Book Review: Dead Run

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Dead Run    
Tony Gibbs
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Series: Gillian Verdean # 1
Berkley Prime Crime, Dec 2000, $5.99, 288 pp.

At the same time in Richmond, Virginia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Knoxville, and Tennessee, three pairs of similarly dressed and armed criminals using the identical MOs rob banks. Not long afterward in a family restaurant, two gunmen seemingly set on a heist open fire killing several people. A diner, Benella Mae Sweet manages to kill one of the thugs.

However, the dead felon has close friends who vow vengeance on the avenging amazon who killed one of their own. Meanwhile Benella cares for her young niece Mary Leigh since her brother-in- law Damien died in the fracas and her sister has collapsed in shock. When the thugs abduct Mary Leigh, Benella turns to her lover private investigator Connor Gibbs for help. With the Feds involved and the criminals wanting revenge, anything can still happen and does to Connor and Benella as they attempt to rescue Mary Leigh.

DEAD RUN is and exciting thriller that never lets up until the final page. The story line works because the action seems genuine and the characters real, especially Benella and Connor. The third Connor Gibbs mystery (see DEADBEAT and PLAY DEAD) proves that Leo Atkins is a talent that those fans who enjoy an exciting private investigator yarn will relish this.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner