Everybody wants ‘it.’ Nobody will say what ‘it’ is. At this point, I’d confess just to get an explanation.
“Just one more chapter.” Famous last words that never end well for my sleep schedule. Enter awnbroker by Jerry Hatchett. I stayed up way too late last night because I wanted answers, then picked it up again today and finished it as soon as I could.
Gray Bolton owns a pawnshop, and one day a man walks in, points a gun at him, and demands “it.” There’s just one little problem.
Gray has absolutely no idea what “it” is.
When the situation turns deadly, Gray shoots the man. It appears to be an obvious case of self-defense. His security cameras recorded the whole thing, he gives his statement to the police, and he figures that’s the end of it. Instead, he’s charged with murder. The security video that should prove his innocence is mysteriously wiped. His family is threatened. Powerful people seem determined to get their hands on something they are absolutely convinced Gray possesses.
And STILL nobody will tell the man what “it” is!
That mystery hooked me. Every time I thought I might finally get an answer, Hatchett gave me another reason to keep turning pages. The stakes kept getting higher, the danger moved closer to Gray and his family, and it became very clear that someone powerful was pulling the strings.
I especially enjoyed being just as much in the dark as Gray. He doesn’t know why his life is suddenly being dismantled, and neither do we. We discover what’s happening right along with him, which made the suspense work beautifully for me.
Five stars for Pawnbroker. It kept me up past my bedtime, brought me right back to the book the next day, and managed to fool me all the way to the answers.
The dust bunnies never stood a chance.
