Staff Reviews

Smartly, Light It Up brings back supporting characters from the first two Peter Ash books to provide a team to root for. The crimes in the third novel seem simple at first: A well-organized party is robbing a cannabis grower's cash-rich security trucks. But sophisticated, realistic secrets at work in the background make this movie-ready thriller rise above the smoke screen and the common beach read. Delectable research gives authenticity to the Colorado growing scene, antique and contemporary weapons trade, and real-estate espionage. Importantly, the book isn't political about legalized drugs--it tells a story without preaching. As is a hallmark of the series, attention to the difficulties service members face when returning home from combat is notable.
Todd Wellman, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 

Marine vet Peter Ash goes to Denver to help out Henry Nygaard, a buddy he met in the Northwest. Henry’s daughter has a protection company, helping cannabis growers protect their hauls in what, due to the lack of legal status on the federal level, is mostly an all-cash business. The problem is that one of Heavy Metal Protections trucks has disappeared, along with one of the owners and the operations manager, so Henry, Peter, and two other vets are called in for extra security on the next run. Let’s just say things don’t go well, and Peter not only has to figure out what happened, but also must avenge some deaths. Peter’s code of honor puts looking out for your buddies a top priority and that theme runs throughout the book, playing out both positively and negatively. But don’t let thematic undertones scare you into thinking Light It Up isn’t all about excitement. The story is one action-packed scene after the next, to the extent that I was holding on to my book so tightly that I ripped out a chunk of a page!