In Zig Zag by J.D. O'Brien, a wry and raucous thriller, it's up to modern-day cowboy turned bail bondsman Harry Robatore to bring home the wayward son of a good friend who's skipped out on a court date.
Harry is "tumbleweeding" toward age 70. Still spry and up for most things his girlfriend might also be up for, his interest in life as a bail bondsman is waning. But when one of his closest friends, Fuzzy, turns to him for help keeping Ted, his ne'er-do-well son, out of jail for robbing a medical marijuana dispensary, Harry pulls on his boots and steps up to the challenge. A deal is made with Fuzzy to guarantee Fuzzy's bar for Ted's bail. The problem is Ted has no intention of showing up for his court date. Instead, Ted and his girlfriend, Capri, skip town with the cash and a huge quantity of Acapulco Gold marijuana taken from the dispensary safe. If Harry fails to catch Ted, Fuzzy will lose his bar and Ted will go to prison. Meanwhile, the dispensary owner sends a wannabe mercenary to retrieve their product--and bringing back Ted and Capri alive is optional. Harry and the mercenary are on a collision course, and it's inevitable someone will end up dead.
Droll humor swirls nicely with serious violence in this madcap adventure. O'Brien's bio mentions short pieces he has previously published--this is his debut novel--but the author comes off as a seasoned pro in Zig Zag. He serves up a mesmerizing story with a strong set of characters in this engrossing page-turner. --Paul Dinh-McCrillis, freelance reviewer