Book Review: 'The Directive' is compelling thriller

"The Directive" (Little, Brown and Company), by Matthew Quirk

"The Directive," Matthew Quirk's follow-up to his best-selling "The 500," continues the adventures of lawyer and former con man Mike Ford in another exciting page-turner.

Mike, who has reformed, is looking forward to marrying his fiancee, Annie. They are finalizing china patterns and wedding invitation fonts when Annie's father pulls Mike aside and tries to buy him off. He wants Mike stay far away, and since her father seems to be eerily similar to the person Mike used to be, he's suspicious. He refuses, earning the wrath of Annie's father.

Shortly afterward, Mike's brother, Jack, invites him to dinner. They have been estranged, and Jack wants to reconcile. Mike has a hard time believing Jack has reformed because his brother was also a master of the con. He wants to believe that Jack is now on the right side of the law, but it's difficult. His suspicions are justified when men with guns arrive.

Mike is forced back into the world of cons to not only save his brother, but Annie as well. These criminals will stop at nothing to get what they want, and murder is nothing more than a means to an end.

The minute wedding details at the beginning of "The Directive" give the story a bit of a slower start than most thrillers deliver, but the mix of business-insider insight and deception propels this compelling story from Quirk.


Link:

http://www.matthewquirk.com/index.html