The Loot was my second nook by Craig Schaefer and just like that The Loot kept me reading and guessing and rooting for the main character.

Charlie McCabe just returned home and she is already in trouble. Her father is but that is the same. She needs a job and when she finds one her troubles are piling up pretty quickly. She starts working as a professional bodyguard and her first client almost dies on her first day. Charlie saves him but she knows the client is keeping secrets. So she and her two colleagues dig deep into their client’s past to find out who wants to kill him and why. And of course Charlie has to help her father too.

I liked Charlie from the start. Tough woman who wil stop at nothing to save her father and her client. Smart, determined and cunning but she is also kind and cares for the people she loves.

The Loot is exciting and fast-paced and has twists I didn’t see coming.

Thank aou to NetGalley and Thomas&Mercer for my copy.

I'm a fan of Craig Schaefer. His urban fantasy antiheroes stuff is excellent - easy to read with great characters and engaging plot lines and action that draws you in and plays out just enough at just the right times to keep you in the story from start to finish. When I saw this title, I immediately requested it - without reading the blurb. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be contemporary crime, straight up.

To be honest, I wasn't sure I was going to like it at first - largely because I was expecting something different. It also felt like it started slower than his previous books. Since I went into the read looking for more of what I'd come to expect from him (I'd been on a bit of a downer, review book-wise, and needed something reliably entertaining, hence picking up an author I knew I liked who guaranteed a fun read), I was initially disappointed. I kept reading though, because, well, Craig Shaefer... I'm so glad I did because just a little bit further in I found myself hooked and now I can't wait for the next installment.

Charlie is a great protagonist - redolent of Harmony Black in some ways, but with her own unique flavor. The plot was as engaging as I've come to expect from a Schaefer title, full of action and some well-timed misdirection and lots of kick-ass heroine moments (Hello, Dom!). The supporting cast was well-crafted and the grey area that everyone treads throughout the story kept me engaged and entertained.

I guess it just goes to show that if you find a writer whose style works for you, it doesn't much matter what the topic is - you'll enjoy it (even if it's not always your favorite because of the topic). I enjoy crime well enough, although former-soldier/mercenary stuff isn't usually my thing. Still, the characters carried the day on this one and I'm definitely coming back for more.

Sergeant Charlie (Charlene) McCabe returns from fighting in Afghanistan and hopes to leave the war behind. While in the service she specialized as an EOD (explosive ordinance disposal) technician ... who would think that these skills would be helpful in civilian life. She comes home to a distant father who not only is a drunk but also an unsuccessful gambler ... in debt for $20.000 to a loan shark who wants his pound of flesh. Charlie has 10 days to make good his debt ... but certainly no reasonable expectations of accomplishing this feat. She quickly finds work at a Boston private security company managed by a quirky brother and sister duo .. Sofia and Jake Esposito.
In Charlie's first assignment she finds herself part of team hired to protect a wealthy executive with a shady past and implicated in a recent mining disaster. There are forces who are trying to kidnap him or even possibly kill him. Charlie is quickly able to use her military skills when she finds the executive strapped to a bomb with a pressure plate and timer. In the course of providing protection she finds it necessary to investigate the motivation of the threat. Inadvertently Charlie uncovers a linkage to an unsolved decades old diamond heist with "missing loot"
Schaefer proves to be a masterful storyteller and spins a twisted and convoluted narrative that results in page turner action thriller. I've enjoyed his numerous dark urban fantasies but this appears to be his debut into a new genre ... without a hint of the supernatural element. Introduced are array of well developed co-worker characters to complement the main protagonist Charlie McCabe. The colorful Dom De Costa, ex-cop, a virtual Annie Oakley type with a questionable past. And, "Beckett", a "Shaft-like" stoic but dangerous force who is given the job of mentoring Charlie. I can't wait for the further development of these characters in the further tales of Charlie McCabe.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer publications for providing an Uncorrected Proof of this gem in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic and hopeful new series by Craig Schaefer. The Loot introduces a fine new protagonist that you root for

An interesting start to a new series with a strong female protagonist in Charlie McCabe. She's out of the military but having a tough go trying to help her father (does he deserve her help?). You'll learn a lot about private security, as Charlie finds herself guarding Charlie Ellis, a despicable man. I liked her, as well as her colleagues Beckett, and Dom. Charlie's got some moral questions about what she's doing, which is a good thing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A fast and entertaining read.

3,5 stars

I've read all of Craig Schaefer's previous books and I love them. This novel is the little different, mostly because of lack of the supernatural elements. But it is still a gripping book with interesting characters.

Our protagonist is Charlie recently retired soldier who try to make a life as a civilian. She gets a job as a profesional bodyguard where she fast prove herself and meet some interesting people. I loved that she was EOD Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician wchich mean that she knew how to disarm bombs.

It's obvious that Crag know what he's writing about, there are a lot of technical details about bodyguards work and, of course a lot of action. I may not like this as much as his fantasy books, but I think it is a worthy read.