SHOW NO MERCY

A gang of crackerjack covert operatives becomes entangled in a Mexican drug cartel’s business in May’s (Horses Cry, 2016) thriller.

This gritty, compelling crime novel offers a story of deadly drug-smuggling operations and the covert operatives focused on intercepting them. Among the cast of seasoned war veterans are two retired U.S. Army Rangers—Capt. Antoine Pomerleau and Sgt. Jon Gomez—and retired Cpl. Audy Murphy of the Canadian military, who are all part of a covert Black Ops team whose goal is to apprehend and dethrone the powerful Mexican drug lord known as El Loco. May puts readers directly into the action from the opening pages, and he’s in fine form as Pomerleau, commissioned by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, leads his group to exterminate some drug runners at a secret compound. Using grenades, sniper fire, and other gunplay, the trio manages to accomplish their mission, but the problem is far from solved. Intelligence executives tell the men that El Loco’s ruthless Cinalo Cartel has again begun using the rodeo circuit to traffic and distribute fentanyl and opioids across the Canadian border, using horse trailers. A plan is hatched to use undercover operatives as rodeo competitors (including an experienced rider named Bella) and report back to the DEA and Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The team embarks on a slow-burn investigation, but when hostages are taken and a blackmail scheme ensues, things heat up. Over the course of this novel, May offers fiery scenes that crackle with edgy suspense and nail-biting tension. The author certainly knows his way around the complex dynamic of Special Forces operations, details of choice weaponry, and the vernacular of undercover operatives, and that knowledge delivers the kind of authenticity that will keep readers engaged until the satisfying ending. The final pages deliver an exciting climax and a temporary resolution for his main characters, even as drug trafficking problems proliferate.    

A talented author tackles the real-world opioid crisis in a well-plotted law enforcement thriller.