action, extortion, local-law-enforcement, local-politics, murder, murder-investigation, police-detectives, Washington DC, drug-trafficking, drugs-issues, art-theft, crime-fiction, thriller, suspense, threats, psychopath, unputdownable, snarky***** Homicide Detective Marko Zorn of the DC Metro Police is a kind of Lone Ranger who won't carry a gun, avoids bureaucracy like the plague, and has very useful connections in the underworld of DC crime. The story takes direct aim at Big Pharma and addictive pharmaceuticals (YAY for the good guys!). The plot is complex and I didn't want to put it down. Excellent read! I requested and received an EARC from Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

FIRETRAP - My first read by this author and of this series. It did not matter that I missed the first two books; their contents were never mentioned. I like the writing style of Mr. Eskin, his variety of characters, the intriguing storylines, and the constant pace, which made for an immersing and enjoyable read. Entertaining. Source: Won a GoodReads giveaway. 5*

Marco Zorn is a Washington DC homicide detective who does not always follow the playbook rules. When Speedball is killing people’s in his area he teams up with Stryker to get it off the streets. This will lead him into very dangerous situations. A wonderfully written novel. So full of great characters and non stop action. We have drugs, murder, art theft, kidnap and lots of twists and turns. Can Marco take on the Poole brothers and survive? Enjoy reading to find out.

Otho Eskin was a new to me author, so before reading and despite all assurances, I must admit to having been a little sceptical about whether this, book #3 in the Washington DC Homicide Detective, Marko Zorn series, would truly work as a stand alone story! However, I should have had a little more faith, because as soon as I began reading, I felt right at home in Marko's company, as if I had know him all my life. Any backstory details were added without breaking stride in the storyline, and I'm certain not in a way which would have caused any confirmed series readers to complain of repetition. All of which bodes well for when I get the opportunity to revisit Marko's world and catch up with the first two episodes. ... Marko Zorn and his partner Tyrone Clifford, open the action on this case when they attend a car fire, in the not so well known, dirt-poor, crime-ridden side of the City of Washington DC. However, what Marko assumes is a simple case of arson, soon escalates into something much more sinister and demanding of their attention, when the burnt-out wreck gives up its gruesome secret, shocking everyone, including the most dangerous person on this side of the tracks and the one who controls just about every illicit deal which goes down, including the vibrant drugs market. This part of town definitely belongs to 'Sister Grace'; small and deadly, she rules with an iron fist, but now even she is seriously spooked by a lethal new drug which has appeared on her patch and she wants Marko to find the distributors and put them out of business. In fact, so worried is she, that Sister Grace assigns one of her own men, ex-con Stryker, to work alongside Marko on the case, as much for his protection as anything else, although it is a well known fact that unorthodox as he is, maverick Marko, the cop without a gun, always gets the job done. All of which is terrible timing for Marko, whose reputation preceding him, is called in front of the new Police Chief Kelly Flynn, who is determined to have a zero tolerance policy towards corrupt officers who work side hustles and is heading a clean-sweep of any perceived outliers. It would seem however, that Kelly sees something different in rebel Marko, as she gives him just one more chance to conform to the rules before condemning him to her 'has-been' folder. Marko contrives to set Tyrone off on a separate strand of the investigation, so that he and Stryker can track down the source of the new lethal drug which is fast dominating the streets. Their investigation takes them right to the heart of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies, which is backed and controlled by outside resources, ultimately emanating from the twisted, crooked world of the psychopathic Poole family; reclusive, elderly and disabled twin brothers and their much younger niece. They have surrounded themselves with a cloak of generosity and largesse of spirit, all of which conceals their greed and avarice, especially when Marko is astute enough to realise that they might well also be involved with what is the unsolved case of arguably the theft of the most valuable artefact in the world. The closer to the core of the operation Marko and Stryker get, the more the body count mounts up, with Marko seemingly at the top of everyone's hit list. Then he is dealt the most punishing of blows, when Kelly Flynn demands to meet with him, only to summarily dismiss him from the force with immediate effect. However, it transpires that there is more to Kelly's instant decision than meets the eye and she more or less gives Marko free range to bring the case to a conclusion in any way he sees fit, so long as her own personal and highly emotional interest in proceedings, is top of his agenda, especially when Marko sees fit to confide in his boss the exact reason for his reluctance to bear or use arms on a daily basis. Now, even for Marko, who prides himself on his ethical approach to policing, negotiating with such dastardly adversaries is ruled out of the equation, the gloves are off and all bets cancelled, as the situation has become desperate, urgent and life-threatening. Marko might believe in the appeasement option first, but mess with someone he is close to, at your peril! ... Wow! Marko Zorn is a real enigma, a big-hearted rebel with a cause, and whilst part of me thinks he is my kind of law enforcement officer, the other half has to admit that a cop who hustles on the side to support his opulent lifestyle, shouldn't be lauded in any way shape or form - although perhaps that is just me looking at modern day policing (no matter which side of the Atlantic I may live on), through rose-tinted glasses! This fast-paced and relentless, action-packed storyline, is presented in short, east to navigate chapters and narrated in the first person by Marko himself, truly making this his own personal take on the investigation from beginning to end, and what an ending. Well structured, this sometimes complicated story, is interesting in its depth and range of social issues discussed; from art theft and kidnapping, to murder, extortion and pharmaceutical espionage. It calls on all Marko's skills and knowledge, which are far above average to say the least, to bring all the perpetrators to justice and thus bring down the entire network, permanently and right to its very core. I do also enjoy a good story woven around art theft, so this strand of the storyline really interested me, even though I found it hard to believe that such a valuable piece would have been kept in such appalling conditions and treated with such complete disregard and almost contempt by those who had purloined it, especially as they prided themselves on the value and worth of their total collection. There was quite some cast of totally despicable, dislikeable and generally not very nice to know personalities populating this storyline, who really got under my skin and made it crawl, which I suspect is just the response author Otho Eskin desired when he conceived them. The Poole brothers in particular were so duplicitous, manipulative and malevolent, it was little surprise that they lived in an isolated and disgusting penury of their own making, surrounded only by their protection team, and for me, they deserved everything they had coming to them! Marko was, of course, the most easy to relate to of the characters, together with his boss Kelly Flynn, although I was left somewhat aghast, even though I understood why he did it at that moment in time, at the secret he chose to share with her. When the case was resolved he was taking quite a risk as to whether Kelly would stand by her dismissal of him, or would re-instate him immediately, although such was his own personal moral and ethical compass, I don't think he would have strongly objected either way. This is the first book I have read for a while now, where there is a clearly defined place of action, which suits an 'armchair traveller' such as myself, down to the ground, as I could track real place names on my map. A slightly more descriptive sense of time and place around individual locations might have added that bit more pizzazz to the overall storyline, however the action bowled along quite nicely with verve, taking in the surrounding sights and sounds more than enough for a truly immersive experience. There is just a hint of a blossoming romance between Marko and Kelly, although whether that is ever destined to go anywhere, given Kelly's strong bond with her daughter (who also has a teenage crush on him) and her strong sense of duty to the force, remains to be seen...