Customer Reviews

Cutthroat

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"Cutthroat" was the first book I read by novelist, Steve Brewer. I had recently met Steve and wanted to check out the "local writer." I was glad I took the time!
I found Cutthroat to be fast paced, intelligent and tightly written. The book held my interest from start to finish and I sped through it.
I knew that the book was a far cry from Brewer's "claim to fame" Bubba Mabry series. Although I had not yet read the series, I had heard enough to know that the series was considered to be a fun romp. There is no such fun romp in Cutthroat. What you get instead is well-written, adrenaline filled scenes.
I finish the book knowing that Steve Brewer was good, really good and that I would be reading all of his books in the future.

Solomon Gage has worked as Dominick Sheffield's right hand man for over a decade. Solomon does whatever Dominick asks him to do, whether it's kidnapping his druggie granddaughter and checking her into rehab or something more. Solomon's mother was Dominick's administrative asst and sort of a "friend with benefits," to Dominick. When she died in a car accident, Dominick took then 14-year old Solomon under his wing as a sort-of surrogate son, paid for his college education and then hired him. Solomon is the perfect employee, loyal, grateful, and he answers only to Dominick. Solomon has come to feel like a member of the family, but is resented by Dominick's two sons who are greedy, vicious, and who can't wait until the day they can fire him. When Solomon inadvertently finds out about secret plans they have to interfere in another country's sovereignty, in order to access that country's scarce resources, he's compelled to act and that's when the real fun begins.

I found Cutthroat a taut, well-written thriller and I sped through it in a few hours. The book surprised me in that, although I enjoyed reading it, I didn't like any of the characters, including Solomon, who basically sold his soul (although he managed to justify it), because of his loyalty and affection for Dominick, who didn't deserve it. Solomon wasn't driven by money, power, or lust, the usual motivations of those who do dirty work for the ultra-rich, but he was almost as morally bankrupt as someone who is. If you like thrillers you'll probably like this one.

Solomon Gage is a fixer for a wealthy industrialist, solving all the problems the big man and his family get involved in. When Gage discovers that the industrialist's sons are involved in a dangerous and harebrained scheme to make a fortune, he's faced with his toughest problem yet.

"Cutthroat" is darker and more serious than most of Brewer's books, which is something of a mixed blessing. Although it's a fine and engaging story, I found myself missing the comedic overtones of most of his work. (A lot of authors can write books like this one, but Brewer is one of the few who mixes comedy with suspense and makes it work.)

For readers interested in an entertaining, straight-ahead thriller, however, this is recommended.

Solomon Gage is a hired gun/bodyguard/all-purposes cleaner for the Sheffields, a mega-rich family whose patriarch earned his fortune in some very questionable ways. Now, Dominick Sheffield is blessed with a family of spoiled sharks, drug addicts, and inveterate losers, while Gage - in many ways the son Dominick never had - continues to pick up their messes and silently suffer their torment. However, when Dominick's drug-addicted granddaughter is abducted from a treatment center and subsequently killed in a very unsavory way and Gage suspects the family's involvement, the bodyguard is pushed to his limit.

The remainder of the novel finds Gage working to solve granddaughter Abby's murder and find out the truth behind whatever bad business dealings Dominick's sons have gotten themselves into, in an effort to get back into the old man's good graces. There are plenty of twists and turns and a surprisingly complex emotional journey for Gage himself as he struggles to separate himself from the surrogate father who's been his only real family since he was a teen. The laconic Solomon Gage is a refreshing change of pace from the wisecracking tough guys who dominate the genre, and while Dominick's sons are occasionally almost cartoonish in their villainy, Brewer more than makes up for this with his fluid writing style and a surprisingly poignant twist in the final act. The novel has enough action and wanton violence to please the most ardent adrenaline junkies, but balances that with a richly textured protagonist, a very sweet romantic subplot, and an intelligent enough storyline to engage readers hoping for a bit more substance. All in all, a thoroughly pleasurable read that I would recommend to any fans of action and suspense.

Steve Brewer really knows how to weave interesting (sometimes weird) characters, wonderfully descriptive writing, and action-filled plots into some of the most entertaining books you will ever read.