First line in the book: It was the worst year of her life.
Synopsis: "Some may call me a vigilante. I think I've just got problems to fix."
Police officer Kate Piers's older sister, Imogen Ballard, went missing after she placed a call to Kate and said she needed help. Kate then asked Joe to help find Imogen. Incidentally, Joe knew Kate and Imogen's brother from the Special Forces team and felt obligated to help her. When they neared Imogen's house in a remote valley above Little Fork in Kentucky, all was not as it seemed. The house was dead silent and empty. When gunfighting ensued, dead bodies materialized fast and without mercy. Apparently, the dead bodies were acting on behalf of entrepreneur businessman, Robert Huffman aka Quicksilver. One thing led to another and now Kate was missing and the last place Joe left her was in a motel room where they were hiding. Suddenly, the motel room was ambushed... What was the reason for the sisters' disappearances? Why were they hunted anyway? Could Joe stop the bad guys and more importantly, could he save the two sisters' lives?
Matt Hilton is no stranger to me as I have read his debut (Dead Men's Dust) when it came out in October 2009 and I am glad to see the comeback of my favourite vigilante, Joe Hunter, a Rambo kind of guy with multiple scars on his body, although if you say that to his face, he would say he is not a vigilante but a "go-for-broke kind of guy". I like Joe. He is a paradox. On the one hand, he can be heartless and cold and on the other, he can be sensitive and kind.
The reader will find that the story alternates between Joe's viewpoint written in first person and the villain's viewpoint written in third person. Therefore, a scene will be told twice but from different perspectives - from Joe's side and then the villain's. This is Hilton's unique writing style. The baddies, the Bolan twins, are part hilarious and part scary although one of them was killed off in the beginning allowing the remaining to avenge his brother's death. Other baddies are divided into goons and professionals. As is usual, Joe has called upon his most trusted friends, Rink and Harvey, to balance the deficit so to speak. Written at a ferocious pace and with non-stop gruesome action throughout, you will not be disappointed with this thriller. Be ready to plug your ears with all those deafening gunfire and grip your armchairs at the escalation of action sequences and an explosive showdown at the end. I highly recommend it and look forward to more.
Matt Hilton was a beat officer in Cumbria, England, before he quit the force after landing himself a five-book deal with Hodder and Stoughton. Lucky chap! He has worked in private security and is also a high ranking martial arts expert, all of which lend an authenticity to the high-action scenes described in his books. He still lives in Cumbria. Slash and Burn is the third Joe Hunter thriller. His fourth book, Cut And Run, is already out in bookshops on 19 August 2010. Do visit his websites for more information about him and his works at http://www.matthiltonbooks.com/ and http://www.joehuntervigilante.com/
Rating: 4/5 (Promising)
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