Assume Nothing

In this brutal stand-alone from Haywood (Cemetery Road), former Florida cop Joe Reddick relocates to Los Angeles following the trauma of discovering his wife and two children slaughtered in their home. Nine years later, a minor car accident involving a careless driver with something to hide, Andy Baumhower, precipitates a similar threat to Reddick’s new wife and son, Dana and Jake. Reddick, determined to eliminate the threat by whatever means necessary, goes after Baumhower and his three business partners, who are trying to cover both a kidnapping gone bad and a $250,000 debt to sadistic Mexican drug boss Ruben Lizama. In a battle of wits and violence, Reddick is constantly on the verge of going berserk. The action takes plenty of suspenseful twists toward the showdown. This is as dark as Haywood’s Aaron Gunner series (All the Lucky Ones Are Dead, etc.), but the tortured Reddick is a much less likable character. (Nov.)