Night of the Bonfire

OK, I'll admit that a large part of why I wanted to read this book is because of two things: (1) the protagonist, Michael Quinn, has the exact same name as one of my favorite ex-bosses, and (2) at least part of the book takes place in Laguna Beach, where I live. I figured that was a pretty good start.

Thankfully, once I dug into the book a little further, I found I also enjoyed the plot and pace of the book. Everything that makes a good book can be found here -- well-fleshed characters, great locales, nasty bad guys, lots of action, and a satisfying ending. It takes just a little patience to get through the first few chapters, but then the roller coaster speeds up - like when you reach the high summit of the first peak and hang there for a second or two -- and suddenly you're hurtling down and around. Some unique twists that I didn't see coming, and not TOO much kissy-kissy stuff (which I hate). All in all, an enjoyable reading experience, and enough of a hook in my cheek to bring me back for future Quinn novels.

*** This book was provided to me by the publisher and/or author as an ARC in exchange for my honest review. ***

“Night of the Bonfire” eBook was published in 2015 (Dec) and was written by Kevin Scott Olson (http://kevinscottolson.com). Mr. Olson has published 4 novels.

I would categorize this novel as ‘R’ as there are instances of Violence. This Thriller novel is set mostly in California, USA, but it also touches on Rome, Italy and the Mexican coast.

The primary character is former Navy SEAL Michael Quinn. Quinn is now working for the CIA as a contractor, taking on special projects. Quinn is at first assigned to track down a missing painting that is being used as currency between drug dealers. The painting was thought to have been destroyed during the Bonfire of the Vanities (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire_of_the_Vanities). If it exists, it will be worth millions.

His mission focus soon changes from finding the painting to stopping a new drug from finding its way into the US West coast distributions system. There is quite a bit of action and intrigue as Quinn infiltrates the criminal organization thought to have the painting and works to halt the spread of the new drug. He must confront Marco Leone, leader of the criminal group and fanatic art collector, who turns into a powerful adversary.

This was a novel written much in the flavor of Ian Flemming’s original ‘James Bond’ novels. This was a relatively quick read (only 3.5 hours) but I did enjoy it. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).