Monday book review: Hawke's Prey by Reavis Z. Wortham

Who doesn't like a good shoot 'em up? Not a rhetorical question, but a valid one for action fans. We don't get a ton of them in book form, at least from where I've been sitting all these years. So I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across Hawke's Prey by Reavis Z. Wortham at my local supermarket.

Yeah, I bought a book at a super market. Wanna fight about it?

Didn't think so.

Anyway, Hawke's Prey is the first in a promised series of novels about a resourceful Texas Ranger. This first offering is best described as Die Hard -- starring Walker: Texas Ranger -- in a small-town courthouse. There's a snowstorm, terrorists, hostages, and our lone hero trying to save the day from inside said courthouse. Oh, and his wife and kids are in there too.

Fortunately, Wortham delivers more than a simple Die Hard clone. There's a strong supporting cast that helps wage war on the bad guys from the outside. Given Wortham's Texas roots, and a Texan's do-it-yourself mentality, we get a pretty good idea what would go down if such a terrorist act were to unfold. Spoiler alert, don't do it, terrorist douchebags!

There's lots of action and bravado, and Wortham's lean prose means it all moves as a fast as bullet. I took this one down in a few sittings. There's not a wasted line or moment, and things end with an edge-of-your-seat conclusion. This is the literary equivalent of a Hollywood action movie, and I enjoyed it as such.

Dig action? Dig reading? Hawke's Prey rates a Good, and I look forward to the second book in the series.