Devils in Exile
A Novel
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4.2 • 76 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From the author Jeffery Deaver calls “smart, speedy, and stylish,” this Boston-based thriller was the basis for the film The Town and features an Iraq war veteran who gets involved with dangerous, big-time drug dealers.
Neal Maven returns to Boston from his tour in Iraq only to discover that the country he vowed to protect has little use for him now. The men and women who remained Stateside are years ahead of him both personally and professionally, which embitters him and pushes him toward his breaking point.
And then he meets Brad Royce. Royce is everything Maven wants to be: a fellow vet, charismatic, and confident, principled, wealthy, and with a beautiful woman on his arm. Not just any beautiful woman, but Danielle Vetti—the most stunning girl from Maven’s high school. Literally, the girl of his dreams.
Royce offers Maven a much-needed job, and Maven soon finds himself a part of Royce’s team of “sugar bandits,” a group of fellow veterans who use their military skills to intercept major drug deals, taking the dirty money while destroying the product—a get-rich scheme with a clear moral imperative. Though exceedingly dangerous and certainly illegal, the efforts of these modern-day Robin Hoods provide Maven with the adrenaline charge he’s craved since his decommission. Besides, Maven can’t resist the chance to be in Danielle’s orbit once again.
Suddenly, Maven’s life is better than he ever thought possible: a soldier in a civilian’s world, he is once again able to do something he excels at and rediscovers the camaraderie he’s sorely lacked since his return. He can get into any club, eat at any restaurant, be with any woman he wants—except, of course, his dream girl. It’s almost too good to be true. In fact, it is too good to be true when Maven learns that nothing is as it seems, but he’s in too deep and can see no way out…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this fast-paced crime thriller from bestseller Hogan (The Strain with Guillermo del Toro), Iraq war veteran Neal Maven faces a series of dead-end jobs and little in the way of hope for the future back in his hometown of Boston. Then he catches a glimpse of his old high school heartthrob, Danielle Vetti, and his life is changed forever. Shortly after this sighting, Neal fights off a robbery attempt, an attack witnessed by Danielle's boyfriend, who decides to hire Neal to join his gang of Iraq war vets in their enterprise of ripping off drug dealers. Neal has morals, but he decides because they're doing good, i.e., destroying drugs and hurting drug dealers, this is an honorable career move. Things go well for a while, but after Neal starts sleeping with Danielle, the whole deal starts to unravel, with explosive results. This is a compelling portrait of a good man who makes bad choices and in the end must battle his way out of a destructive and deadly life.
Customer Reviews
Strong story telling
I have not read a book this magnetic in quite some time, it was hard to put down once it got into high gear. Very visual writing in a tight suspenseful format.
Hogan is amazing
Chuck Hogan is a rock star (in writing terms) I read the Strain and was immediately taken with his writing style. This was the next book I read and I am an instant Hogan fan.
This book was not just about a war veteran trying to find himself in peace time again, but about how we view ourselves, what we want ourselves to be and what we are willing to do to get them. There is a deeper core examined here than just bad guys vs good guys. Hogan writes action very well. He paints his characters very well. I don't think anything is a great mystery as it is just a dam good read. He writes in a very linear way. You see everything unfold the way you might in a movie. That means his books are streamlined, quick, easy to get through and exciting. I love it.
I don't know enough about guns, military life etc to know if all of that were accurate, but I know that his characters were so well drawn that it didn't make a difference to me. (that might not be true for all)
Hogan - you rock!
Excellent!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, especially the main characters. A note to anyone reading the sample download: Don't judge the book by the first few pages. I was almost laughing at the frequent analogies (...his smile sharp and hungry, breath squeezing through widely spaced teeth like fog through a broken fence.) thinking I just wasted my money.
To my pleasant surprise, the analogies were gone after that first chapter, replaced by a taught, gripping thriller that I hoped would go on for a couple hundred more pages. I fully expect this book to be made into a movie.