Title: Famous Last Words
Author: JS Cook
Genre: Historical/Mystery
Length: Novella (109 pages)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (November 12th 2014)
Heat Level: Mild
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥4 Hearts
Blurb: When former Indiana farm boy William Henry Rider goes on a bank-robbing spree in Benedict Fouts’s corner of Depression Era Illinois, it’s up to Ben to bring him in. But Rider is no ordinary criminal. Famed for robberies that happen in the blink of an eye, Rider becomes a folk hero who steals from the rich and burns the mortgage papers of poor farmers teetering on the edge of financial ruin.
Intrigued to learn that Fouts has been assigned to his case, Rider approaches him in a darkened movie house with a unique proposition: “We’ll have ourselves a game of Cops and Robbers. I’ll run, and you catch me. The clock starts right now, Ben.”
Ben knows he’s the only one who can stop the Bureau from murdering Rider, but he’s soon struggling with another reason to chase the enigmatic fugitive.
ISBN: 9781632161710
Product Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5677
Reviewer: Tams
Review: A very interesting story set in the 1930’s when the FBI was making a name for themselves by bringing in the mobsters and putting a stop to gangs like Bonnie and Clyde. Benedict Fouts is an up and coming agent that longs to add one name in particular to his list of accomplishments, William Henry Rider.
Agent Fouts seems to always be one step behind the bank robber extraordinaire, but he is determined to bring Rider in. When Rider learns exactly who it is chasing him, he issues a challenge, one that Fouts puts entirely too much thought into.
While Fouts is chasing Rider from state to state in hopes of nailing him (pun intended), he learns that the bank robber doesn’t kill, he tries not to hurt anyone and he burns deeds for poorer people so they won’t lose their home or land. It would seem that Rider is actually somewhat of a modern-day Robin Hood.
But somewhere along the way, the lines between what Fouts needs to do and what he wants to do get blurred, and the two become lovers. With the entire force of the FBI after Rider, not much caring if he is dead or alive when they find him, Fouts has to think fast on his feet if he is to save Rider and his heart.
Short, Sexy, and Steamy, that is what this book was. Fans of prohibition era stories like Bonnie and Clyde, The Untouchables and Boardwalk Empire are going to love this story of the upstanding FBI agent that falls for his mark. Cook delivered a very entertaining story full of suspense, intrigue and some juicy twists.
The story was weighed down a few times briefly when Fouts thoughts would be overly descriptive, but overall I really enjoyed the game of cat and mouse Fouts and Rider played throughout. Definitely recommend this read, especially if you are looking for something fun, and quick.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *