Heather’s Bookshelf: The Contractor
Author: Jonathan Frame
Released: 09/28/23
Genre: Adult Suspense/Thriller
“I’m what you might call a contractor, hired to complete whatever service my clients ask for. Sometimes it’s delivering a package, sometimes I’ll be delivering people or maybe it’ll simply be a message. And occasionally the contract between me and the client calls for a more extreme outcome, as it were.”
“The Contractor” introduces Zack McCarthy as he meets the Delaney family at a motorway service station. Marcus, Geraldine, and their daughter Scarlett thought he’d be an easy target to make a quick few bucks. Everything was going so well too…until Zack followed them home.
Zack’s a Contractor - working freelance for the highest bidder - his jobs include all kinds of illegal and dangerous matters: including murder. Disappointed in himself for falling for their con, Zack devises his own plan to enlist them on his next few jobs. He detains the Delaney’s in his home and after a brief and one-sided negotiation, the Delaney’s each agree to take part in one mission each with a payout promised at the end of each.
None of the missions go exactly as planned, but Geraldine and Scarlett come out on top. Things start to go awry around the time of the third mission. Will the Delaney’s and Zack make it out in one piece? Will this be a productive relationship or will it all fall apart?
Trigger Warning: violence, adult language, theft, drug reference, attempted assault, assault, reference to sexual situations
Overall, I enjoyed this tale. The story is told through the POVs of each of the main characters: the Delaney’s and Zack. The different POVs provide insight into each of the main characters desires, motives, and emotions and also pushed the pacing of the story forward. The author did a nice job giving each of the main characters a voice that was different and compelling. I especially liked Scarlett’s character: she was a little jaded from living and conning with her family, but still optimistic about her future and “learning” from Zack. Marcus was especially annoying in his distinctive self-centered and self-important manner, but I understood his devolvement through his history and not-so-ideal personality traits. In regards to the missions, each did not go exactly according to plan (some worse than others) as I feel it gave a realistic quality to them while also keeping a bit of a surprise quality there. The end of the book fell off a bit, with the portions surrounding Orakus dragging on and the last few pages feeling quite rushed. An epilogue may have been nice here or perhaps the author is planning a sequel? I’d like to read what happened with the Delaney’s and Zack after this book.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A suspenseful thriller with multiple POVs and well-built characters hindered a bit by an ending that felt rushed and incomplete.
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