Firetrap

by Otho Eskin

Overview

A dangerous drug is spreading through Washington, D.C.—can Marko Zorn take down the company behind it?

Washington, D.C. homicide detective Marko Zorn takes on a far-reaching, complicated investigation when a narcotic more deadly than fentanyl spreads across the city, causing countless fatalities. His search for the people behind the off-label drug leads him to a Big Pharma company run by mysterious, psychopathic twin brothers. Anyone who crosses them is dead.

Marko discovers that the company will soon release another dangerous prescription opioid analgesic, but when the company learns that this information has been leaked, more bodies pile up. Let down by his higher-ups, Marko sets off to solve the deadly ring of crime that now surrounds him, all while evading repeated attempts to kill him.

Marko will need all his wits, skills, and contacts both inside and outside of the law to shut down the twin brothers’ criminal drug empire. Can a painting from a major art theft decades earlier provide the key to how Marko can cripple the whole operation? Only if Marko isn’t killed first.

Perfect for fans of David Baldacci and Daniel Silva

While the novels in the Marko Zorn Thriller Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

The Reflecting Pool
Head Shot
Firetrap

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608095704
Publisher:	Oceanview Publishing
Publication date:	01/16/2024
Series:	The Marko Zorn Series , #3
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	383,252
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Otho Eskin is a lawyer and a former member of the United States Foreign Service. He is active in the Washington theater scene and a playwright whose work has appeared in New York, Washington, D.C., and Europe. Firetrap is his third novel in the Marko Zorn Thriller Series, following The Reflecting Pool and Head Shot. He lives with his wife in Washington, D.C.

Editorial Reviews

01/08/2024

Eskin’s predictable third outing for maverick D.C. Metropolitan Police detective Zorn (after Head Shot) sees him investigating a spate of crimes tied to a fentanyl-like super-narcotic. Zorn’s on a tight leash after he’s assigned a new boss, Capt. Kelly Flynn, who doesn’t take kindly to the detective’s unconventional methods and penchant for accepting off-the-books assignments. When a murder case crosses Zorn’s desk, however, he can’t help but test his new boundaries. The victim, Dr. Harvey Young, who invented an ultra-powerful opioid that’s been flooding American cities, causing a sharp increase in overdose deaths, has been found burned to death in his car. Young and his business partner were recently bought out by Magma Capital Management, a rapacious hedge fund owned by brothers Sabastian and Maximilian Poole, over Young’s objections. Despite the Pooles’ heavy security, Zorn bluffs his way into Sabastian’s home, where he witnesses another murder. From there, he engages in a high-energy game of cat-and-mouse with the Poole brothers that offers plenty of thrills, but few surprises. The frantic action is fun for a while, but before long, Zorn’s feats start to strain credulity (he’s able to slip in nearly anywhere with nary an ID check), and the whole enterprise becomes predictable. Here’s hoping the follow-up delivers a few more surprises. Agent: Judith Ehrlich, Judith Ehrlich Literary. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"Firetrap is the best book of the three to feature Marko Zorn!” —Jon Land, USA Today best-selling author

“Firetrap has everything a reader could want in a great mystery—police forensics, action, and a thoroughly compelling protagonist. Otho Eskin is the real deal!” —Ward Larsen, USA Today best-selling author

“High-energy game of cat-and-mouse . . . that offers plenty of thrills.” —Publishers Weekly

“Marko is a compelling character . . . The tightly constructed story moves along at a brisk clip . . . A complex, fast-paced mystery.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Firetrap is an original, fun, and riveting read from start to finish. Firetrap will have a particular interest to fans of police procedurals and action/adventure suspense thrillers.” —Midwest Book Review

“This book makes for a great vacation pick, as it is a quick read offering plenty of action. Marko is an appealing character. He is smart and has no problem bending rules.” —Independent Book Review

Praise for the Marko Zorn Thriller Series

“Rough and ragged as the world it so vividly creates, The Reflecting Pool crackles with twists and turns, making for a fun and heady combination of suspense and intrigue.” —Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author

“An authentically nail-biting thriller—it's Robert B. Parker meets David Baldacci in this fast-paced page-turner. Otho Eskin has created such a brilliant character in his Marko Zorn: wise and eloquent, witty, and surprising. And quietly, heartbreakingly, brave. This chilling political thriller is wonderfully textured with a high-stakes emotional drama—and I could not turn the pages fast enough. Head Shot is instantly cinematic—and completely entertaining!” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today best-selling author

“The Reflecting Pool by Otho Eskin is the best crime thriller I've read in years, and homicide Detective Marko Zorn is a character I'd like to have a beer with—so long as he's on my side. Bravo!” —John Gilstrap, New York Times best-selling author

“Zorn knows DC and the political scene and Eskin keeps this plot moving with his foot slammed to the accelerator.” —Men Reading Books

“Filled with witty personalities and shady power players, The Reflecting Pool is a fast-paced D.C. murder mystery where the stakes and suspense reach monumental heights.” —The Foreign Service Journal

From the Publisher

2024-01-18
A detective investigates a homicide related to a new, powerful drug in Eskin’s mystery novel.

Washington, D.C.–based detective Marko Zorn arrives at a car fire that turns out to be a homicide; the person in the driver’s seat died in the blaze. Zorn’s then summoned to meet with local crime boss Sister Grace, who tells him there’s a new, lethal drug on the streets called Speedball, and that the gang dealing it is organized and dangerous (the ringleader goes by “Dr. Love”). Marko is able to identify the fire victim as a biochemist who worked with pharmaceuticals, including a painkiller called Zemlon. The investigation turns perilous when Marko confronts the mysterious Dr. Love and is assaulted by a couple of men likely under his command. Still, he continues to follow leads, both regarding the street drug Speedball and the massive pharmaceutical company, Altavista, that makes Zemlon (and is working on a new drug to replace it). Marko gets stonewalled by everyone: Altavista, the FDA, and the new police chief, Kelly Flynn. It quickly becomes clear that the new medication is likely dangerous, and that the company making it is not above taking out anyone who is working to prove it’s unsafe. Marko investigates the connections between the pharmaceutical company, the street gang, and the shady capital management company that finances the pharmaceutical company. The mystery is complex, although it seems clear from the beginning that there’s a link between Speedball and the pharmaceuticals. Marko is a compelling character; he’s the archetypal cop who doesn’t always play by the rules, which puts him at odds with the powers that be in the police department, and he sometimes uses subterfuge and violence to get the information he needs to solve his case. (“I know your type,” the new chief announces. “You’re vigilantes at best and psychos at worst. There’s always one in every police department. Men—and they’re always men—who think they’re above the law.”) He maintains readers’ sympathy, though, because it’s never in question that he’s ultimately working on the side of good. The tightly constructed story moves along at a brisk clip.

A complex, fast-paced mystery.

Kirkus Reviews