Crimson Hit

Dev Shannon #1

by Bob Burton

Dev Shannon loves his job. He makes good money, travels all over, meets interesting people--and drags them off in chains to face justice. Business is always good, and he's always open for business. Too bad his latest assignment is personal. Drug kingpin, Julio Sanchez, has taken out Dev's oldest friend. And before Dev can do anything about it, he'll have to clear up two other cases, and he's in no mood for any more games. He'll call in some favors, visit some lowlifes, and then he'll be ready to hunt his most dangerous quarry. Not for justice, not for money, but for revenge...

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Bob Burton was a successful bounty hunter creating the National Association of Bail Enforcement Agents (NABEA) which established industry standards, professional training and certifications while elevating the public and media perception of Bail Enforcement Agents worldwide. He moved from Bounty Hunting to international child abduction cases until his retirement in 2012.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Paul McBride · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been a great book…it wasn’t, but it could have been.
My problems with it:
1. All of the characters are wooden and one dimensional.
2. The usual formula of bit players and their quirkiness are all included, but again, their quirkiness is described not exhibited.
3. Too many completely separate storylines for such a short book.

[Sam Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

another good one

Onward and upward through the fog rode the evils of man. Quickly subdued by the good of man, well not really quickly. Great book well written and a pleasure to read.
Rock on!

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crimson Hit mostly takes place in Santa Barbara and Paso Robles, both cities in which I am familiar with. So, right from the start, I quite enjoyed reading about Dev Shannon. The author, Bob Burton, also a bounty hunter, has the experience and the ability to create an entertaining story about the job he has done for many years.

Dev Shannon is a very interesting character that intrigued me from the beginning. I liked that he has the military skills to hunt down the bad guys, but retreats to his quite houseboat in the evenings to be with his cat. I knew little to nothing about bounty hunters when I started reading this book. Hopefully, now I know a little more.

To me, the most exciting part of the book was about halfway through it. When Dev was in the process of taking the kids in France, I could not put the book down. I just had to find out how he was going to pull off the impossible.

Crimson Hit is a fun, fast story that any lover of a good thriller or mystery will enjoy. Pick it up, you won't regret it.

I rated this book an 8 out of 10.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devlin Shannon is a Bounty Hunter and a bit more successful than Stephanie Plum who lives on a converted fishing boat on the California coast. He is offered a high paying job to recover two children whose mother has taken them from their father and returned to her home in Spain. The money is good but “Dev” has certain requirements of the father in regards to the payment, he wants guarantees that he will not be left hanging if he takes the job. Eventually he agrees and starts off in a mission that turns out to be full of surprises. His employer has neglected to impart certain information which would have changed his mind about taking on the job. Meanwhile back in he states his father and sometimes employees are pursuing several other cases. There a number of twists as Dev juggles the several jobs and suffers a few setbacks along the way. A decent read, action, characters to keep the interest up leaves one not wanting to put the book down.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's an old saying: 'life is too short for bad books.'

'Crimson Hit' isn't a bad book: it has a very good sense of place, as its narrator lives on a boat in Santa Barbara. Those of us who are local will recognize the accuracy of its details.

However, the text is overwritten throughout and misspellings abound. The author NEEDS an editor, or to fire the current one. Confusing point: data page says it was written in 1993, but the narrator uses Google to find his quarry. If both facts are accurate, and the manuscript was written in 1993 and gone back over to 'update,' why not comb for the glaring mistakes in layout and syntax?

This could be a very good, interesting read. It needs help.

[D. E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An LJM. Bounty Hunter Novel (TMSB - 1)

LJM. has. penned a novel about the best hunter of men or as we know it then in public as bounty hunters. In this novel our intrepid first person uses the FBI's most wanted listing to hunt for the most vicious or dangerous. Our first person is willing to travel wherever for the bounty. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS

[Walt Mccluskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crimson hit

Excellent read from an author I don't think I have seen before. I'm quite sure it will not be the last if his others are this good. Well researched and precise in the telling so it was easy to read and difficult to put down.

[Richard Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

[Books-fly-to-me · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not finish it. Interesting premise but the main character wasn't compelling and without that connection, I was bored.

[Kai Palchikoff]

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