Mario 5: Afire

by George Hatcher

In pursuit of new challenges and dealing with the roller coaster of the eighties, Ambulance chasing jet-setter Mario Luna is a survivor, a lover, and a man of his time. With his crew of lovely girls, he works from Pasadena, flying where planes crash, helping families survive disaster. At his side, we find numbers whiz Jo, former corner girl Pixie, quiet Niley, versatile private eye Tricia, and his partner in pleasure Letty. Riding the wings of ambition, Mario has turned his gift of gab into a lucrative life. He cannot resist the lure of easy cash. Colombians Pepe, Camila and Olga run the Camacho empire, and with their money to burn, they entice Mario to use his gifts to further the Camacho empire known as LAI, Latin American Enterprises. Not everyone jumps aboard the Camacho gravy train. Mario's girlfriend Melina Marron, an entrepreneur in her own right, warns Mario he may be getting caught up in dirty money. Not that Mario is good at listening to advice, especially when he sniffs profits to be made. What is he getting into? One thing is for sure. Mario has come a long way from his two bedroom childhood apartment facing Hollenbeck Park in East Los Angeles.

428 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

George Hatcher writes fluently of the times this story is set in. Down to the lingo, the fashions and mores of the day (June 1980 - December 1980). Mario is the boy from the Barrio, a charmer who been selling things since he was a ten-year-old boy. He is also an expert in Karate and keeping fit. Which of course makes him a magnet for the many women in his life. I do mean IN his life. His open relations is an open secret and the women are all open to sharing him. A lifestyle the Playboy Mansion fully supported. His saving grace is that he is really a nice guy under all the charms who knows he has a big private part. But it does not all go to his head (either one).

He is also a man of his word and honest. He picks up business and is rolling in cash and business is very good. He is a globetrotter and spends lavishly on his girls. Yet underneath all this joy, there seem to be people out to get him. A kidnapping, death of good friends so soon after the bombing that killed his lover (book 4), and other dangers he can not seem to shake, make this book a page-turner. Set down that remote or the mouse for streaming and get back to reading and steaming the images from these pages to your fantasy of what a boy from the barrio who makes good, might like to live like.

Nancy Louise McCormick
January 2018

[Ju Ephraime · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fifth book in the Mario Series starts off with Mario surrounded by his faithful team of women, only this time, Mario is a bit reluctant to dive back into his fast and furious life style. He’s in something of a depression after the loss of Sami in the previous book. I find myself wondering, will Mario finally change his womanizing ways? Even his team of women was questioning his masculinity. Is he done for? Wait, not so fast….
It appears some lives are simply bigger than others, and some individuals face more challenges, achieve more, and leave larger footprints. Mario is one of those individuals. He lives a life that by most standards would be considered frivolous and wasteful. But Mario has a plan and a pattern he follows religiously. But when his equilibrium shifts, it throws him off and he is struggling to find himself. Bad luck that continues to dog him, and he’s once again caught up in a fiery explosion. Will Mario be able to walk away this time or is this the end of the notorious playboy turn entrepreneur…..?
Hatcher has written another entertaining novel with mature sex themes, relationships, family, and social and cultural aspirations. He brings the reader into the heart of the matter to experience life in the fast lane. Great read!

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book cover is cartoon/animated like.
You know the saying don’t judge a book like the cover. Well most people do. All the other books didn’t seem to have the same type of style image. It just felt out of place with it. Smaller once again which kept me going with the pace of the book. It was an easy read and well described by the author. He kept your imagination flowing.

[Alex Dumont · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like the original book in the series Woman in Jeopardy, Afire returns to the series original format. The plot returns to the slow moving behemoth with spots of bright action but character development remains weak. Overall the story does succeed with better action sequences but characters seem more tools to the plot than anything else.