Light It Up
Mysterious Book Report No. 327
by John Dwaine McKenna
As a fifty-plus year resident here in Colorado, the question I’m most often asked by out-of-state friends is: How has the legalization of marijuana affected things there? The short answer . . . stoners love it and are flocking here in large numbers, as are criminals; government is ecstatic over the windfall from tax revenues; cops, school administrators and the armed forces are apoplectic about it. But, if you’d like to learn more about this controversial subject, while at the same time having an enjoyable, legal experience . . . and keep all of your clothes on . . .
Light It Up, (Putnam, $26.00, 384 pages, ISBN 978-0-399-57563-1) by Nick Petrie, will introduce you to Peter Ash, an ex-marine warrior who raises bad-assery to such a high-level that even Lee Child—who rose to international fame on the back of Jack Reacher—sat up, took notice and wrote a book blurb.
In this, the third Peter Ash novel, (after Burning Bright and The Drifter,) finds him in Denver, “Just for a few days, doing a favor for a friend ,” named Henry Nygaard, a man he met while repairing hiking trails up in Oregon’s remote Willamette National Forest. Ash was supposed to hook up with girlfriend Juna Cassidy back in eastern Oregon, but puts the rendezvous on hold because trouble is brewing in Denver. That’s where Henry’s daughter, Elle runs a company called Heavy Metal Protection, which performs armed escort duties for the cannabis industry. Because Federal law prohibits the use and sale of pot, weed, ganja, or whatever else it’s called, banks refuse to deal with the entire industry. They’re federally chartered and insured, so, all transactions with the cannabis crowd take place in cash. Cash only. Cash on the barrelhead. No checks, Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, American Express, I.O.U’s or promises of any kind. Cash means cash . . . and cash means trouble. Elles husband Randy, her operations manager Leonard and three hundred thousand dollars in cash have gone missing. And by the end of his first day on the job, three of Peter Ash’s friends, including Henry Nygaard, are dead, and Ash himself has killed four armed hijackers. And that, dear readers, is only the first few chapters in this explosive thriller that features one of the most compelling and deadly characters to come along since Clint played Dirty Harry. If you crave action, adventure and high drama that just never quits, Peter Ash is your go-to guy!