cover image Walk with the Devil

Walk with the Devil

Tom Foote. Dufour, $16.95 trade paper (464p) ISBN 978-0-8023-1353-9

In Irish author Foote’s eventful if uninspired second thriller (after Undertow), Robert James Ryder, a French Legionnaire, attends the funeral of his estranged drug-addict son, Mark, who died of an overdose. Not interested in confronting his past or dealing with the guilt over his failings as a father, Ryder returns to duty, but he soon decides to retire. On impulse, he flies to Thailand, where in the country’s north he spots Peter Webster, the husband of his ex-wife and Mark’s stepfather. Webster, who’s involved with the drug trade and fears Ryder will expose him, orders Ryder to be kidnapped. Back in Europe after escaping his captors, Ryder is bent on getting revenge—not just on Webster but on the local cartel responsible for supplying his son with drugs. Although the plot often strains believability and the writing offers little character insight, those looking for an old-fashioned, no-holds-barred revenge story will be rewarded. (June)