The Two Minute Rule, by Robert Crais

(hb; 2006)

From the inside flap:

“Ask anyone on the wrong side of the law about the two-minute rule and they’ll tell you that’s as long as you can hope for at a robbery before the cops show up. Break the two-minute rule and it’s a lifetime in jail. But not everyone plays by the rules...

“When ex-con Max Holman finally gets out of jail, freedom doesn’t taste too sweet. The only thing on his mind is reconciliation with his estranged son, who is, ironically, a cop. But then he hears the devastating news : His son and three other uniformed cops were gunned down in cold blood in Los Angeles the night before Holman’s release. When the hit is exposed as a revenge killing and the question of police corruption is raised, it becomes a father’s last duty to clear hi son’s name and catch the killer...”

Review:

Plotwise, this is your average “ex-con gets revenge” story. Crais doesn’t stray much, if at all, from that twist-filled formula, but his writing, as usual, is excellent, elevating this above most genre works like this. Crais does this largely by tying the plot closely to Holman’s emotions regarding his past and his murdered son, and having the action and chase sequences stem from those points; Crais also raises the literary bar by maintaining that fast-moving, light touch that writers of his exceptional ilk possess.

Solid story, action-packed delivery. Check it out.