Lou Berney immediately earned a seat of honor at the mystery masters' table with his crackling caper novel, "Gutshot Straight" - a lightning-fast, fiendishly clever suspensor that screamed for a sequel.
And here it is - "Whiplash River" (William Morrow).
Former professional wheel man Charles "Shake" Bouchon is back, living in the Caribbean paradise of Belize with his lawless past far behind him - until a gunshot tears through his beachside restaurant and he's on the run again.
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A twisting tale filled with lawmen, con men, and 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 impresarios - Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen, James W. Hall, Robert Ferrigno, Tim Dorsey - while establishing its own unique orbit in the noir universe.