As a boy, Mike Foley went on a job with his brother, never dreaming that it would change his future. Seeing the results of their deadly work, Mike turns away and makes a new life for himself in Oklahoma. But even decades later, after building a winery that just may finally become successful, Mike knows that he's really just hiding from his past.

That past comes to find him in the form of the nephew he's never met, Andrew. In trying to make some extra money, Andrew saw something he shouldn't have and now someone wants him dead. He'd never met his Uncle Mike, but before his father died, he gave Andrew Mike's telephone number and said call only if it's a matter of life or death. It is -- and Mike steps in to help.

Keeping Andrew alive will be a challenge, because the woman after him is deadly. A professional killer, Nikki Enders drops corpses like some drop cigarette butts. And Mike has been out of the game for a long time. Can he keep Andrew alive? Somehow, he always knew he'd never really left the life, and Mike comes out with guns blazing to protect the only family he has left.

SHOTGUN OPERA is a dark, suspense-driven story. Although it follows the typical action genre (lots of guns and a relatively high body count), there's a depth here that sets the work apart. Mike's character is melancholic and Mr. Gischler evokes well the feeling that Mike has lived with --

your past is never over, and you can never escape what you've done. A good read.