into his protagonist, while also keeping much unaddressed as of yet. I can only hope that the three novels yet to come will provide me with more about this complex man.
Blair Denholm knows how to write and pulls the reader into the middle of each story with ease. I can see how I will come to enjoy more of his work, as it flows well and keeps me on my toes. I am eager to see how things develop and what Denholm has for the reader into the coming novels, as well as where this will lead things. The series is sure to be a success, given the time to explore it a little more. Bring on more DC Jack Lisbon!
Kudos, Mr. Denholm, for these novellas. Now, back to the meatier writing and more complex stories.
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