48 Hours to Kill is by far the most intense crime thriller of the year, with viciously violent action, powerful dialogue and highly-enjoyable characters that leave a lasting impression on the readers.
Ethan Lockhart is serving a prison sentence when he hears the tragic news that his sister was murdered. Given a furlough release unexpectedly without any guards or tracking devices, Ethan has 48 hours to pay his respects at the funeral. What irks Ethan is that her sister’s body hasn’t been found, with the authorities stating there was enough evidence to support the idea that his sister was killed. The narrative builds up slightly slow at first in order to develop Ethan’s character properly as he struggles with the guilt of not being there for his sister who he loved more than anyone and anything. When he finds out there is more to his sister’s alleged murder, he vows to put his violent skills to use one last time. From that moment, the pace is anything but slow as the action ramps up with a simmering mystery that becomes clearer and clearer but never completely solved until a brilliantly unexpected twist in the final act which was hiding in plain sight all along. In the course of his investigation, Ethan teams up with his sister’s childhood best friend who always had a crush on Ethan. Their chemistry is electrifying and one of the best aspects of the story.
48 Hours to Kill is a love letter to readers who like their gripping mysteries with a balanced diet of both ingenuity for strong storytelling and brutal action that is not always as skillfully incorporated in crime thrillers/dramas. Andrew Bourelle rewards readers who pay close attention to details as the clues Ethan discovers are not spoon fed to readers but rather hidden in his encounters with other characters, resulting in an extremely immersive read that requires sharp thinking to keep up with Ethan’s deductions. For the icing on the cake, Ethan butts heads with gangsters and thugs who obstruct his quest for vengeance and truth, setting the stage for numerous bloody fisticuffs and shootouts that are some of the most realistically horrifying sequences involving burnt eyeballs and flipping thumbs hanging off wrists.
From start to finish, 48 Hours to Kill is an absolute page turner that irrevocably puts Andrew Bourelle on the list of upcoming thriller authors for fans to keep an eye out for. I would not be surprised if this is adapted to the big screen soon; it has a cinematic spark that would work well with a lead like Ryan Gosling.
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