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In Hard Line, the sequel to Robbed Blind and the grand finale of Jack McMorrow series, Jack pushes the boundaries of his life and career like never before. With Clair and Louis, he digs in to defend Marta, rescued from a group of Canadian outlaw bikers. He fights back against the backwoods militia that left his shot and bleeding in Robbed Blind. And he strains to protect Sophie and her friend Tara from the predatory advances of their theater teacher, Mr. Ziggy. Or is McMorrow seeing ghosts?
In the end, McMorrow’s biggest battle is with himself, as he considers the battles he and Clair have joined in for over the years, and the toll they’ve taken—on Jack, Roxanne, and Sophie. What is it all for? Is Jack a journalist or a vigilante? Is he a crusading reporter, or just a crusading Mainer with a gun and ex-military friends?
McMorrow finds answers but the cost is considerable, and—for some of those involved—deadly. “When we win and they lose, that’s a net gain for the world,” Iraq War vet Louis says, about to take on a band of heavily armed bikers. “No doubts, no nightmares, no lying awake in the dar. When this is over, I’ll be fine. When this is over, I’ll be fine. Every time the bad guys lose, it balances out some of the times it wasn’t so clear.”
In Robbed Blind, Jack McMorrow is seeing his world start to crumble at the edges. Reporting on a Maine mill city besieged by a serial armed robber in a zombie mask, Jack enters the world of nightshifters, the denizens of the darkness who work and lurk when the rest of the city is asleep. Sparrow, a pierced-up young woman behind the counter at a 24-hour convenience store. Riff, her dying punk-rocker father. Raymond, a solitary guy who has recreated his Catholic childhood in his home, now filled with the cast-off statues of closed churches. Meth-heads, a dirty cop, a refugee from the Portland P.D. named Brandon Blake (see the Port City series), whom the street has dubbed “Shooter.”
On the home front, McMorrow faces off with the head of a backwoods militia, who loses face and vows revenge. Jack’s daughter, Sophie, is dancing on TikTok wearing snowshoes and a bikini. As things close in on all fronts, McMorrow’s story is shelved after social media reports he’s carrying a gun while on New York Times business. “The gun thing is problematic these days,” he’s told.
The times are changing, and McMorrow is slugging it out the only way he knows how. He’s on his own for this one, which I liked. Clair and Louis off on a different mission. It’s time to see what Jack McMorrow’s really got.
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