Book Review: Duke City Desperado by Max Austin

Title: Duke City Desperado
Author: Max Austin

Genre: Thriller

Age Group: Adult

Rating: 4,5 stars

Purchase: Amazon

For fans of Breaking Bad and the bestselling fiction of Don Winslow and George Pelecanos comes Max Austin’s latest fast-paced, rollicking “Lawbreakers Thriller” of criminals and lovers, malcontents and madmen–all within the treacherous city limits of Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

Under a sky full of stars, Dylan James lies sleeping on the roof of a pueblo-style house. Everyone in Albuquerque seems to be looking for him. A murderous Mafia prince wants to kill him. Two FBI agents want to cuff him. A Goth girl wants to make love to him. And a fierce, sexy Chicana just wants to clean up the mess Dylan made. The trouble started with a drug-addled career criminal named Doc, and a bank robbery staged with a garage-door opener. And it all goes off the rails after a little misunderstanding with Dylan’s ex-girlfriend and her jealous, gun-toting new beau. When the sun comes up, this sleepy, scrawny desperado is going to show the world what he is made of–all for a one-in-a-million shot at walking out of Duke City alive.

A book told from the POV of a guy who doesn’t exactly walk on the good side of the law? It’s definitely new and refreshing, and Duke City Desperado offers just that. From the moment I started reading, I kept on rooting for Dylan James, the “bad guy”. A career criminal named Doc, a friend of Dylan’s, decides to rob a bank and bring Dylan along for the ride. But when Dylan bails on him, it’s the start of a series of bizarre adventures that include Dylan escaping, or trying to escape, from the law in just about any way imaginable.

The book offers an enjoyable and diverse cast of characters, Dylan probably being the most normal one of the bunch. The action is non-stop, always thrilling and at times hilarious. The writing style is engaging and I felt connected to almost all of the characters.

If you want a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat suspense novel that also adds in some humor, I would highly recommend this book.