Samaritan - Stephen Besecker

After a youth marked by the death of his parents and a childhood spent with his shaman grandfather on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, Kevin "Hatch" Easter has found a job he believes in -- tracker for the CIA -- and a wife, Karen, he cherishes. But his life is shattered on a hot August night in New York City when a mob collection gone wrong leaves three people dead, Karen Easter among them. Just a few days later, police find the gunman dead, the murder weapon on him, and the criminal case is all but closed. Except someone doesn't buy it. Someone thinks the guilty parties are still out there. And that someone wants revenge. Now, a highly professional hunter stalks the streets of New York City, taking out anyone who may have had a hand in the murders. Is it Kevin Easter the hunter? And if he is, is it the CIA's job to save him -- or to kill him? The Samaritan is a chilling, pulse-pounding novel -- a powerful story of love, death, and the terrible repercussions of both. As a kid, Kevin "Hatch" Easter never had it easy, growing up half Seneca Indian in a mostly white society. Following the tragic death of his parents when he was only nine, Hatch found himself living on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation with his shaman grandfather. But as an adult, he's found a job he believes in -- tracker for the Central Intelligence Agency -- and a wife, Karen, he cherishes. That life is shattered on a hot August night in New York City when a mob collection gone wrong leaves three people dead, Karen Easter among them. Just a few days later, police find the gunman dead, the murder weapon on him, and the criminal case is all but closed. Except someone doesn't buy it. Someone thinks the guilty parties are still out there. And that someone wants revenge. Now, a highly professional hunter stalks the streets of New York City, taking out anyone who may have had a hand in the murders, from mafia foot soldiers to the untouchable don himself, Anthony DiFilippo IV, to gangs like the Arkho Pinoy and even New York drug lord Lawrence Luther Wright. As the city threatens to descend into all-out war, one question is paramount: Who is the hunter killing the killers, and how can he be stopped? Police detectives Katherine Montroy and Matthew Philips desperately want to know. If they can't solve the case, they could be caught in the bloodshed. The media want to know. New York Post reporter B. J. Butera sees the murders as his path to journalistic superstardom, and with the help of an inside source, he's well on his way to the scoop of the decade. And the CIA wants to know. Deputy Director of Intelligence Jack Slattery puts top field agent Gray Taylor on the job. He has to. It's the only way to prepare for the worst-case scenario: that the killer might well be Kevin Easter himself. What happens to a good man when his world is pulled out from under him? What if a gifted CIA agent, one of the world's best trackers, has gone rogue? Would it be the CIA's job to save him -- or to kill him? The Samaritan is a chilling, pulse-pounding novel -- a powerful story of love, death, and the terrible repercussions of both. An absolutely electrifying read, Steve Besecker's outstanding debut is a must for any thriller fan.