Reviews

The Replacements by David Putnam

lindamooreauthor's review against another edition

5.0

Thankfully former detective David Putnam did not make readers wait long to find out what happened to his hero cop Bruno Johnson and his love Marie and the kids they rescued from abusive homes. The plot of Putnam's first book The Disposables left the reader satisfied that those kids were indeed NOT disposable to Bruno and Marie who put it all on the line, but the book dangled an uncertain future as they fled to Costa Rica. The Replacements picks up the story without requiring a read of the first book. The new crime thriller begins with a wild ride as fugitive, rogue cop reenters the US at great risk to himself for the only plausible reason he would do so: to save more kids. The plot twists with complexities that come in real life stories, ones that no doubt inspired Putnam in writing this narrative. The author excels in a genre too often populated by flat characters, by creating multi-dimensional personalities, none all good or all bad, folks who look like real people in LA and other large urban areas. The cops and their bosses are as complicated as the demented criminal that torments Bruno. But there is no time for analyzing or self-discovery, just like real cops, this story moves and never rests until the surprising ending. Another terrific read.

heychowda's review against another edition

5.0

Read The Replacements by David Putnam this weekend. It's book #2 in the Bruno Johnson series. Full disclosure: this is not my typical genre. That being said, it looks like I'm now adding crime thrillers to my my new normal.

Bruno Johnson is a disgraced LA cop whose past is coming back to haunt him in this "no good deed goes unpunished" story.

I appreciate how the author leaves hints for the readers so that we can attempt to solve the puzzles as well. I was captivated start to finish, and I'm looking forward to starting book #3.

ashemoore's review against another edition

4.0

This was another entertaining and fast-paced book in the series. Bruno, ex-cop, went back to LA to help with a kidnapping that was connected to his past. But is someone trying to set him up? Multiple things were happening as the story progressed, which made it very interesting and kept me reading until the end.

jeffnichols's review

5.0

I really liked this chapter in the Bruno Johnson stories a lot. The stakes were extremely high, complications all over the place, and Bruno stayed true to his moral compass throughout. I felt the ending kind of rushed through things, but that's OK knowing that there are other chapters of Bruno still to read. This was another seriously good story from David Putnam - go read it.