First published 2004
Frank Thorpe stands at LAX, ready for vacation after getting fired from his covert operations job. When he witnesses arrogant art dealer Douglas Meachum knock down a poor child while rushing to his Porsche, Frank decides the man needs a lesson. Using his operational skills, Frank devises what seems like harmless payback. He exposes a fake Mayan sculpture that Meachum sold to a wealthy client. Frank expects embarrassment, maybe some financial loss. Instead, he discovers the client is a dangerous social climber who runs a massive drug operation with her surfer husband, a designer drug chemist. She deploys two brutal enforcers, Vlad and Arturo, whose idea of justice makes Frank's scheme look like child's play. What began as righteous punishment for a small cruelty transforms into a deadly game where Frank must use every skill he learned in covert ops just to survive. The wake up call he intended for Meachum becomes his own harsh lesson about the price of playing vigilante.
Genres: adventure, suspense, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, vigilante
Setting: LAX
Period: Present Day
272 pages · Hardcover · Pantheon
Content warnings: violence