They say that nice guys finish last. Not this time. Jan 'Jesse' Schild is the quintessential nice guy who lost his wife and daughter when their California home exploded in a chain reaction caused by a drug lab explosion. The lab, operated by the infamous Nikitin drug cartel was being raided by the DEA at the time of the explosion. To ease his pain and begin the process of rebuilding his life, Jesse moved halfway across the country at the behest of his best friend, Piet Raat, M.D. In a most unconventional manner, he met a homeless Marjorie 'Maggie' Collins. Maggie was in the wrong place at the wrong time because she was sleeping in a warehouse and became a witness to some of Nikitin's activities. As a result, she was pursued by Nikitin's thugs because she knew too much. Jesse, with a soft spot for a damsel in distress, took Maggie 'under his wing' as it were because he swore to himself that Nikitin would never take another innocent life. Frank Price is the team leader for the Metro Police drug task force. As a twist of fate, Frank was part of the very raid on that California drug lab where he first met Jesse. Frank also vowed not to retire until Nikitin was either behind bars or occupied a slab at the county morgue. Frank is always looking for that one break; that one tidbit of information that could eventually bring the cartel down, but Nikitin is so careful with his operation that it seems to be ever elusive. With twists and turns, cops 'on the take', bad guys turned informant, an attorney with questionable ethics topped off with some unexpected romance and good-natured humor,this is the novel that you won't want to put down!
Excerpt
"Looks like a nickel's worth of dead guys. I'll bet they pissed somebody off big time."
Professional Reviews
Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite
"Respot the Pin" by Timothy Sawyer gets its title from a bowling term. When the pinsetter might accidentally knock over a pin, the bowling center must return or "respot" the pins to their original position. Keeping this in mind, the story begins with Kirill "Nick" Nikitin who is the leader of a drug cartel in a Midwestern United States city. Vasily "Victor" Rostov is his right hand man who thinks of taking Nick's place as head of the drug cartel. Nikitin employs Craig Remke, MBA, to run his profitable lab in this same city. Craig's special loves are money and women, and he brings pretty Cindy Brown to his laboratory where she takes undercover cell phone pictures and then calls her boss, Police Sgt. Frank Price. Frank is a twenty-five year veteran who then is asked to form a drug task force. Now, the city's mayor and the police chief want to repay political favors and place people on Frank's task force who are incompetent. Frank threatens to resign unless he gets to name his own highly qualified members and he gets his way. He remembers raiding a drug lab five years before in California and its explosion took with it the house next door, killing a young woman and her daughter. Frank forms his team of skilled police men and women but what will be next?
Timothy Sawyer has written a fascinating thriller in his book "Respot the Pin". Good suspense and good dialogue throughout the story make it one nice read. All the characters, especially Frank Price, Jesse Schild, speak in the language of everyday and humor often peppers their comments. Jesse' romance with once homeless Maggie Collins, Frank's attraction to fellow police task force member, Renee, and task force romancers Tim and Shannon add nicely to the basic story. "Respot the Pin" will gain thriller reader followers everywhere.
Reviewed by Maria Beltran for Readers' Favorite
"Respot the Pin" is the story of Jesse Schild. He has it all: a nice family, a beautiful home and a happy life. This is until his home explodes in a blaze of fire, together with his wife and daughter, when their neighbor's house is raided by the DEA. It turns out to be a drug laboratory operated by Krill Nikitin's drug cartel. In the course of the story, he meets the homeless Maggie Collins who turns out to be a witness to some of Nikitin's criminal activities and Frank Price, a police officer who is hot on the trail of the Nikitin cartel. The two men will hunt the elusive Nikitin who wants Maggie dead, and their lives will never be the same again.
Timothy Sawyer weaves a novel with all the right elements of a suspense thriller. Jesse, Frank and Maggie are three completely different characters and as protagonists in this narrative, they create an interesting mix. Krill Nikitin is the typical villain who has no qualms to kill innocent people who cross his path, while Jesse Schild and Frank Price are obsessed to stop him in his tracks. The plot is packed with action and suspense so that it is difficult to stop turning the book's pages and read the whole book in one sitting. There is also an element of romance in this novel coupled with the right amount of humor. "Respot the Pin"'s plot may not be the most original but what makes it stand out is the author's grip on how the human mind works when it is pushed to its limits. This book is a must read for people who love to have a suspenseful day!
When I wrote ths book in 2000, I was concerned about children having access to the Internet and to chat rooms where "you can be anyone you want." Here we are many years later and the situation with children talking freely to stangers on the Internet
Goldie's daughter Chili Pepper leaves the Flirting With Food TV show & moves to Portland Oregon as Executive Chef at a new restaurant. But there is a rash of murders, all in the Pettygrove mansion where she lives with roommates.
