cover image The Extraditionist

The Extraditionist

Todd Merer. Thomas & Mercer, $15.95 trade paper (422p) ISBN 978-1-4778-0601-2

Immoral New York lawyer Bennjamin T. Bluestone, the extraditionist of Merer’s overlong debut, is looking for what he calls a Biggy—a drug score big enough to let him get out of the lawyering game. Benn comes across three possible Biggies, one of which might involve Sombra—the Shadow—the biggest drug lord of them all, whose identity remains hidden. One obstacle to his scheme is Oscar Uvalde, a Colombian general “who portrays himself as the archenemy of drug traffickers, but is a corrupt pig who feeds at the trough of their money,” according to a hostile blogger. On the behalf of his drug-dealing clients, Benn flies to Guatemala City, where he dodges bullets, legal traps, and beautiful women. Benn shows a softer side in his regard for the indigenous Logui people in the Andes; their mysterious leader, Alune, may be in control of his fate. Readers looking for heroes won’t find them in this muddled tale of cartels, con men, and corruption. [em]Agent: David Hale Smith, Inkwell Management. (Nov.) [/em]