Make Them Sorry: A Camaro Espinoza Novel

Hawken’s kick-ass third Camaro Espinoza thriller (after 2017’s Walk Away) finds the hard-drinking, motorcycle-riding, mixed marital arts enthusiast finally achieving some semblance of existential peace in Miami, Fla., where she runs a charter fishing business. But when a woman approaches her asking for help dealing with a stalker, Camaro reluctantly agrees to teach her self-defense skills, only to become entangled with killers from a Colombian paramilitary drug cartel involved in money laundering and drug smuggling. Complicating matters is Ignacio Montellano, a Miami homicide detective, whose friendship with the prickly Camaro may not only jeopardize his career but also their lives. Tightly plotted if a bit predictable in places, the action-packed narrative derives its real power from the complex character of Camaro, whose toughness and bad attitude make Jack Reacher look like a choir boy. Fans of Zoë Sharp’s Charlie Fox will love Camaro, especially her memorable one-liners: “I’ve never killed anyone who didn’t need to be dead.” Agent: Oli Munson, A.M. Heath (U.K.). (Aug.)