All the Way Down

Dirty cop Dale Burnett, the protagonist of this firecracker of a thriller from Beetner (The Devil at Your Door), works as a lackey for drug lord Tautolu Losopo (aka Tat) in an unnamed American town. The police brass have discovered that Dale is crooked, but instead of arresting him, they give him a last chance for redemption: rescue the mayor’s daughter, reporter Lauren O’Brien, who was kidnapped while working on a story on Tat. Lauren is being held in Tat’s lair, a fortress of a building with 14 floors, each holding something deadly to overcome. Meanwhile, Tat sends his soldiers after Dale’s wife, Dahlia, once he learns that Dale has ratted on him. Dale succeeds in infiltrating Tat’s building, where he discovers Lauren on the top floor. They battle armed cooks and accountants, slaves temporarily released from cages, and Tat’s mother, among others, in their effort to reach the bottom floor and escape. Beetner’s searing novel bulldozes its way from one scene to another in the print equivalent of a blockbuster action film. [em](Jan.) [/em]