Shorewood writer Nick Petrie puts action hero to the test in thriller 'The Price You Pay'
Batman has Robin. Spenser has Hawk. And Peter Ash, the Reacher-like star of Shorewood writer Nick Petrie's thrillers, has Lewis. Whenever Ash has a mission too dangerous to handle on his own, Lewis shows up to help.
In "The Price You Pay," the eighth novel in Petrie's action series, it's time for Ash to return the favor.
Petrie will launch his new novel with events Feb. 5 at Milwaukee's Boswell Books and Feb. 10 at Oconmowoc's Books & Company.
Ash is a Marine veteran of combat in Fallujah whose PTSD and claustrophobia were once so strong he couldn't sleep indoors. He's made a life in Milwaukee with his partner June, a freelance reporter with strong cyber skills. Like Jack Reacher, whose creator Lee Child has praised Petrie's character, Ash is a knight errant who operates outside the law but with a code of honor.
"The Price You Pay" tests that code.
Past novels have hinted at the criminal past Lewis has tried to put behind him. It comes roaring back here.
Lewis once led a crew dubbed the Ghost Killers that robbed bad guys and dispensed lethal justice. Now a mysterious figure is coming after the retired Ghost Killers for vengeance, with the resources to send wave after wave of fully armed malefactors after Lewis — and his wife and sons.
Ash finds himself in the unusual position of being the cool head as a rampaging Lewis hunts the hunters.
Like some of Petrie's previous Ash novels, chunks of this one are set in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, including a pitched battle in Riverwest, complete with rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and a climactic showdown way up north.
Petrie is a clever plotter who throws increasingly difficult challenges in front of his flawed heroes, allowing them to demonstrate their resourcefulness. He has a knack for wringing intense, violent conflict out of ordinary locations. After this book, you'll never think of Walgreens and FedEx boxes the same way.
A former remodeling contractor and home inspector, Petrie has bequeathed some of those skills to Ash. I look forward to the scenes where Ash exploits the weaknesses of a house, sometimes as a weapon, but in this novel as a desperate way to reach trapped people.
Touches of humor leaven the novel's intensity, such as this reflection from a CIA agent turned bad guy: "The Agency had spared no expense to teach him to lie, to cheat, and steal. It would be a shame not use those skills on his own behalf."
If you go
Nick Petrie will talk about "The Price You Pay" in conversation with Bill Schweigart at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 5 at Boswell Books, 2559 N. Downer Ave. Register for this free event at nickpetriemke.eventbrite.com. Petrie also will talk about the book at 2 p.m. Feb. 10 at Books & Company, 1039 Summit Ave., Oconomowoc; to register, go to booksco.com/event/nick-petrie-person-author-event.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee plays a leading role in thriller 'The Price You Pay'