Today I am happy to say it’s my turn to host The Vengeance Is Mine by Steven Torres on behalf of Random Things Tours. Thanks to Anne Cater and Flame Tree Press for my copy of the book to take part and bring thoughts today.
Ray Cruz is a killer. When his daughter is attacked, he’ll do anything and spill anyone’s blood to protect her.
Elena Maldonado struggles to reach her father’s home after she’s been beaten brutally by the henchman of a local businessman, Robert Meister. At one time, Elena’s father, Ray Cruz, worked as hired muscle himself, but he thought he’d left that life behind. When Elena knocks at his door, a wreck and unwilling to explain, his instincts kick in – the instinct to protect his family and wreak vengeance on whoever was behind the brutal message his daughter seems to have understood all too clearly – stay quiet, do as we say or worse will happen and no one you love will be safe.
A trip to the hospital attracts the attention of the police and Detective Jack Carver. Carver warns Ray to let the police handle the case, but Ray is not the type to let this attack go unpunished. It doesn’t take long, however, before the FBI gets involved telling Ray that Elena is working with them.
None of this stops Ray from asking his questions, bribing some, intimidating others and beating the hardest cases. Soon, he finds the henchmen, but they know very little about who hired them and nothing about why. Ray makes them pay for their ignorance and their brutality. Detective Carver and FBI agent Ramona Esposito warn Ray against taking things into his own hands not knowing how far Ray has already gone or is willing to go.
A Flame Tree Press published book, for me, is always one I want to read. Steven Torres is an author that’s new to me so I really had no clue what to expect when I accepted the invite to the book tour. All I knew was the blurb sounded so good and I haven’t read a bad book from this publisher.
Right from the start this story shocks and it never stops. Ray Cruz is a man out for revenge after his daughter Elena is brutally beaten. He is a man with a mission to get the people responsible… and nothing will get in his way. A thriller that had me doubting everyone, I didn’t trust anyone as the plot developed. Lawyers, police everyone connected with this crime in one way or another. We see Cruz take it upon himself to investigate his daughters attack. His method is usually foolproof, he extracts information as he goes, by force if necessary, and it’s usually necessary. The detective assigned to Elenas case tell Cruz to let them handle the matter but Cruz knows he can only rely on himself,(not a bad thing sometimes) as it becomes more dangerous. He knows he will find the truth eventually, he just has to unravel the web of lies that’s wrapped around it.
Another cracker from Flame Tress Press. It’s a world away from a relaxing read. I couldn’t get enough of this book. It’s real and gritty and yes violent, but it definitely takes us into a world that we know exists. Steven Torres has brought to vivid life the dark side of New York. The realness of the descriptions of this place really had me picturing the place.
He also manages to breathe life into the characters. Cruz is not always a likeable person but there were times I did mentally back him, even though there were others I didn’t. He is realistically portrayed. We can see he hasn’t always been on the right side of life, his flaws are there, but his love for his daughter makes him vulnerable, real and brutal too.
A thriller that shows the darker side of life and people too at the same time as showing there is always a fragment of light just peeping through. I started this book not knowing what to expect and finished it with another author from Flame Tree Press on my list! A great read if you don’t mind some brutality along with action and unreliable characters too. If that’s you, pick up this book.
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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