Deadlock by Sean Black

When I first cast my eyes on “Deadlock” by Sean Black, I have to admit I was taken in hook, line and sinker by the cover. It’s one of the most atmospheric and demanding covers I’ve seen for some time.  A black, dark cover, caged high fences and enough barbed wire to ensure no one escapes and a lone man looking towards a solitary blinding light. Welcome to Pelican Bay – Super Max prison!

I know one “cover” doesn’t make a summer but it heightened my anticipation tenfold and I was eager to see if the story could match the quality of the graphic art on display! Round one to the publishers, methinks it had the desired effect!

The tag line for the book “One prisoner, one bodyguard, and one week to stay alive” although enticing, doesn’t cover half the book; there’s so much more to this story.  Ryan Lock is ex-army (special forces) and not a man to be messed with. In a similar vein to Jack Reacher (Lee Child) and Joe Hunter (Matt Hilton) – Lock is a security consultant who generally gets called in to do the jobs no one else can do.

Lock receives a call from assistant US attorney Jalicia Jones offering him a last minute protection job in California and along with Ty, his trusted partner, the pair are “convicted” and sent to the notorious Pelican Bay Super Max prison to babysit a man known only as “Reaper” a leading member of the Aryan brotherhood gang. Only the Warden knows their true identity.

The premise of the book stems from the brutal murder of ATF agent Ken Prager and his young family in the opening salvos of the book. Jalicia Jones receives a collect call from Reaper offering information on the murder as part of a deal. Jalicia agrees to the terms and Lock is sent in, five days before Reaper is due to testify at the trial.

What follows is an atmospheric and at times claustrophobic tale of survival. While set in prison the book serves as a stark reminder that crime doesn’t (or shouldn’t) pay. Conditions are bleak and when the slightest mistake can have fatal consequences everyone is on edge. The gangs are divided on the yard; segregation is the key to harmonious day to day, hour to hour survival. This never happens of course and the slightest gaze in the wrong direction throws the prison into chaos.

The characters in the book are believable; I never felt for one moment that anyone slowed the pace down, each character taking the book forward. Few could argue that Reaper is evil, a racist, a murderer and someone who usually gets what he wants – no matter how much it costs. Working alongside Reaper is Chance, a feisty female, pregnant and utterly demented. Chance, for me, makes Reaper seem angelic. She is extremely attractive, using her looks to disarm anyone she comes into contact with. She frightens me!

The plot works well and doesn’t let up until the final pages of the book. The twists and turns are there in abundance and Black does a great job of keeping the reader not only entertained but hooked into the storyline. I read the book in 1 ½ sittings, such is the pace of the book.

Great no nonsense read that will leave you looking forward to the next instalment of Ryan Lock. Excellent.

Deadlock is published by Bantam Press (Transworld) and available from Amazon & Waterstones.