Jon Cantrell, ex-cop, now works for Blue Dagger, a contractor for the DEA. Apparently, Blackwater was so successful in Iraq, other federal agencies are using sub-contractors. On the very mean streets of Dallas, Jon and Piper, his significant other, are on the hunt for a major drug shipment. Unknown to Jon and Piper, a missing federal witness was kidnapped in Mexico and is being shipped north to Dallas as well. When the drugs show up, so do several hit squads and Jon and Piper have to hit the road, along with the witness, to escape. No one is as they appear and betrayals follow deceptions follow double-crossings. Interested to see where Jon and Piper head next. crime-fiction2 s Thomas522 5

An enjoyable read, a lot going on and some of it very implausible and hard to believe but its fiction so...

I did prefer the Arlo Baines books to this but this was a fun read. I would read the next book in the series to see what happens next for John and Piper.

3.5 rounded up.kindle-unlimited1 Kevintipple829 17

Anyone who has read the Lee Henry Oswald series by Harry Hunsicker knows that the author does not write the Dallas Chamber of Commerce ad copy type of books. The Dallas streets in his books are not of glitter and not necessarily always mean. Instead, these streets are broken dreams, cracked asphalt and the five dollar whore on the corner who might be turning tricks to feed the child she will soon lose to the state. These are streets where nobody cares because everybody has a sob story. Bad things happen to all on the streets of Dallas in his books and The Contractors: A Thriller raises that bar to all new levels.

While nearly everyone has heard of the private contractors working in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere overseas, they also are working her at home. Jon Cantrell and Piper are contractors for the DEA and a lot more as well as being romantically involved. As the book opens they are on the trail of Lisa, a missing 14 year old teenager. Hired by a retired crooked cop named Sinclair they need to find the girl and get her back home. Not only will that get them paid, it will allow them to focus on another job.

Under their real job of working for the DEA, they are going to raid a local warehouse and seize the drugs. Un their sideline business with Sinclair where they get paid a small amount, this sanctioned job will pay big and be fully legal as they operate as private contractors for the DEA. That is their plan for how to handle work, but they have no plan for how to handle their relationship going forward.

They aren’t the only private contractors working for the DEA and other parties in the Dallas Fort Worth area. They are not the only ones that have a plan for the warehouse or the contents inside. While others know about the secret cartel witness being held captive in the warehouse, Jon and Piper have no idea nor do they have any idea what they are in for when they find her. As the already fragile relationship between Piper and Jon disintegrates, they will have to battle in a flight across Texas trying to stay ahead of the many people who want them dead for various and often competing reasons.

It is going to be a brutally long week in August and not just because of the Texas sun.

Those who expect a serious mystery in the style of the excellent Lee Henry Oswald series will be disappointed in The Contractors: A Thriller. Instead, think of this more a summer movie such as The Expendables for example. There will be carnage and mayhem, the body count will climb, lots of weapons will be used mixed in with plenty of explosions, and the heroes will escape certain death again and again. In short, a fun read that one should not take seriously. That is not a disparagement. It is a fact and one that clearly a number of reviewers elsewhere failed to understand as they didn’t get it.

This is a fast paced action orientated novel where nearly everyone has very few redeeming qualities. A thriller in every sense of the word where character development is limited and told in occasional bursts of backstory to give readers a break from the frenetic forward pace. Written in a movie type style of very short chapters and very few reflective moments for the characters, the book nearly constantly is focused on moving the characters forward at a hard pace. Constant explosions, gunfire, and mayhem, drive the book forward where everyone has an agenda and will use anybody and any means necessary to get their way. The Contractors: A Thriller by Harry Hunsicker takes readers on a violent and bloody rampage from one end of Texas to the other in a read that constantly twists and turns on ways that should keep readers hooked to the very end.

The Contractors: A Thriller
Harry Hunsicker
http://www.harryhunsicker.com
Thomas & Mercer (Amazon)
http://www.apub.com
February 2014
ISBN-13: 978-1477808726
E-Book (available in paperback and audio)
514 Pages
$4.99


E-Book ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014
1 Debbie1,751 101

This was my first book book by Harry Hunsicker. I mostly picked it up because of the fact that most of the action took place in Texas. I'm not really into spy/thriller books that take place overseas since I'm not that familiar with them. However, this one, I was somewhat familiar with several of the locales and that helped make it more interesting to me.

First of all, I don't ever want to be caught in a dark alley with Piper, although I do how the author gave her a human quality with the orphans that did seem to make her more likable, if she was on your side.

The story, for the most part, was pretty fast paced, but I had a little trouble at first figuring out who was with who and just exactly who the good guys were. It came down to the fact that there weren't that many good guys. The story was pretty much believable and with so many lies, you never knew which side anybody was on at a certain time. One character traded sides faster than her Spanish language, which for me goes pretty fast when you don't understand it.

I still don't get why they blew up the highway and then didn't wait around for them unless of course he was scared his girlfriend would become collateral damage.

Anyways, there were some slow parts but for the most part, it was pure action. These people were always running from bad guys and they had a not only a lot of them after them, but they were with different groups. That made it that much harder to try and get away.

And Sophie? Ummmm, a definite sick stereotype of a preacher's daughter.

I would to thank Amazon Publishing and Net Galley for allowing me the privilege to read and review this entertaining e-galley. I still have two more left in the series due before the end of August, so we will see if I'm still a fan of Harry Hunsicker. HA!signed-by-author1 David KetelsenAuthor 1 book11

Harry Hunsicker, former executive vice-president of the Mystery Writers of America, is better known for writing the Lee Henry Oswald Mystery series. In The Contractors he introduces a new protagonist, Jon Cantrell, who's got a very interesting backstory. It's presented here in bits and pieces and really makes you feel for the guy. Jon Cantrell has had a hard life.

First of all, he had big shoes to fill. His father and grandfather were both famous lawmen, and in a state known for outsized lawmen, Texas. If that wasn't enough, when Cantrell was barely past his rookie days he encountered a bad situation that just got worse and worse---and then Cantrell was no longer a cop. Fastforward to the time of the book and Cantrell is a quasi-DEA agent, busting his hump for commissions on drug busts.

This is a book that winds in and out of Cantrell's past and encompasses a lot of moral gray area. There's not many people that are purely good guys and that lends itself for a very interesting read. You have to pay close attention because everyone has an agenda and nothing is as it appears. The payoff is a compelling start to what I think will be a noteworthy series.

The Contractors is available February 4, 2014. I read an early version for review via NetGalley that was provided to me free of charge.1 Gloria Feit1,090 15

Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the nation about the dangers of a Military-Industrial Complex. But what he didn’t envision was something even more invidious: the development of private contractors that supply civilian employees to serve in military operations or even as DEA, Homeland Security or other type of government agents. Such activities can lead to rogue operations as in the Blackstone affair, and serves as the background to this overly long but exciting novel.

Jon Cantrell and his paramour Piper are employed as contract DEA agents, paid on a commission basis. They set out to confiscate a shipment of drugs in the hope of scoring a sizable amount of money, but instead set off a chain of events that takes them across Texas and become involved with Mexican cartels. Death and destruction mark the journey, as they attempt to deliver a witness to a U.S. Attorney trying the convict the number two man in the cartel being held for trial.

The thread of the tale portrays the murky relationship between government officials, drug traffickers, police, and the contractors seeking ever-increasing and larger contracts. It is a horrifying thesis, well-told, often with humor but more frequently with lots of gore.

Recommended.
1 Greg Tymn144 5

In many ways, this book is a reminder why a novel is so much more valuable to a literate person than a film. The 90 minute movie with overly loud Dolby and 15 minutes of p becomes a 6-hour ( or longer) exploration of the mind. Characters that don't make it past the cutting room take on meaning and context in the hands of a good author. The action is all inside your cranium, but the visual field is not limited by a lens; only your imagination.

That's the impression I got when I read The Contractors. Harry Hunsicker knows how to write and how to pull a reader into book and not let them go until it is over.

My only criticisms are that some of the technology in the novel (RFID) appears a bit ahead of the curve. 1 L.A. StarksAuthor 10 books691

Hunsicker's genius with scene-setting will be apparent to all readers but especially those who know Dallas. So many places in the book are old friends, viewed anew through Harry's lens.

The Contractors has nonstop action, strong female characters, a good-hearted protagonist, and more shooting than a gun range on a busy weekend.

Hunsicker gets the west Texas vibe and the collision of cartels just right. The flip-flop of loyalties come one after another, especially in Marfa. At the same time, the son-aging father relationship comprised equally of pride and pain will ring true to many readers.

Buckle up for a high-voltage ride with The Contractors.1 Anne Thorpe86 1 follower

Interesting and different story than my usual read, but over the top violence, almost cartoonish, Sylvester Stallone movie level violence. Graphic descriptions of gun violence are really not my cup of tea, and having some familiarity with weaponry, I understand the weapons described, and how they are used. I don't need a Dexter blood spatter pattern described in nanosecond detail. However, the author does know his stuff, if you have a taste for that sort of thing.1 Tulay1,202 2

Long drawn out story.

Could have been better if 200 or more pages edited out. Rogue contractors, DEA agents, police departments. Network of drug traffickers, cartel and politicians.1 Trish R.1,772 50


This was a decent story, not a murder mystery but a murder story. There was soooo much killing, And the story was soooo long. You could take 200 pages away and you wouldn’t miss anything. The author just kept getting Jon and Piper into one thing after another, one gun battle after another, but never got hurt. It was kind of unbelievable.

You can really tell in a review what the story was about because it was about because there was soooo much going on.

I did the hero and heroine, Jon and Piper, and there was so good characters too. The only thing I didn’t was Sinclair and Sadie. You could tell she was kind of mentally challenged and was ALMOST 19 years old and Sinclair told Sadie the he was old enough to be her grandfather but that didn’t stop him from kissing her and taking her with him. That was kind of yucky!

There was no sex, thank God, and the F-bomb was used 16 times.

As to the narration: To be honest I only got this book because Luke Daniels was narration. He’s so awesome with his voices and his emotions.
David Bryan161 1 follower

Rather Involved

On one hand this was a pretty fast read. I was drawn to quite a cast of characters, but then the cast for bigger and bigger and more involved, almost to the need of making out a spreadsheet to mark down and keep track of everybody. I think that a novel centered on Jon and Piper would be a fun read as they deal with their version of everyday life. There seems to be a few dead ends kind of sluffed off in the telling of this tale, adding a touch of difficulty to keeping up with who keeping what to whom. I am still trying to figure out how this daring couple are able to survive on what seems to be no income, such that they have not already given away.
Israel9

I d the book and story line, after getting more into it. Harry does a great job in character development, leading the reader to more details on them as the story progresses. Can't wait to read the next book in the series. Good job Harry! (even if you don't care for Pecan Lodge :-) ) JC1,725 60

This was an interesting read. The style of the book is unique in that the main character is little crazy at times - it makes for an interesting read. Glad I had this one on my list to read.2017 kindle my-firsttime Nina Kennett49 2

Great audiobook. Fun story.action Ronald E. Bright22 1 follower

Way too many bad guys!!!

I nearly quit reading it several times. Sorry Harry, I'm done! I am done! I'm writing this in protest only to get the required number of words!! Dennis P Moore473 4

On kindle Tamara984 244

Review originally posted: Traveling With T

Today Traveling With T is a stop on THE CONTRACTORS by Harry Hunsicker tour sponsored by TLC Book Tours. As part of the tour, there will be , giveaways, and other fun stuff. Check out the other stops on the tour here. Thanks to TLC for providing a copy of THE CONTRACTORS to read in exchange for an honest review.

Did your ears perk up at the mention of a “Giveaway”? You know how Traveling With T adores a good giveaway! And you are in luck! Scroll down to the bottom of the page (after reading the review, please!) and do that Rafflecopter click thing!


The Contractors by Harry Hunsicker

Synopsis from TLC Tours

In THE CONTRACTORS (Thomas & Mercer; February 4, 2014), acclaimed thriller writer Hunsicker turns his attention to the shadowy world of private military contractors and the hypocrisies of the War on Drugs, delivering a heart-pounding, complex standalone thriller in the vein of James Ellroy’s Underworld U.S.A. series.

Disgraced ex-Dallas PD officer Jon Cantrell carries a DEA badge, but he’s not a federal agent. Rather, he works for a private contracting company, busting drug shipments along the U.S.-Mexico border for commission. When Cantrell and his partner-slash-lover Piper confiscate the wrong load, they find themselves in possession of a star witness in an upcoming cartel trial, a mysterious piece of hotly sought after scanning equipment, and the ire of the largest criminal cartel in the Americas.

To clear things up and collect their paycheck, all they need to do is deliver the witness, Eva Rodriguez, to the US attorney across the state in Marfa. Except Eva’s got ideas – and pursuers – of her own, and the trio soon find themselves in the crosshairs of an all-out war between the cartel, a group of competing contractors, and a corrupt Dallas police officer with everything to lose.

A fast-paced, action-packed thrill ride into the strange borderlands of the modern global drug trade, THE CONTRACTORS will have you hooked until the explosive final act.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

Corruption. Drugs. Dallas. Cartels. Cops. Ex-cops. Who to trust? Who not to trust? Oh my, it’s a hard life when people want to kill you. It’s an even harder life when you know people want to kill you, but you are not sure who to trust and who not to trust.

Jon Cantrell and his partner Piper ( plus lover) are in need of money. Cantrell needs for his family and so they go on a drug bust- sounds simple, right? Get the illegal drugs, clean the streets of Dallas up for a night, and make some money? Nothing is simple in THE CONTRACTORS. The drug bust leads to a double-cross which leads to violence. Lots of violence in this book. This is not a book for the faint of heart!

Told from multiple view points (which adds to the layers of this book), you, the reader, know 1 thing: To stay alive, you can’t trust anybody. Everyone has a reason to betray you- and some will stop at nothing. Dirty cops, crooked politicians, and more- everyone is suspect.

a thriller? a story where the bad guys are more interesting than the good guys? Don’t mind violence in your reading? Let me introduce you to THE CONTRACTORS.

Now for the tough question: Did I it? I’m conflicted. It’s grittier than my normal reads, but after a few military thrillers I had been reading over the past few months were SO good, I felt confident this book would not disappoint. And yet, it did. Maybe it was that it took a while for me to connect with the characters- or maybe it was just not quite the book for me. Perhaps, I even expected too much of the book.

I think many will enjoy THE CONTRACTORS (and don’t let it’s size fool you!) Sit back and surround yourself in the dirty under-belly of the world of Dallas. And remember: Trust no one.

About Harry Hunsicker:

Harry Hunsicker is the former executive vice president of the Mystery Writers of America and the author of three previous novels, crime thrillers set in Texas. His debut novel, Still River, was nominated for a Shamus Award by the Private Eye Writers of America. His short fiction has been nominated for the Thriller Award by the International Thriller Writers and selected for inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories of 2011, edited by Otto Penzler and Harlan Coben. Hunsicker lives in Dallas, a fourth-generation native of the city. When not writing, he works as a commercial real estate appraiser and an occasional speaker on the creative process.

books-i-read-in-2014 books-i-review Becky1,473 87

Jon and his partner, Piper, have been planning a big takedown. They're contractors working on commission for the DEA, which means the bigger the bust the bigger the payday. Word on the street is that a big shipment will be coming through Dallas and Jon and Piper know where and when. But in the midst of the job two unexpected twists arise. The first is a woman named Eva Ramirez. Jon and Piper soon learn that Eva was to be a witness in a case in West Texas before she went missing. The government wants her, the cartels want her, and Dallas PD wants her as well. The second twist is the arrival of another group of contractors and these guys not only want the bust for themselves, they're willing to play dirty. By the time backup arrives the drugs and the rival contractors are gone, there are two dead bodies, Eva and Piper are missing, and Jon and Piper are on the hook for the murders.

I will give this to Harry Hunsicker, he knows how to put together a real page turner!

Throughout it all I did find that there were a lot of elements of The Contractors that were over the top. The bad guys are really bad, the good guys are pretty quirky, and the storyline itself is straight out of a Hollywood blockbuster. But it's kind of ok. First off this really is the sort of plot that you want to see on the big screen. Lots of special effects and explosions, that sort of stuff, and Hunsicker does a great job of putting the reader right in the midst of the action. Second, the story moves along at such a great pace that by the time you really start to consider how slick Sinclair is, how stereotypical the corrupt law enforcement folks are, and how cheesy Piper comes across (she came across cheesy to me, sorry) you're onto the next big action twist and you just don't care. Or at least I didn't.

The Contractors is fun. That's it. It's fun. I d Jon Cantrell. And yeah, I kind of d Piper as well. I REALLY loved the Texas setting as a whole. All caps, REALLY. I've driven these highways, I know these areas, my family is from there. It really brought The Contractors to another level for me as far as enjoyment. So yeah, you might think the book is a bit cliche, and yes it is somewhat predictable, but The Contractors is undoubtedly highly entertaining and pretty great escapist, action fiction (exactly what I needed this week). Kathleen MindeAuthor 1 book41

What does a disgraced former Dallas cop do for a living? In the state of Texas, despite a person's background or record, anyone can become a private contractor for the DEA. The multitude of companies that supply their employees with a badge and a gun is frightening. Not surprisingly, the drugs and corruption are rampant.

After a misguided episode of Texas-style justice, Jon Cantrell finds himself jobless. Coming from a long family background in law enforcement, Cantrell has hit an all-time low, and finds he has no option but to accept a job offer from the contracting company of Blue Dagger. He and his partner, Piper, work per diem tracking down teenage runaways and drug shipments.

Unfortunately, their current job goes horribly wrong: a drug shipment disappears and two men are dead. A competing contracting company accuses Cantrell and Piper, and the only person who can vindicate them is a star witness in a drug cartel trial. The law has a bounty on her head. The narcos want her dead. And Cantrell and Piper are caught in the middle.

In a desperate race to the other side of Texas with the witness, Cantrell and Piper are chased by corrupt law officials, drug-addled contractors, cartel sicarios, the FBI, even a state senator with his sights on the White House. And absolutely no one is to be trusted. No one.

The Contractors, apparently the beginning of a new series by Harry Hunsicker, is fast-paced and full of quirky characters. A former police captain runs illegal gambling houses but refuses to use a computer or even own a cell phone. Piper, an orphan and Cantrell's significant other in a strained relationship, sponsors children from foreign countries. Cantrell's sister has a strange and rare psychosexual disorder. A man who drives a hearse causes a lot of chaos for a hotel full of sicarios. And the state senator's hands are not clean and his methods are not entirely legal.

It's a fast read, a good story, I enjoyed the quirky characters, and I loved the testy relationship between Piper and Cantrell. It's a good book for the reader who enjoys thrillers. Can't wait for the next book in the series.crime-fiction guys-with-guns made-me-laugh-out-loud ...more Steve993 162

I couldn't resist a novel featuring private military contractors (or PMC's), but, while I hate to disappoint, that's not this book. That's not to suggest this isn't a fast, fun, surprisingly interesting read, but it has little if anything to do with the politics, policy, economics, or mechanics of outsourcing (of law enforcement, violence, or governance). But, again, that didn't make it any less entertaining. So, let me start again.

The basics include a mind-numbing-ly high body count, unlimited quantities of mayhem, violence, vice (all the basic food groups: drugs, alcohol, prostitution, theft, lying, oh, and have I mentioned violence frequently enough?).... If I had to distill a spoiler into a three-word phrase, it would have to be either trust no one or everyone is rotten. But forget the title. All of the contractors, the feds (DEA, FBI, Secret Service, Senate, Justice Department), local law enforcement (police, sheriffs, deputies, etc.), and the civilian population you meet in this book are either rotten, dishonest, deceitful, damaged, stupid, or, well, dead. Oh, and many fit into multiple categories. Also, remember that you have no privacy (in your car, on your phone, in your financial dealings, in your travels, etc.) - the government can find you wherever you are, no matter what you're doing - and as intrusive as you think surveillance may be, it's worse (or so Hunsicker would have you believe)....

Despite all of this, the book works, and, frankly, works surprisingly well. I was skeptical when I started, but I struggled to put it down through 500 full-sized pages of mayhem, misery, and misconduct.

What's disorienting is that - periodically, Hunsicker displays a startlingly adept hand at lyrical prose, often when he sets the scene in a new chapter. But don't worry, it won't distract from the story line, the momentum, or the suspense (and, did I mention the violence?).... Sandie1,589 26

Government runs on the services of contractors. They are easy to hire, and when the time comes, easy to get rid of. Most people have heard of military contractors the Blackwater company. A less widely known fact is that other government agencies the DEA use contractors also in their war on drugs and the drug cartels.

Jon Cantrell fits the profile of a DEA contractor. He's a former disgraced cop and he and his girlfriend, Piper, work for a company that hires out expertise for catching drug runners and the higher ups in the organizations. While Jon doesn't work for the police anymore, he still has the ideals that caused him to join law enforcement in the first place. He wants to make the world safer while also making a living.

Jon and Piper's newest assignment may make the world safer, but not their world. They are charged with getting the hottest witness against the drug cartels to safety where the trial will occur. She can testify against the number two man in the cartel. He happens to be her husband. There are many groups that want to keep Jon and Piper from fulfilling their mission. There are competing drug cartels, each determined to kill the witness before she can testify. There are opposing contractor groups who want the mission themselves, or at least to prevent Cantrell's group from being successful. There are shadowy alliances of current and former police and drug agents, each with their own agendas. Against these odds, there seems little chance of Jon and Piper being successful.

Harry Hunsicker has written a fast-paced thriller that grabs the reader and drags them along on a frantic ride along a path with ever changing loyalties and plans. Betrayals and counter-betrayals are common, and the path to success is cunningly hidden. Hunsicker is a former executive vice president of the Mystery Writers of America and his book flies toward an exciting conclusion. This book is recommended for thriller readers. mystery Jim495 19

Prior to reading this book, I knew that there were private military contractors in places Iraq and Afghanistan, but I did not know that other agencies the DEA and the FBI employed private contractors. Hunsicker tells the story of two contractors for the DEA, Jon Cantrell and his girlfriend and partner Piper. They have official badges and windbreakers stenciled DEA, but they work for a company out of Dallas called Blue Dagger Industries and are paid a percentage of the value of any illegal drugs that they manage to intercept. As you can imagine a setup that tends to make people play fast and loose with the law. Jon and Piper aren’t saints, but they do have more morals than a lot of the other people in their business. Based on a tip, they go out to make a bust but instead, find themselves ripped off and set up for murder. If those weren’t problems enough, they also are trying to escort a witness across Texas from Dallas to Marfa, where she is supposed to testify about the Mexican drug cartels. They need to do this without getting killed by the cartels, dirty cops or an unscrupulous gang of competing contractors who set them up in the first place.

THE CONTRACTORS is an exciting thriller that has more twists and turns than a switchback mountain road. Just when you think you know where things are heading, something unexpected happens. There are layers and layers of intrigue here that keep you turning the pages and make for a very good tale. If you are a fan of thrillers and it when the author deals a card from the bottom of the deck now and then, give this one a try.
first-reads thriller LyndonAuthor 56 books114

The first third of this novel was interesting even though it was a bit slow - setting up all the various backgrounds, character threads, etc. I d well-told details and back story (if the author is great at description, and Hunsicker is) as I assume these threads will eventually come together.

And in The Contractors, they did...but slowly and with a lot of unnecessary side trips. The middle got totally bogged down. Senseless subplot with the preacher and his daughter (very offensive to me), gratuitous violence, gross descriptions, one long disaster after another (those kinds of plots are just boring to me). A lot of the motivation and rational for the thrill ride just didn't make sense to me.

If I'd read this book first, I would never have moved on to the second novel. Shadow Boys (Jon Cantrell #2), though, was really good - 4 1/2 to 5 stars. The author figured out how to streamline his storytelling by then - so my recommendation is skip this first book and read the second one. The Contractors is simply 150 to 200 pages too long, imo. Not sure if I'll read book #3, The Grid, now. If you've read it, let me know if you think I should. Candace614 71

This is a humdinger of a thriller—fast-paced, topical, right on. And then there’s the most alarming aspect, one that few people know. These guys aren’t contract killers or contract remodelers, they are contract government agents; poorly paid, no-benefits members of the DEA. It’s bad enough that we are sending marginal types to foreign countries, but that we’re also doing it at home is not good news for anyone. Piper and Jon are trying to make a living at this but it’s hard, man, and the people you have to deal with, jeez.

Harry Hunsicker knows how to keep the action rolling and create characters you want to make it through the mayhem. He obviously knows the Dallas drug distribution system as well as someone from the outside can, and puts you in the flat plains of west Texas with an expert’s pen. Good reading here.

Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader
Randy2,490 44

Jon Cantrell is an ex-cop, now contract DEA agent. His partner and lover, Piper is the same. They get paid a percentage of the value of any drugs they track down. Strictly commission work. Cantrell has a father in stages of dementia. Piper wants to find her birth mother and supports a number of those children you see advertised on TV.

They both need money. Lots of it.

Then they grab the wrong shipment of drugs, set up by a dirty ex-cop named Sinclair. They find a witness that can take down a major drug cartel out of Mexico.

They find themselves on the run, trying to get the witness to a small town in Texas named Marfa. They have two cartels hunting them, the dirty ex-cop, dirty DEa agents, and straight law enforcement as well.

Author Haeey Hunsicker gives us a fast moving, well paced, action thriller.

Quite enjoyed this one. Kristin (Kritters Ramblings)2,234 107

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

The main character is Jon Cantrell and he is a former Dallas police officer who came from a family of police officers, but he had a run in with some higher ups and has been out of a police uniform for awhile. Instead he has been a contractor working job to job for the DEA in many different aspects, but this is definitely not anything consistent. But is something consistent what he wants?

Most of the story is told from Jon Cantrell's perspectives, but there are a few chapters and moments that are told by others involved. Thankfully the author did a great job of giving the reader enough information to know who was taking the lead on the story. ebook kritter-reviewed-2014 Shirley173 16

The story is a quick-paced action packed novel with virtually no down time but that isn't to say there's no character nor plot development because there is. The 514 pages whirl past in a stream of guns blazing, captures and bad guys with no place to rest. It feels an action packed crime drama has released within your very hands and the book quickly runs from A to B, leaving the reader breathless with the anticipation and velocity of it all. When done, you close the book and catch your breath. So that's what it's fighting a drug cartel....in the heat of Texas.....thinking your back is covered but perhaps you're wrong....

For the crime drama fan, The Contractors definitely has a lot to offer. Why watch it on tv when you can read it! Liz AlexanderAuthor 18 books18

Very much enjoyed The Contractors. As the former executive vice president of the Mystery Writers of America I'd expected a good read from Mr. Hunsicker and he didn't disappoint.

What was especially disturbing (and topical) is the blurring of the lines between the good guys and the bad guys in arenas where you'd hope/expect there to be a clear demarcation - the DEA. If you think we're ever going to win the War on Drugs by hiring private contractors - read this book and think again.

Lots of wonderful surprises as the plot zips along. Won't spoil the ending, but glad it was clear cut and not left dangling. Not everyone can be bought!

Will definitely look out for other books by this author. fiction Peggy166

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