Jack Gannon is an exciting new character: tough, smart, and determined. He had earned a nomination for a Pulitzer earlier, but now his career needs a boost. He's working on an investigative report about the murder of a prostitute and the disappearance of another woman.   His investigation points to one suspect—Karl Styebeck, a decorated and beloved police officer.  Jack's boss at the newspaper, the police department and the city government don't want to consider this man as a killer, and Jack is warned to back off at the risk of losing his job.  However, Gannon is sure of his suspicions and digs deeper, risking everything—his career, his reputation and his future.

Adell Clark, a former FBI agent turned PI, gives Gannon the inside scoop on Styebeck, putting both Gannon and Adell in jeopardy of losing more than their jpbs.

When Bernice Hogan's body is found in a shallow grave, it's bad enough, but when Jack finds evidence that Jolene Peller, a single mother, may have been abducted by the man who killed Bernice, he is compelled to try to find her before she, too, is murdered. He is alone in his quest, and time is running out. He also learns that a blue truck was seen in the area and may be involved, but is it connected to Styebeck?

Rick Mofina is at the top of his form with Vengeance Road, and has moved up on my list of favorite authors with this lightening paced thriller. He is a master at characterization, while the plot kept me guessing to the very end, and reading for most of the night.  I was excited to learn that there will be a sequel featuring this compelling character. A sneak peek of The Panic Zone, scheduled for publication in 2010, is in the back pages of Vengeance Road.