The Fixer

Sins and fortunes of the father come into play when, in the blink of an eye, celebrity journalist Rick Hoffman loses his job, fiancée, and apartment, moves back into the long-vacant family home in Cambridge, Mass. and discovers millions of dollars hidden in the walls, apparently by his father. But the news of the hidden loot somehow surfaces and lures several very tough guys prepared to kidnap and torture Rick to get their hands on it. Finder uses breakneck pacing to keep his thriller on track, and reader Kearney, employing a crisp, no-nonsense delivery, keeps the story flowing fast and clear. For the exposition and for many of the characters—including women such as Rick’s faithless ex-fiancée and his just-reacquainted high school heartthrob—Kearney settles on a serviceable natural voice. But the hard-boiled types—the thugs, a half-friendly FBI agent, an extremely wealthy ex-cop, and the power broker pulling all the strings—are treated to the kind of gruff, very heated brogue one might hear unleashed in a Boston bar on the feast of St. Pat’s. A Dutton hardcover. (June)