Blood Rose Books

You need to read the first book in this series, The 500, to understand who Michael Ford is, his past and the relationships that he has in this book. The 500 is a great read and I highly recommend it (especially if you like the TV show Suits).

Mike Ford is about to get married to the love of his life, even though her family does not approve, but she has seen him as his best and worst and no one can break them apart (even though her father tries several times). Along with getting married you need a Best Man and Mike has decided to ask his brother, Jack, who has also gone straight, to stand up with him as a little salute to how far the family has come. However, all good intentions come to an end when Mike discovers that Jack is in way over his head in a powerful conspiracy to steal a billion dollar secret. In an effort to help him get out of the situation, Mike finds himself trapped by some dangerous men, who are holding all the cards. Mike and his brother now have to achieve the impossible and they are going to need all the skills they left behind in order to even attempt to stay alive.

The main aspect that makes this series such a success for me is the main character Michael Ford. I love that he has moved on from his life of crime growing up to become a lawyer but uses the tricks that he learned as a con man to find and get the information that he needs. Mike is not afraid to use manipulation and social niceties to show the vulnerabilities in how to gain access to building and gain trust or really any information required. The way that Mike's mind works as he processes through all the information and scenarios is amazing, and really genius and you as the reader get to see how his mind works (for the most part, as the book is told in third person point of view, so some things are left in Mike's mind). Like I said Mike is what makes this book for me, I just love him as a character overall.

The mystery in this book was okay, I personally was able to figure quite a few things out before the big reveals, but it was still a fun roller coaster ride as Mike tries to figure out how to steal one of the most trusted and important piece of information in the USA. I liked that Mike was not asked to steal money directly in this book but more information. The process and planning that goes into stealing the information is impressive and with details that make it seem possible for it to happen. Quirk must have done some interesting research in his time to get all the aspects right and feel real for this book.I know I compared the first book in this series to the TV show Suits, this book is far from that TV show and what is expected of Mike. I'm glad that Quirk moved away from this similarity and has created something that is more of his own.

I like that the ending was not so cookie cutter and Quirk realized that in this type of crime things gets quite grey in the end in the real world, so this book may not end as you expect. Really a great installment to this series and I look forward to the next installment in this series and what Quirk can come up with next.

Enjoy!!!