The Scorned is the tenth book in a series about former Sheriff’s Deputy turned vigilante rescuer of abused children Bruno Johnson. While these books feature adventures from different stages of Bruno’s life, and are designed to be stand alone stories which can be read in any order, I don’t recommend starting with this one if you don’t know the character. I’ve read three of the earlier books and still feel I missed out on a lot of the character development that leads us to this point, which did affect my enjoyment of it. This is another violent action adventure with a highly improbable plot, featuring OTT characters stampeding along the boundary between good and reckless badness.

Set about six weeks after the events of The Sinister, Bruno thinks he can finally settle into life in Costa Rica to process and recover from all the terrible things he has both endured and done. His wife Marie is about to give birth, and his rescued brood of foster children want him to be their father for good. Then two people he can’t say no to, his father Xander and his best friend Dr Aleck Vargas, both ask him to do the one thing he dreads - return to LA. Emotionally fragile for the first time in his life, he wants to refuse, but when Vargas saves Marie and the baby, Bruno feels he must honour his request to go rescue his daughter Layla, who got herself mixed up with a very bad man. Taking his manipulative mother Bea along, Bruno turns to old friend Karl Drago and his monster canine sidekick Waldo for help - but they have no idea of the danger they’re stepping into.

As mentioned, I’ve only read a few of the previous Bruno books, including The Ruthless, (which is the last, for now at least, of the prequels set before he goes to prison,) The Disposables, which picks up afterwards, and The Sinister, which precedes this one. You do get the relevant backstory here, but I struggled a little with the change in Bruno from uncompromising Tough Guy to angsty soft-boiled egg - brittle on the outside and leaking through the cracks. To be fair, he’s put in an impossible situation, and there’s a baby at risk, but when it became clear that all three women involved in this latest mission are lying and behaving abysmally, he would’ve had every right to turn around and go home to his own baby. He brings in Drago to inflict the brutality he’s no longer sure he can impart, and boy does he over-deliver on that front. Karl is a one-man wrecking ball, but I found his disregard for collateral damage chilling in someone who’s supposed to be one of the good guys, eg firebombing the villain’s mansions without care for who might get hurt. A series of unlikely events and inconsistent character decisions build to a high-stakes climactic scene which is resolved rather too easily and then it’s all over. Not my favourite of these books, the previous ones were more exciting as thrillers, but I’m rounding up from 3.5 because I appreciate what the author’s trying to do.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily. The Scorned is published on February 7th.

Johnny Fillmore is an LA entrepreneur who sits at the top of a SoCal business pyramid. Owns plenty of real estate, and restaurants - his crown jewels. A subordinate oversees the next layer down - bars and strip joints mostly. The lowest layer of his empire includes variations on houses of ill repute. Those places cater to the most basal of human demands and desires. While Johnny oversees all levels of his empire, it's hard to (legally) connect Johnny with the real money makers at the bottom of his holdings.

Call him Johnny Ef. A moniker that he doesn't appreciate it. Call that to his face and that face may be the last one you ever see.

Remember Bruno Johnson? First reviewed last year in The Sinister. Ex LA County Deputy Sheriff, Ex-con. Wanted for murder and kidnapping now living in Costa Rica with Maria, his father, and 10 kids they've liberated from shit environments and even shittier parents. Bea, his mom, is largely absent. Been that way since Bruno was a child; she lived the life of a con artist. She resurfaced in The Sinister bound to a wheelchair and looking 20 older from a life of hard living. More importantly, Maria is pregnant and due. Bruno is beside himself with joy at becoming a dad (again) at 50y.

Bea's back and Bruno ain't happy. He's sure she's only in Costa Rica to con his dad of what little money he has squirreled away - about $20K to get back in the game in LA. Bruno agrees to take her back to LA to drop her off under the condition she never ever make contact again.

Alisa and Aleck Vargas are Costa Rican friends in Tamarindo, CR. He's an MD and thinking about running for local office with the intent of an eventual national run. Their daughter, Layla, is an undergrad in LA. That's a problem. They tell Bruno that she's been kidnapped and the ransom demand is $100,000. They ask Bruno to deliver the ransom and bring Layla home. Bruno figures he can do both in one trip. Can it wait until Maria delivers?

That question becomes moot as Maria goes into labor and Dr. Aleck has to do the delivery. And it's a difficult one. So much so that Aleck tells Bruno that Maria will likely sleep for the next few days so he can do these two deliveries while she recovers from the birth. Reluctantly, he agrees. He owes Dr. Vargas.

Upon arrival, Bruno's first call is to his long-time wing man, Karl Drago. A massive beast of a man who thrives on violence. Keeps a rod of rebar up his sleeve and tampons in his truck (for wound care). And if his anger directed at biker gangs, all the better. Bruno and Drago are a team to be feared. Bruno's rep in LA lingers even as he hides in Costa Rica. Rumor on the streets that he is dead, but when he shows the unconvinced his BMF tattoo on his shoulder, attitudes change from arrogance to limp-wristed dread. He makes one other call. Helen Hellinger, LA deputy sheriff who worked with Bruno and knows the felony warrants against Bruno are meaningless.

A simple up-back delivery and pick up goes south. Mom disappears as soon as they land. Layla had fallen into Johnny Ef's orbit. The track of Layla leads to a seedy rundown hotel hard by a recent freeway where every basal human behavior can be bought. Even babies. Babies that have been given up by strung out women as well as babies bred specifically for sale. Yuck. What they've found has bubbled up deeply hidden feelings in both Bruno and Drago that can only be jammed back into the darkness with violence. Bone and blood they call it.

Was kind of surprised when I read that this is Putnam's 10th Bruno Johnson book. In each of the previous 8, Putnam develops Bruno's law enforcement history, how he ended on on the wrong side of the law, and more importantly, the back stories to how he and Marie ended up with 10 foster children, yanked from the mean streets of LA and taken to their home in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Also why and how Bruno lost 2 of his own children in LA. The publisher's website says all can be read as standalones, but it might help to start at the beginning with 2014's The Disposables.

The first half of the book is more about Bruno wrestling with his conscious about his mom/dad, his newborn son, this ill-advised trip to LA, and his own flawed history. More discussion about feelings than you might find in a romance novel. But once both Bruno and Drago take the bit, they are cleaning up all things connected to Johnny Ef. And not in a way that Helen Hellinger can take to court so they have to take out the garbage in a more biblical manner and get back to doing the thing he loves . . . being a dad.

An other Oceanview winner. What can I say.

Thanks to Netgalley for making the advance reader copy available. To be published February 7, 2023.

Book Review: The Scorned (Bruno Johnson #10) by David Putnam
Published by Oceanview Publishing, February 7, 2023

★★★★★ (4.5 Stars)
RAVE!

SIX WEEKS removed from the Johnson family's harrowing escape from L.A. ("The Sinister", Book 9, 2022), Bruno Johnson shelves his legendary tough guy act as he settles down quietly mixing cocktails as a shift bartender in a beach resort nestled in coastal Costa Rica, haven for Bruno and Marie Johnson and their lively youngsters.

Ten, as of the last count.

The Johnsons made it their mission in life to rescue battered and abused children, and give them shelter in the bosom of their abode. Far from well-to-do, they manage to find refuge in Central America. For the children. For themselves.

Marie and Bruno.
Her, a healthcare worker, homemaker and strong female whose opinions are not to be set aside.
Him, an ex-cop, ex-narc, ex-con, feared as a legend in both criminal and law enforcement circles.

But I digress.

// Flashback Six Weeks Prior.
"The Sinister", Book 9 (2022). A must-read pivotal segment for Bruno Johnson fans as the big guy gets reunited with his long-forgotten mom, Bea Elliot, now in a wheelchair, disabled, elderly, forlorn, and, as we find out in Books 9 and 10, wily, colorful and ensconced in a place where appearances can be deceiving.

Readers also get to meet a well-reprised version of "My Cousin Vinnie's" pesky eyes and mischievous smirk. That's when Book 9's "Whitey" cameo does those "Joe Pesci /Leo Getz in Lethal Weapon 3" classic antics. Made me laugh! //

The Scorned (Bruno Johnson #10) by David Putnam (2023)

Blest with a newborn son, new dad Bruno Johnson is beset with a debt of gratitude to anguished friends, and an urgent request from his father, desperate twin pleas which force him to risk a flight back to L.A., the place where his very presence sparks avid interest - not necessarily focused on his health and welfare, on both sides of the law.

It is in South Central L.A. where he once again goes mano-a-mano with the devil. This time, the vilest fiend and his friends, who prey on the most vulnerable - young women and babies...

Enter Drago and Waldo.

Him, a redneck "Sons of Satan" biker gang dropout. He's devoted to the Johnsons, a puppy who constantly seeks the nod and approval of Marie.

And it, a 130-pound Rottweiler who never barks, has a biggg bite, and understands and obeys commands from his master. In German, no less.

But will Team Bruno Johnson be up to task this time....?

-----

With uplifting themes of hope and redemption, and an attractive style in large part reminiscent of those classic Joseph Wambaugh police procedural novels, Author David Putnam parleys his many years of law enforcement into the palpable authenticity of his feel-good, action-packed writing - every book an entertainment gem!

Review based on an advance reading copy courtesy of Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley.

Thank you Net Galley and Oceanview for an ARC of this book.
This is part of a series but can be a stand alone. It’s fast paced and a thriller. When the killing and shady parts do come out in the book it just wasn’t a book for me.

David Putnam, through his hero Bruno Johnson, presents excessive violence in excruciating, stomach-churning detail, within a context of strong moral values offsetting blatant disregard for the law, property values, and, seemingly, life itself. Within that maelstrom of horror is an interesting story and a fair amount of humor and I waded through the gore to the "happy ending." Well written, but definitely not for everyone.

3/5 stars! I struggled with this being pitched to be able to be read as a standalone. Because of this, I read it having not read the rest of the series and there were several instances across the story where I felt lost. I did enjoy the premise of the book. I think if I had read the other books first, I would have liked this better.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

4.5 stars, actually.

It's hard not to love hard-scrapping former LAPD cop Bruno Johnson - even though he's killed way more than his share of bad guys, he's got a heart behind his shoulder holster. For the most part, that heart belongs to his family - at this point, he's got a very pregnant wife, Marie, an aging father who's dying of cancer and at least 10 youngsters of varying ages stashed away in a Costa Rica compound. He'd also go to the mat for his even scrappier buddy, Karl Drago, whose best friend is his uber-loyal dog Waldo.

As his local doctor friend and his wife assist with Marie's difficult birth of their son, the wife pulls Bruno aside to ask his help with bringing their college-age daughter Layla, who's being stalked and claims to be in danger, back from Los Angeles. Problem is, of course, Bruno is a wanted man in the states; if he's caught, it's a pretty sure bet he'll spend the rest of his life behind bars. But he's got a debt to settle with the doctor and his wife, so he agrees - with the doctor's good wife and his mostly estranged, con artist mother Bea - who has turned up in Costa Rica but wants to return to the good old US of A.

At this point, I'm quite sure I'd have told both women to buzz off and let me alone, but Bruno, being Bruno, agrees to their demands and off they go (with a promise to a groggy Marie that he'd be back in a couple of days). Once they get on U.S. soil, however, the entire dynamic changes; both mom and the doctor's wife disappear, and Bruno finds out that, among other things, Layla's mother came along so she could bring money to pay kidnappers for her daughter's return. When that plan falls apart - big surprise, the kidnappers want more - Bruno knows he needs to find Layla himself and calls Drago for help. That plan is fraught with danger as well, but they do find Layla alive and telling quite a different story; it's not a stalker she has, but a baby - and the notorious criminal baby daddy doesn't want to give him up.

And it is at that point that I must respectfully bow out; giving out more details would spoil the story for other readers. Suffice it to say that, as is the case with the other books in this very enjoyable series, bodies and body parts dot the landscape like fireflies in the early summer night sky. Almost no one save Bruno and Drago seems to tell the truth, so twists and surprises keep readers turning pages not only to find out who survived the latest go-round, but which, if any, can be counted on in a pinch (or sting).

As I alluded to earlier, it's hard for me to understand how Bruno can so easily rationalize away and even forgive the bad behavior of other people - once burned, twice shy and thrice gone from my life tends to be my motto. Still, the whole thing makes for a great, edge-of-your-seat story - and I've gotta love a pooch who can turn the nastiest of the nasties into slobbering globs of jelly almost with a glance in their direction. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy of another of these gems!

Bruno Johnson book #10

This is my second book I read in this series although I picked this one out of sync in no way did I feel lost not knowing what had happened in the previous books. Mr. Putnam gives us just enough background to situate us without overwhelming us with too many details...so go for it if you wish; this book has a very good story.

In “The Scorned” Bruno lives in Costa Rico with his pregnant wife and 10 recued children from abusing home. When Mary’s obstetrician sees her through a very difficult birth and asked for a favour to accompany his daughter Layla, a college student back to L.A. and deal with Johnny, a vicious gang leader who exploits women and children. In addition to this request, his father asked to bring his mother along back to the States....He couldn’t’ refuse their requests but once on the American turf things turned ugly....

This story deals with a lot and is very exciting. Bruno is a fugitive, a wanted criminal in the U.S. But he has connections and close ties with Drago and his temperamental Rottweiler Waldo. I love how the author depicts the interaction with the animal it made me giggle more than once. We mainly have a lot of action with bodies falling and so many twists and turns to derail everything, nothing is what it seems. The drama starts slow at first but it didn’t take long before things get rolling fast. Poor Bruno, everyone wants money in exchange for something particularly Layla and his mother. A lot goes on in the book. The plot is witty at times, intense at others and often unpredictable. All the characters are great but I loved Waldo the most.

This is another highly entertaining and fabulous novel. The hours I spend reading it was well worth the time.

I just enjoyed this book so much and will definitely be reading more books by this author. I could not put this book down it so interesting and a must read by a great author.

I didn’t read all in this series and found it fine on it’s own. This is adult fiction with gang members, drug dealers, brutal and the most despicable of crimes, those involving children.
Bruno is a fugitive hidden in Costa Rica, a wanted criminal, with his long suffering, very pregnant wife, Marie, and is just short of a dozen kids. His Dad is hiding with them along with his wife, Bruno’s recently reappeared estranged Mother. If this isn’t enough, Dad’s asking him to risk being arrested by taking Mom back to the states. Then a local doctor checking on Marie asks Bruno to bring his daughter, Layla, back from college in LA. This is going from bad to disastrous!
Soon after arriving in LA Bruno calls on his old friend, Drago, for some much needed backup. Drago has a very large temperamental Rottweiler. Don’t be judgmental, but I’m not a fan of dogs. That said, my favorite character in the series is definitely Waldo. He kept me giggling even through the tense, bullets flying scenes. We could all use a Waldo.
Layla turns out to be a conniving, naïve, liar who Drago is immediately smitten with. Trouble!!! The complications with taking Layla back home to her parents involve a lot of very bad dudes. The action is hot and heavy with bodies falling and nothing is what it seems. Everyone wants money in exchange for something. Bruno’s Mom is gambling hers away and Layla hides hers.
When you think it can’t get more critical, Bruno’s gone soft, missing Marie and the birth of his child. He’s fumbling to draw a gun and his mind isn’t in the game at hand. A very contrasting side to this rough and tough former detective.
I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot which kept me altering my theories as I raced through the pages. The softer side of Bruno was unexpected and kept the story fresh.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “The Scorned” Bruno Johnson Crime Series #10, by David Putnam and to Oceanview Publishing. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

The Scorned (no idea where the title comes from) by David Putnam starts out in an intriguing manner with Bruno Johnson, an interesting main character with a seemingly idyllic life in Costa Rica, and a large adoring family. We soon learn of his prior life of violence and crime in California. To this reader, as soon as the action (and there is plenty of it including murders, kidnappings, money laundering, etc.) switches to Los Angeles, this reader’s interest began to wane. Bruno and his “friend “Drago become enmeshed in murders, gambling and other shady dealings with all sorts of disreputable people.
Much of the story is about family loyalty, lies and deceit and, by the conclusion, you may decide that Waldo, the dog, was the most likable character in the novel. I want to thank NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this novel prior to publication.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the previous David Putnam novel I read, A Fearsome Moonlight Black. I also don’t usually compare books, by the same author or different Authors.
To start with, I didn’t much like the main character Bruno Johnson.
I started to like the story and Bruno about half way through. If I had read the previous Bruno books I may have liked it better, so I’m going to put them on my tbr list.
The story line was really good and there is plenty of action and a twist. I really did like Waldo, the dog, he was almost human.
Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for this EARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

This is another highly entertaining and fabulous novel by David Putnam. The story really captured my attention in the first chapter, Bruno is a great character. I quite enjoyed that I couldn’t guess what was going to happen, and there are a couple of surprises along the way that I wasn’t expecting. Simply Splendid.
Bruno Johnson had an eventful life so far. He was once a deputy sheriff in the US, and now on the run for a murder he committed. Even though Bruno thought he was fully justified in killing his brother-in-law, unfortunately the justice system didn’t see it that way. Now he was hiding out in Costa Rica with his wife and extended family. It’s not until his father and a close family friend that both required a favour, that he ever thought of going back to America. Now he feels compelled to help those out that are close to him, and go back to the one place that wants to lock him away for a very long time.
I spent so many wonderful hours reading this thrilling story. Well worth the read. 5/5 Star Rating.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope she writes more! I am totally hooked!

The Scorned by David Putnam -- 5 Stars
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
ISBN: 9781608094943

I have read all the books in the Bruno series. I have enjoyed them all but this is my favorite. Bruno is planning on a quick trip from Costa Rica where he has made his home to Los Angeles where he is wanted for some past crimes. Nothing goes as he plans. There are bad guys to defeat and good people to rescue.

The characters are the best, unique and colorful, especially Waldo, the tough smart Rottweiler. The plot is sometimes witty, sometimes intense and often surprising. It never slows. Once again Bruno fights in an evil world to save people who need help. There are always children who can not be left in harmful places. Great book. I look forward to more.

Reviewer: Nancy

This may be the tenth book in the series, but the author has uncanny ability to keep the characters and the plot fresh. Multiple levels have been added since book one, but the reader can jump right in and enjoy this one.

Helping others...intrigue...mystery...friends...family...red herrings...this novel has it all...The author is talented at telling this story which is fiction but reads like nonfiction also. The book was sent to me by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the electronic copy. Although the story moved slowly, at times, it came to a resounding ending.

The Scorned is book 10 in the Bruno Johnson Crime Series but can standalone. I didn't read any of the previous books but will certainly now be added to my TBR list! In this story, Bruno Johnson comes across a criminal organization while attempting to escort home the daughter of a physician he feels indebted to and discovering that he needs to help save her child. This was a fast-paced thriller and will resonant with fans of Michael Connelly and David Baldacci. I was invested in the characters and always love it when there's a dog involved!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!