by Lou Berney
First published 2012
Charles "Shake" Bouchon finds himself in the worst kind of bind. This small-time crook and compulsive gambler has crossed the wrong people, and now powerful enemies want him dead. When a job goes sideways in Las Vegas, Shake must run for his life across the American Southwest. He carries secrets that could destroy dangerous men, but staying alive long enough to use that knowledge proves harder than he imagined. With hired killers closing in and nowhere safe to hide, Shake discovers that survival means confronting not just external threats but his own self-destructive choices. The desert becomes both sanctuary and trap as he races against time and his own past mistakes. This is a story about a man who must decide whether to keep running from his problems or finally stand and fight for something that matters.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, action
Vibes: fast-paced, gritty, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, redemption
Setting: American Southwest, Las Vegas
Period: Contemporary
100 pages · ebook · William Morrow