Cutthroat
Steve Brewer
Reviewed by Barb Radmore
Soloman Gage is the ultimate loyal employee. He is the trusted man for
Dom Sheffield, protecting him, his family members and the
business. No job is too tough or dirty for Soloman to tackle. His
devotion is not always appreciated by Dom's spoiled adult sons. When a
chance word from Dom's drug addicted niece exposes a dark business
deal, the two bothers are more than ever determined to get rid of
Soloman. But Soloman is determined to find out who is behind the
African scheme that threatens to topple the good name of Dom and his
businesses. Soloman struggles to do what is right while maintaining his
relationship with Dom, trying to save the various family members who
seem to be full of trouble and maybe even regaining a life of his own.
Cutthroat is a whirl wind of an adventure. Steve Brewer has created a
main character that at first glance is not a nice guy- very rough and
tumble, handy with a gun and happy to use it. But as the plot rolls
along Soloman's character is endowed with empathy and soul. It is this
character that keeps the readers' interest, a well defined role that
Brewer is able to write to completion. What could be a stereotype is
nicely fleshed out, avoiding the cliché. This also applies to
the side characters such as Victor Amadou and Robert Mboka. They are
great, needed additions to the plot, great characters also.
The suspense is well drawn out, the ending is inevitable but the trip
to get there is an evenly paced, thrill of a ride. The addition of
world politics into the mix makes it a little different than your
average thriller. It is the strength of Brewer's writing that carries
the book. He is able to pull off a plot that is not unique and make it
special.