Book ~ "Running from the Dead" (2020) Mike Knowles

From Goodreads ~ Private detective Sam Jones's six-year search for an eight- year-old boy ends with gunshots in a basement and cold bodies that would eventually lead the police straight to him. Jones had never promised Ruth Verne that he would find her son alive but he knew deep down that she believed he would - worse, he had believed it too. Jones wasn't ready to look Ruth in the eye and tell her he had failed. He wasn't ready to admit that he lost everything and had nothing to show for it.

But an unsigned note scrawled on a bathroom door gives Jones a second chance - a chance for redemption. Thirteen words left by a young girl in trouble give him someone to chase and a reason to keep moving before the cops move on him. Jones follows the trail from an idyllic small town to the darkest corners of the city, running from the boy he failed toward the girl he could still save. 

Sam Jones is a private detective in Toronto, Ontario.  For the last six years, he has been hired to find Adam, an eight-year-old who disappeared years earlier ... and he has met Adam's mother every month giving her reports.  When Jones does find Adam, it's not the way he had hoped and he takes justice into his own hands.  He figures he has about a week before the police connect him.

In the meantime, he finds a couple cryptic messages in a bathroom in a coffee shop and feels that it's from a girl in trouble.  He couldn't save Adam so he's determine to find and save this girl ... and he knows he has less than a week to do it.  Plus he's been hired to find Willy, the 80-year-old father of a woman who is used to getting her way.  Jones thinks the old guy has just taken off for a couple days but the woman is concerned something has happened to him.

I've read a few of this author's books and have liked them.  I liked the writing style ... it's written in first person perspective from Jones' point of view.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

I liked Jones ... he is on a mission and knows time is running out.  He is straight to the point and no nonsense.  Willy and Sheena, the barista at the coffee shop, were amusing and added humor to the story.

Book ~ "Rocks Beat Paper" (2017) Mike Knowles

From Goodreads ~ A phone call brought Wilson and nine other men to a job in New York. At first, he couldn’t see a way to make the heist work, but the score - millions of dollars in diamonds - kept him looking. Wilson came up with a plan he knew would work  ... until the inside man got killed and took the job with him.

With no way inside, the crew walks away without the diamonds. Alone, Wilson is free to execute the job his way. Wilson sets a con in motion that should run as predictably as a trail of dominoes -  except the con doesn’t rely on inanimate tiles, it relies on people.

Wilson pushes all of the pieces across the board only to find out that there are other players making their own moves against him. Everyone is playing to win and no one is willing to walk away because the job is about more than money, the job is about diamonds. And in this game, rocks beat paper every time.

Wilson works as a con man and has a "broker" who finds him jobs.  On his latest job, he is teamed up with eight others to rob a lot of diamonds from a jewelry store.  Saul, the owner of the store, is getting old and forgetful.  David is the "inside man" on the job.  He has been a loyal employee and is in line to manage the store.  But he is getting tired of waiting and wants to have the store robbed before Saul runs it to the ground.  Before the plan could be put in action, a couple deaths put an end to it.  Robbing the jewelry store is still on Wilson's mind and he puts together another plan to do it his way.

This is the six in the Wilson series.  Though it is part of series (I've read them all), it works as a stand alone.  I liked the writing style and there were lots of twists and turns.  It's written in first person perspective from Wilson's point of view.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

I like Wilson ... he is straight to the point and no nonsense.  Miles, a con man, is back as part of the team ... he is amusing and added humor to the story.

I look forward to reading more books by this author and in this series

Book ~ "Tin Men" (2018) Mike Knowles

From Goodreads ~ Woody was working on getting high when the phone rang. Dennis was on a date - it was a date he paid for, but a date all the same. Os had blood on his hands from a little extracurricular law enforcement. All three men picked up their phones because they were cops and cops are never really off-duty - not even when they’re crooked.

Detective Julie Owen was savagely killed in her own bed and the unborn child she was carrying is nowhere to be found. The grisly crime has the brass breathing down the necks of the three detectives tasked with finding Julie’s killer. Woody, Dennis and Os each shared a bond with Julie that went deeper than the blue of their uniforms and have their own reasons to want to find the person responsible for her murder. Secrets drive the investigation - secrets that need to stay buried long enough to solve the case.

Woody, Dennis and Os are police detectives in Hamilton, ON.  Each has their own issues.  Woody is dealing with his personal grief by becoming a junkie.  Dennis pays for female companionship who have extra parts.  Os is big and angry and has his own way of bringing criminals to justice.

A fellow police officer is found brutally murdered in her own bed.  She was pregnant and her unborn child is missing.  Partners Woody and Os are assigned to the case, as is Dennis.  No one likes Dennis but he has a knack for solving crimes quickly.  Their boss is putting pressure on them to get this crime solved quickly which adds to the tension they are already feeling.  They go off investigating this case using their own styles.

This is the sixth book I've read by this author, the first other than his Wilson series (which I like).  It's written in third person perspective with a focus on wherever the action is.  I liked the writing style ... it was blunt and to the point.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.  Initially I found Woody, Dennis and Os unlikable but became more sympathetic towards them as I got to know them better.

I'd recommend this book.

Book ~ "The Buffalo Job" (2014) Mike Knowles

From Goodreads ~Wilson should have just walked away when three men came looking for a way to boost a valuable piece of art. But the heist was more than just a job for Wilson; it was a chance to get off the sidelines and back in the game.

The art came off the wall, the alarm screamed thief and Wilson walked away clean. But it turned out that job was an interview for an even bigger heist. A dangerous man wants Wilson to get him something more valuable than a painting. Problem is Wilson only has a week.

Wilson and his crew crosses the border to Buffalo to steal a 200-year-old violin. Four men cross but four don’t come back. A lot of people are interested in getting their hands on the instrument and none of them are shy about killing to get it.

The job starts like a bad joke - a thief, a conman, a wheel man and a gangster get in line to cross the border - but the Buffalo job doesn’t end with a punch-line. It ends with blood. 

Wilson lives in Toronto and, using his experience and skills of his former employment working for the Italian mob in Hamilton, he now works as a criminal consultant.  He helps thieves develop strategy for jobs that will pay off big-time.  But Wilson is getting tired of living on the sidelines and is looking for something juicy he can sink his teeth in himself.

He is approached to steal a 200-year-old violin worth $8 million in Buffalo and the job will get him a big payoff.  He puts together a team and away they go across the border.  But they discover that they aren't the only ones after the violin and things get a lot messy before it's over.

This is the fifth in the Wilson series.  Though it is part of series (I've read them all except for the latest one), it works as a stand alone.  As with the previous ones, I liked the writing style.  It's written in first person perspective from Wilson's point of view.  It was blunt and to the point and there were lots of twists and turns.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

I like Wilson ... he is straight to the point and no nonsense.  It was fun to have Miles, a con man, as part of the team Wilson puts together ... he was amusing and added some humor to the writing.  I hope Miles will hook up with Wilson again.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Book ~ "Never Play Another Man's Game" (2012) Mike Knowles

From Goodreads ~ An armoured car carrying a huge payday will be rolling through the city every Friday for four weeks. Out of money, Wilson takes up with Ruby, an old partner, for a job that promises a huge score. The only problem: Ruby’s kid, Rick, wants in on the deal. Rick is everything Wilson isn’t but without him there is no job. Wilson signs on with the condition that he runs the job; he plans it, supplies it and staffs it. 

The job is a success but so is the double cross. Wilson loses the money and almost his life. He sets out after his partners and learns that nothing was ever as it seemed - nothing but the blood on the ground. Honour among thieves is bullshit but Ruby and her son should have known better than to try and play another man’s game.

Wilson lives in Hamilton, ON, and had an interesting career working for an Italian mobster, Paolo.  Since Paolo is now dead, Wilson is unemployed and living on his savings, which are rapidly running out.  When the police show up at his house one morning, he sets it on fire and takes off.

When Ruby, a former colleague of his late uncle, shows up with the idea to rob an armoured truck full of money, Wilson can't resist because he needs the cash ... plus Ruby has made him an offer he can't resist.  Wilson takes charge , the job is done but then he is double crossed.  Wilson doesn't take that lightly and is determined to find Ruby and Rick to not only get his share of the robbery but he's also seeking revenge.

This is the fourth (of six) in the Wilson series.  Though it is part of series (I've now read the first four), it works as a stand alone as there is enough information provided.  As with the previous ones, I liked the writing style.  It's written in first person perspective from Wilson's point of view.  It was blunt and to the point.  This was my favourite of the four.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.  I like Wilson ... he's a loner with no attachments and has just two friends.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Book ~ "In Plain Sight" (2010) Mike Knowles

From Goodreads ~ Wilson thought he had acquired freedom from being a gritty, gruesome criminal when a car accident puts him back in the crosshairs. This time dirty cops use him as bait, telling him the only way to stay out of cuffs is to put someone worse in them. 

Knowing that justice isn't blind in the city, Wilson picks a fight with the Russian mob to lure both the corrupt cops and brutal robbers into a trap, scavenging once again for his freedom. 

Wilson lives in Hamilton, ON.  All his life, he'd worked for an Italian mobster, Paolo.  Paolo recently was killed (something Wilson had a hand in).  Leaving the scene of Paolo's killing, Wilson has the misfortune of being hit by a drunk driver and wakes up in the hospital.

The police don't know who he is but Detective Morrison has taken a special interest in him.  Morrison knows Wilson was involved in Paolo's death and is willing to use him to lure in something which will get him promoted.  Wilson has to choose between helping Morrison or going to jail.  So Wilson goes after Igor, with whom he has a history, to lead him to Sergei, the head of the Russian mob in Hamilton.  But Igor is still carrying a grudge against Wilson because of an incident a couple years ago which makes him a very dangerous and crazy opponent.

This is the third (of six) in the Wilson series.  Though it is part of series, it works as a stand alone as there is enough information provided from the other two (Wilson encountered Igor in the first book and this book happens minutes after the second book ended).  As with the first two, I liked the writing style.  It's written in first person perspective from Wilson's point of view.  It was blunt and to the point.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Book ~ "Darwin's Nightmare" (2008) Mike Knowles

From Goodreads ~ Wilson spent his entire life under the radar. Few people knew who he was and even less knew how to find him. Only two people even knew what he really did. He worked jobs for one very bad man. Illegal jobs no one could ever know about. Wilson was invisible until the day he crossed the line and risked everything to save the last connection to humanity he had. One day changed everything. Wilson saved his friends and earned the hatred of a vengeful mob boss, a man who claimed he was Charles Darwin’s worst nightmare. 

Wilson survived his transgression and went even deeper into the underworld of Hamilton becoming a ghost in the city - an unknown to almost everyone until he was paid back for his one good deed. It started with a simple job. Steal a bag from the airport and hand it off. No one said what was in the bag, and no one mentioned who the real owners were or what they would do to get it back. One bag sets into motion a violent chain of events from which no one will escape untouched. 

Wilson learns that no one forgets, no one gets away clean and no good deed goes unpunished.

Wilson is a loner and works for Paolo, an Italian mobster in Hamilton, ON, doing jobs that Paolo doesn't want to do and doesn't want any connection to.  Paolo asks Wilson to intercept a bag at the airport and give it to Julian, Paolo's right hand man.  Sounds like an easy job, right?  The next thing Wilson knows he's caught in the middle of a battle between the Italian mob and the Russian mob, and both want him dead.  He has to use all his experience and cunning to make sure he survives.

This is the first (of six) in the Wilson series ... I had read the second one a couple weeks ago and liked it enough to start at the beginning and read the series.  It was fun to read a book set in Hamilton, which isn't too far from Toronto.

I liked the writing style.  It's written in first person perspective from Wilson's point of view.  It was blunt and to the point.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.  Despite his occupation and the characters he encounters, I found Wilson likable.  In this book, we find out about his childhood and how/why he is the way he is today.

I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Book ~ "Grinder" (2009) Mike Knowles

From Goodreads ~ “You brought me back into this because you know what I am. I’m a grinder, I find out everything.” 

Bullets squared everything. Wilson left his old boss alive in exchange for a clean slate. Wilson held up his end of the bargain and stayed off the grid for two years. Two years of peace until a man came calling. The man brought a gun and a woman in his trunk. Thousands of miles from home, Wilson learns that the city doesn’t let go so easily. The city is more than bricks; it is a machine running on the blood of hard men and women. The hardest man in the city remembers Wilson and he will stop at nothing to get him back. 

A dangerous mobster’s nephews are missing and the only suspects are his lieutenants. Wilson is pulled back to once again work under the radar - to quietly find out who is responsible, so it can be settled with screams. Wilson is back to being what he was. He’s a grinder again. All bets are off and before he’s done - everyone will pay.

Two years ago, Wilson was working for Paolo, a mobster in Hamilton, ON.  He was a grinder ... he did what he had to do to get information out of people.  Some stuff went down and Wilson took off to start a new quieter life in Prince Edward Island.  He ended up getting a job on a fishing boat and kept his head down.  Two years later, two of Paolo's nephews have been kidnapped and he suspects it was done by someone within the "family".  Paolo sends for Wilson (not giving Wilson much choice) to find out who kidnapped his nephews.

This is the second (of six) in the Wilson series ... the first one apparently covers what happened two years ago that made Wilson run.  This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked the story.  It's the first time I've read a book set in Hamilton (I spent three days there a couple weeks ago).

It works as a stand alone ... though I haven't read the first one, there was enough information provided to get the gist of what had happened in it.  I'd like to read the first one to get caught up and then move onto the rest.

I liked the writing style.  It's written in first person perspective from Wilson's point of view.  It was blunt and to the point.  As a head's up, there is swearing and violence.  Despite his occupation and the characters he encounters, I found Wilson likable.