Point Doom
Fante&#x2019;s new revenge thriller revisits the dark mix of anger and alcoholism so prevalent in his well-received Bruno Dante series. JD Fiorella&#x2019;s last binge wrecked his life pretty thoroughly, but now, thanks to AA and his buddy Woody, he has a new job and is slowly paddling toward solvency. Unfortunately, those AA meetings haven&#x2019;t mellowed JD&#x2019;s anger, and a road-rage incident leads to the destruction of his newly ordered life. In rapid succession, his car is torched, and he&#x2019;s booted from the new job. Then he visits Woody&#x2019;s apartment and finds his friend murdered.JD is a loyal guy, and he uses his hunger for revenge and his wealth of PI experience (acquired before his bingeing days) to hunt the killer. Point Doom is all about suspense; JD&#x2019;s investigative experience is valuable, but his impulsiveness and anger regularly eliminate that advantage. Fante seasons the story with a steady flow of inventive violence, but, in the end, it&#x2019;s JD&#x2019;s self-sacrificing loyalty that will win over readers. --Christine Tran