Lowcountry Punch - Boo Walker

Lowcountry Punch by Boo Walker

Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: October 28, 2011

Source/Format: Blue Dot Literary (Thanks!) || e-book
[I received this book from the publisher. This in no way affects the opinions expressed in my review.]

When a drug bust goes wrong and his wife-to-be walks out of his life, DEA agent T.A. Reddick moves back to his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. While the veneer of Charleston is charming and quaint, a movie star's death suddenly brings the city's underground cocaine trade into the public eye. Intent on bringing in the main supplier and shutting the operation down, Reddick finds himself dealing with a lot more than he even imagined.

Sometimes, when my reading departs from my normal genres of chick lit, historical fiction or young adult, I end up being pleasantly surprised. Lowcountry Punch was one of those novels that I normally would not have read, as it came across as a crime thriller. It was certainly a surprise to find that I was invested in the story, and rooting for our main character, T.A. Reddick.

T.A. Reddick is the number one reason that I ended up enjoying this novel. The elements that make him who he is all added up to create an ideal hero in my head. He's intelligent, charming and witty, as evidenced by his one-liners, and of course, by some of the discussions he has in the novel. He's also forceful, frank and ruthless, which is to be expected because of his occupation. Physically, I imagined him to be lean and fit, ready to pull the trigger or throw a punch if it was necessary (which it was multiple times in the book). It was certainly interesting to follow him through the novel, as I felt like I was privy to his investigation and his romance.

Other than that, I found the story compelling. I have not read much in the way of crime novels that focus on drug cartels and cocaine trading, so it was very interesting to see how a situation like that would play out. Reading this novel was sort of like watching an action movie - we get to see the good guys chase the bad guys, who elude them cleverly and who make it clear (through various murders or threats) that they have the upper hand. Equal parts mystery, spy infiltration and cop chases, the action-packed scenes in this novel had me holding my breath, hoping things went well and panicking when they didn't.

This novel certainly packed a punch (and yes, pun intended), coming alive in front of my eyes like a good action movie. With a hero that I could root for, an interesting romance on the side and a whole lot of fighting to boot, Lowcountry Punch was a book that I ended up really liking.