06/12/2023
In this action-packed second installment in the Achim Jeffers series, Jeffers—a New Orleans-based “counter-racist hitman” delivering justice to customers in a world dominated by White Supremacists—must forge an uneasy alliance with the enemy of his enemy, the FBI, to stop the viciously racist international assassin known as Tarpon. Facing the urgent pressures and fears of his tragic past, his current relationship, and the challenges of life as a hitman and private investigator, Jeffers finds himself hanging on by a thread when he is tasked with protecting a prominent leader who’s being targeted after a botched raid that left unforeseen casualties.
God Luv Us is a racially charged thriller that, as it tears into a heart-racing plot, at times plunges readers into the perspectives of the hateful: “White freedom comes with a cost,” one POV character declares, not long after insisting “This isn’t cross burning or storming the U.S. Capitol. This is all out war.” The stakes feel urgent and personal as Jeffers squares off with Tarpon and other monsters, and Starr digs deeply into both characters’ perspectives, creating an explosive tension—and moments of sickening unease—that keep the pages turning. Readers with the stomach for it will be intrigued and engaged from the opening chapter, as Jeffers’s voice and unusual yet exciting occupation grab from the start.
Written with dark, gritty prose and a wicked sense of humor, God Luv Us mines tension from the ways in which these characters perceive and scheme against each other, as neither Jeffers nor readers ever feel confident about who they can trust. The result is a thrill ride, often blood-spattered, that bucks expectations right up to a satisfying, climatic ending that will leave readers wanting to dive into the next installment. Fans of action thrillers that feature real world, social justice themes, and frank talk about race in America will enjoy the inventive setup and lead, as well as the accomplished story.
Takeaway: Dark crime thriller that pits a “counter-racist hitman” against white supremacists.
Comparable Titles: Aaron Philip Clark’s Trevor Finnegan series, Attica Locke.
Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: N/A Editing: B Marketing copy: A
