Luke Stark is a man on a mission. While he's on his second
mission to Afghanistan saving lives as a Navy SEAL, his
wife is murdered and his son disappears in what seems to be
a store robbery. After spending time in a VA psych ward
with PTSD and a complete breakdown, Luke is determined to
find his wife's killer and locate his son. He's running out
of time, because he's just been diagnosed with cancer.
As Luke implements his plan, he starts with his Uncle
Paulie, whom his wife was working for when she was killed.
Uncle Paulie owns a legitimate storefront, but actually
manufactures, sells and distributes illegal prescription
drugs. He hires Luke and asks him to kill off his
competition. A cross-country flight to southern California
and a trip into Mexico reveal all Luke needs to know to
carry out his plan and find his son. Luke also learns the
name of his wife's killer from the man he's supposed to
kill for Uncle Paulie, and Luke is now in this man's
employ, as well. Luke can play the game from both sides,
but can he get to the killer before the cancer gets to
Luke?
TERMINAL LIFE is a riveting, fast-paced, action-packed
thriller. It's set in New York City where there are some
wild car chases through the streets and parks of Brooklyn.
Luke is a man with mad skills. He can kill you with a NY
Subway Metro Card just as easily as with a gun or knife,
and this novel parades an arsenal of weapons across the
pages. He learned to improvise as a Navy SEAL and even uses
a cat at one point as a weapon. He is a very strong
character, surrounded by supporting characters such as the
Italian Mafia, Russian Mafia, corrupt police, a Mexican hit
squad and even the FBI. The theme of revenge flows
throughout the story on several different levels.
Richard Torregrossa gives us the first installment
in a new series of Suited Hero mystery crime thrillers.
Luke has a proclivity for fine suits and thinks his suits
help him be the man he needs to be to extract his revenge
and find his son.
Luke Stark, a Special Forces veteran, returns home from his
second tour in Afghanistan to learn that his wife has been
mysteriously murdered and his son has disappeared. These
tragedies, in addition to suffering from post-traumatic
stress disorder, push him over the edge. He has also been
diagnosed with an incipient form of cancer, but he forgoes
treatment, a decision that is akin to a slow suicide.
Although he languishes in a shelter, he wears an impeccable
suit, an eccentric characteristic that sets him apart from
his fellow down-and-outers and just about everybody else. He
is nicknamed, somewhat ironically, The Suited Hero. Revenge
and the search for his son spark a kind of rebirth in him
that is as cathartic as it is brutal. This leads him into
the dangerous world of illegal prescription drug
distribution, where nobody in this gripping mystery crime
thriller- not even some family members-is who they appear to be.