Tear It Down by Nick PetrieMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I've been a huge fan of Nick Petrie's Peter Ash series since I read The Drifter. Each succeeding book has seen the former soldier meet challenges not only from a variety of villains, but from his own inner struggles with severe claustrophobia and the "white noise" of his PTSD. Each book has also seen him defeat evil, but also win ground back from his own difficulties.
Tear It Down finds Peter in a stable, if unusual relationship with June - a tough as nails reporter who recognizes that Peter needs to keep busy, physically and mentally, to hold on to his hard won gains emotionally. When she thinks Peter is getting too restless, she asks him to go to Memphis to help a photo-journalist friend, Wanda, with the "fixer upper" she purchased.
Peter arrives at Wanda's house to find that somebody has driven a dump truck into her house. The next day, Peter's truck is stolen by a homeless teenager who was reluctantly involved in a jewelry store robbery gone wrong.
Things go downhill rapidly when Wanda's house is shot up by a man who is described as the Devil. All Peter really wants is to find his truck, save the boy who is a talented musician, discover who wants Wanda out of her house, and do his job. What follows is a high octane plot involving drug kingpins, white supremacists, a treasure hunt and a car chase that makes Bullit look like a walk in the park.
What sets Tear It Down apart from a lot of thrillers is the heart in this book. Peter and his partner, Lewis, are a classic duo hearkening back to Spenser and Hawk, and Joe Pike and Elvis Cole. Peter and June compliment each other, and she understands him better than he understands himself at times. The book throbs with the life of Memphis and Music, the smell of hot asphalt and rain, and the music of the Blues.
This is the thriller of the year for me. I'm sure it will lead my top 10 at the end of 2019. Don't miss this book, but do read Nick Petrie's other books, too.
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