Whiplash River

amp;#8220;Like Carl Hiaasen, Berney delights in the cartoonish. Like Elmore Leonard, he can drive a plot. What sets him apart is how well he evokes love, making the romanceamp;#8230;as compelling as the mystery.amp;#8221;
amp;#8212;Boston Globe

Lou Berney immediately earned a seat of honor at the mystery mastersamp;#8217; table with his crackling caper novel, Gutshot Straightamp;#8212;a lightning-fast, fiendishly clever suspenser that screamed for a sequel. And here it is. Former professional wheel man Charles amp;#8220;Shakeamp;#8221; Bouchon is back, living in the Caribbean paradise of Belize with his lawless past far behind himamp;#8212;until a gunshot tears through his beachside restaurant and heamp;#8217;s on the run again. A twisting tale filled with lawmen, con men, andamp;#160; hit men; a beautiful but deadly FBI agent; and a murderous thug named Baby Jesus, Whiplash River recalls the best of the off-the-wall crime fiction impresariosamp;#8212;Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen, James W. Hall, Robert Ferrigno, Tim Dorseyamp;#8212;while establishing its own unique orbit in the noir universe.