Devils in Exile
by Chuck Hogan

   This is a book that hooked me from the start, I've gone from reading mostly what some people call 'Chick Lit' way to the other side of the spectrum with violent crime novels. The genre usually appeals to the male reader but it is taking over my reading life now. In this book, the main character, Neal Maven is an Iraq War veteran, hoping for a better life on the outside but having trouble even finding a job that will support him. One fateful evening at one of his jobs, he deals with a man in a SUV, dressed to the hilt and sporting Neals teenage crush on his arm. The man, Brad Royce, a fellow vet, returns and in offering him work, Maven finds himself once again thrust in a war zone. Neal and four other vets are modern day Robin Hoods, in this case who they steal from is drug dealers, but they are the ones to split the spoils. The job is no simple job though, like the mafia, once you are in, death is the only way out. Neal is a good character, reminds me of Rambo, a man who finds himself in treacherous positions and shoots his way out. I really liked this book even though like in some action movies Maven just can't seem to be killed, he does get wrung through a ringer though. I also loved the ending.