In Wolves' Clothing

Zero Slade is the narrator of this story that packs plenty of action, violence, and darkness in under three hundred pages. He is a flawed hero or even an anti-hero. He drinks too much, he takes prescription painkillers (of course, no longer prescribed, although there’s little doubt that he is in pain); he loves his wife but lies to her and cannot share his feelings; he is good at his job but is falling into a downward spiral where he makes mistakes, often makes the wrong decisions and gets himself and others into trouble. He is a master of witty retorts (although these seem to take the form of a mental commentary rather than things he tells people, as he pretends, both for professional and for personal reasons to be calm, collected, and not easily fazed), and dark-humour and a cynical point-of-view are second-nature to him. His style of internal dialogue reminded me of noir-novels and of the voice-over narrations used by film-noir detectives of the thirties and forties. He is big, strong, and, in appearance at least, tough. And he needs to be, to do the job he does.
The book’s subject is horrific, and although the novel does not go into a lot of detail about sex trafficking, it does highlight the reality of it, the terrible statistics, and the experiences of the young girls and of those who try to help them, often with little long-term success. Doing such a job requires special qualities and takes a toll on all those involved. Zero reflects on the motley crew he works with early on in the novel and when we meet the new recruit he is supposed to train, Caleb, we wonder what he has in common with the rest and how he came to be there. He seems too together. A Buddhist who always sees the positive side of every situation. Of course, things are not always what they seem, and Zero is not the only one keeping secrets.
Coping with such extreme experiences is not easy. Zero’s first-person narration allows the reader to get inside his head and share his techniques to try and avoid getting emotionally involved and overwhelmed by what he sees. His drinking, his drug abuse, and his defence mechanisms and strategies all point to the fact that rather than being hard, tough, and unfeeling, he is trying to protect himself because otherwise, he’d crack.
We don’t get to know all of the secondary characters well (the book is short, but we do get a good sense of what Zero thinks about them, even if he is not always the best judge of character and he gets more than one surprise) but especially those on the good side are varied, interesting, sympathetic, and morally complex. We don’t know every single detail of Zero’s life either (and he spends a fair amount of time under the influence of drink, drugs, both, or in pain) but he shares enough of his memories and experiences for us to root for him. We know how he met his wife, we learn about his brother’s passing, and even about some bad things that he might or might not have done. Many unreliable narrators sometimes try to paint themselves in a positive light, but although Zero is in denial about his addictions, he is a master of understatement and skilled at putting himself down.
I have once again highlighted a lot of the book, but just a few samples of a novel that’s eminently quotable:
Whenever people say, “It could always be worse,” they’re right … unless they’re talking about what the Lost Girls have been through. That’s where worse ends.
Talking about a superheroes blockbuster movie: It’s about Lycra overcoming evil.
The trouble is, the camera always takes five pounds off the truth.
The flight attendant returns with my refill. Saved by the bourbon.
One of the nurses helping him move tells him: “Okay, this is always the hard part.” The perfect title for my autobiography.
This is a fast novel, sharp both in action and in style, with fabulous dialogue and a quick-fire and pared-down writing that is dynamic and vibrant. It also has a big heart, deals with a very serious subject, and manages to convey the depth of feeling of a character that goes to big lengths to hide that he is a big softy. Ah, and the ending is great too.
If you don’t mind a fair amount of violence (never gratuitous, but still…), the subject matter, and like heroes down on their luck with plenty of verbal style, you are in for a treat with this novel. An author to follow closely and an important subject.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book that I freely chose to review.

Illegal trafficking of young girls, little girls, sold into slavery is growing by leaps and bounds in hotspots around the globe. Keeping in lockstep with the trade of illicit drugs, it comes down to the same old story. Supply and demand. Demand's the rub. The author exposes this abhorrent trade of flesh for cash by some of society's most broken people - those beyond repair. Greg Levin escorted me to the front lines with an up-close-and-personal look at sting operations designed to rid the world of this abomination. At least, if nothing else, lower the escalating list of innocent victims. A seemingly never-ending battle. Sad.

Never a dull moment. I was enthralled with this witty, well-written narrative. The voice of the storyline was down-to-earth. An easy read. At other times, I was shaken to the core with a complete loss of hope. I've asked myself, How could this type of atrocity even exist? For that I get no answer. Unimaginable. There was no escaping the adrenaline-packed punch of emotions that concluded with a thrilling ending. An unforgettable novel.

Zero Slade's job is to get into character and act like a wealthy tourist, a deviant, on the hunt for girls from ages 5 through 12. Children. He's not alone - works with a tight crew. All part of a sting: put the pimps in jail - return the girls to their homes. Their covert actions labeled Operation Emancipation usually take them to where they're needed most - the pedophilia capital of the world. Cambodia. Child sex slavery at its worst. Just Google "Cambodian children for sale". All too real. Heartbreaking.

An important part of Zero's ruse requires keeping his emotions on lockdown. Good luck with that! Can't let the job get to him. Though it always does. Over the years though it's taken its toll. Painkillers and alcohol help make it through the day. Night. Addicted. A high price to pay. Ask him and others in his line of work if it's worth it. You'll get a resounding "hell yeah!"

One night on a successful sting operation, he committed a cardinal sin. One of the Commandments he's always lived by - never look into the eyes of any of these girls. No attachments allowed. Caught off guard, he found himself locked deep into the pained eyes of a rescued five-year-old. His heart was ripped out from his chest. It all happened so fast. Both bonded at first sight. Too late now to run for the nearest exit.

Back in the States, a couple weeks later, he learned the girl had been abducted. Again. Happened all the time. Out of all the thousands upon thousands - why her? Didn't even want to think what had probably already been done to her. She had to be rescued. Time was running out. Find her now before being swallowed up in the sewer forever. It was a race against time. One he could not allow himself to lose. Not this time. Not this child.

My thanks to NetGalley and White Rock Press for presenting me with the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is gripping and well written.

Zero’s is an ex military man who has an intense, tough job. He and his team mates pretend to be wealthy men seeking to party with young girls. They are really there with authorities in the wings to capture the pimps and free the young girls who are an unwilling part of the child sex trade industry. The job takes Zero’s team to all parts of the world, from cities in Asia to Central and South America. There is lots of planning and most times things go smoothly; but not always. There is always danger, risk and emotional trauma to be contained.

Zero is already self-medicating from injuries, pain and guilt from his military loses. Between coping (or not) with those memories and trying to minimize the emotions caused during his missions, he is struggling to keep proper communication with his wife, Nina, whom he adores. Problem is, he is gone a lot and even when he is home he is not always connected. Nina loves Zero but knows he needs help and she may have to take drastic steps for him to cooperate.

The team rescues a group of particularly young girls and the youngest clings to Zero. The youngster has touched a place in Zero’s heart and he returns to visit her. Then he gets news that she has been kidnapped from the facility. Zero can’t, or won’t, wait to ask for a team to go in. He chooses to go himself, even with recent injuries, and even though it will risk everything – his career and his marriage. Still, he feels he must rescue Sung before it is too late.

I really liked the writing style which is direct and presents the story in first person through Zero’s voice. His internal thinking is very real and sometimes gritty. There is also a subtle, self-deprecating humor. He is a man with integrity but also plagued with problems and flaws. Mr. Levin presents strong background information on the issues of painkiller addiction and sex trafficking. These are not easy subjects, but they are handled in a manner that makes a point of the devastating trauma and problem.

There is some material that is tough to read as well as some strong foul words. These are (sadly) a natural part of the story that is presented. I do recommend this to readers who like crime fiction suspense and those who may find combating sex trafficking interesting.