48 Hours to Kill

Convicted armed robber Ethan Lockhart, the hero of this propulsive crime thriller from Bourelle (Heavy Metal), leaves prison on a 48-hour furlough to attend his sister Abby’s funeral. Abby vanished after a shift as a dancer at the Reno, Nev., strip club where Ethan worked as a bouncer before he took on more violent work for Shark, the club’s owner. Though Abby’s body was never found, the huge amount of blood in her empty apartment, Ethan learns, persuaded their mother to have her declared dead. Regret and guilt send Ethan on a harrowing journey through his criminal past to get answers, accompanied by his sister’s best friend, Whitney. Ethan suspects Shark, now a kingpin in a Reno underworld that’s become more dangerous, is complicit in Abby’s death. Shark in turn has cruel plans for Ethan. The tension builds—as does the attraction between Ethan and Whitney—while the clock ticks toward a brutal conclusion with a surprise twist. Crisp action scenes make up for the characters’ weak backstories and holes in the law enforcement side of Abby’s case. Bourelle is a writer to watch. Agent: Amy Tannenbaum, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Dec.)