Customer Reviews

The Second Savior (An LAPD Mystery)

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I love Second Savior. The dialogue was true, and the pace was perfect. I love how Bouton kept the "savior" behind the curtain. He managed to avoid being didactic, while creating an incredible spiritual experience. I am not a person of faith, but by the final chapter, I believed, and was inspired with hope! Bravo! I can't wait for the next one.

LAPD homicide detectives Dover and Falcon are hot on the trail of a Crip drug dealer by the name of Kinks. As they attempt to approach him outside a local convenience store a drive-by staged by a rival gang leaves one dead and several wounded.

One of the wounded is a carpenter who took three bullets in the back while saving Dover's life. Although he appears close to death, amazingly he walks out of the hospital unnoticed before Dover and Falcon can interview him.

As the turf war continues to rage in South-Central LA and the body count continues to rise, the detectives work diligently to bring in those responsible for the shootings. When their key witness, Kinks, is assassinated in his hospital room before they can interview him, the detectives are stunned.

They eventually find the carpenter who agrees to help them out. The pieces start to fall into place, but before they can put the case to rest everything goes awry during a climatic shoot-out. The witness mysteriously disappears once again leaving two surprised detectives.

Author Mark Bouton is a former FBI agent whose years of experience bring much to this story. The rapport between Dover and Falcon brings their personalities to light and adds to the story.

Bouton allows the reader to undertand the motives of those on both sides of the law no matter how vile the characters may be. It is obvious Bouton took the time to get to know his characters and understand their motives. Even the bad guys have a depth not usually seen in this type of novel.

Because the story is set in LA, Bouton takes every opportunity to insert a touch of humor by allowing the detectives to name drop the rich and famous with great abandon.

Discerning readers will realize the spiritual thread that winds its way through the novel.

The Second Savior is a worthy follow-up to Cracks in the Rainbow. Hopefully, the author is hard at work developing more stories about Dover and Falcon.

LAPD Homicide Detectives Crash Unit Rick Dover and Falcon are working a bust at an Inglewood liquor store when the Bloods drive by trying to kill Kinks, a Crip. A passerby jumps in between the shooters and Dover taking two bullets in the back and one in the shoulder; he saves the cop's life. Later the Bloods boldly walk into Centinela Hospital and kill Kinks; while the Good Samaritan Jake shockingly walks out of the ICU after only a one night stay.

Soon others involved in the shooting begin dying as Stagger becomes a one man crime spree including a shooting attempt in a nearby church in which Dover took a bullet. As the police continue to search for evidence, they fear their two main witnesses, Father O'Garity will not testify due to the confession Stagger made to him and Jake Carroll will run away due to his past.

This fast-paced police procedural hooks the audience with the opening sequence and never slows down as the cops battle the gangs on the streets of L.A with a touch of religious mysticism brought to the plot by Jake. The story line is filled with action while feeling like a chess game is occurring. Although a key scene when Stagger shoots at the priest and Dover should be enough to arrest him especially with other witnesses, but does not detracts from an otherwise exciting thriller of the police working a gang war slaying.

Harriet Klausner