Rio Youers

Rio Youers is a fascinating author for me, because I don't know that I've read a single summary of any one of his books that grabbed my attention. Every one of them hits me with, at best, a solid "meh" reaction.

I was pretty much browbeaten into reading my first Youers novel, WESTLAKE SOUL, by two different friends and, much to my surprise, I adored it. And I've enjoyed every single one of the novels he's put out since then.

But this one? This one is, as far as I'm concerned, his best since WESTLAKE. It's smart, it's brutal, it's unflinching, it's touching...Youers can freaking WRITE.

Once again, the summation you'll read can't hope to encompass all the elements that Youers effortlessly squeezes into this story. The best I can give you is, this is what you'd get if you mashed an offshoot of the psychic ability in Stephen King's THE DEAD ZONE, the weird Charlie McGee/John Rainbird relationship in FIRESTARTER, and the tragic, large scale mass killing events of MR. MERCEDES/END OF WATCH. Then layer in a version of Booya Moon from LISEY'S STORY.

Sound like those elements will never come together and work? Yeah, you'd be wrong. Youers not only makes them work, but he wrings all the emotion he can out of them.

So, seriously, if you have read one of the summaries and thought "meh"...give him a shot. No one is writing novels like Youers, aside from maybe Philip Fracassi with his A CHILD ALONE WITH STRANGERS.

Brilliant book.… (meer)

Lola on Fire by Rio Youers is a 2021 William Morrow publication.

It has been a long time since I read a good action thriller. I picked this one up on a whim and got a lot of bang for my buck.

The story opens with a great- but violent- scene that really gets your attention. From there, the pacing slows down significantly, but it didn’t take long for me to become invested in Brody and Molly’s situation. Molly has cerebral palsy and needs special care and medication. Her older brother, Brody, is her only caretaker.

With his back against a wall, a desperate Brody decides to rob a convenience store. From that moment on, his life will never be the same. For starters, he lost his wallet at the store and gets blackmailed into committing another crime- only to discover he’s been framed- forcing him and Molly to go on the run….

But the baddies are hot on his trail as Brody seeks help and answers from a very unlikely source….

This is a fast-paced- action packed thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end! Though the final showdown might have gone on just a bit too long, I liked the premise, and loved Brody and Molly. Because the book was named after Lola, I do wish we could have gotten a clearer portrait of her, but all’s well that end’s well!

Overall, an exciting thriller, with some nice twists and turns. Definitely a page turner!

4 stars

*Content: Violence and harsh language… (meer)

What a ride! I raced through this book like wildfire (see what I did there?) and finished in a couple of days.

The novel opens in 1993 with a brutal, action-packed scene of revenge that Lola Bear is taking on mobster, and former employer, Jimmy Latzo.

We then jump forward in time to 2019 where we meet 24 year old Brody and his younger sister by three years Molly who suffers from the pain of her cerebral palsy. The two are on their own after their mom bailed on them years ago and they recently lost their dad.

Down on his luck, Brody decides that the only way to pay for their rent and, more importantly, the medicine that his sister needs, is to rob a convenience store. As he's making his getaway he runs straight into Blair and a whole lot of trouble that will bring them face to face with Lola, Jimmy, and the past.

Bouncing back and forth between the past and present, we learn a bit about each of the key players in this adventure fuelled drama - what made them and what motivates them - and it's easy to root for Brody and Molly.

Youers has written interesting and charismatic characters even if they aren't exceptionally deep. They're well-rounded enough that you care about what happens to them.

But at its heart this is an action thriller and it moves along at strong fast pace. I could easily see this being on-screen. It's been likened to John Wick for its action/revenge driven plot and while it's not quite on that level, I can't say it's that far off.

Better yet, it's got three strong, smart women front and center. Lola and Blair are both Atomic Blonde style badasses and Molly, while living with the challenges of Cerebral Palsey, is clearly the brains and the heart of the operation.

It has been a good long while since I've read an action thriller and I'm glad I picked this one up. I'm also pretty sure that another Rio Youers novel is in my future.… (meer)

Wow! This is a nonstop adventure.
Lola is a professional expert killer.
Lola’s boss pisses her off so Lola goes after him.
Lola gets out of the business and tries to have a normal life. Things don’t go as planned and Lola has to go on the run.
Lola’s old boss creates and grooms a new version of Lola. He is hell bent on revenge.
Amazingly well thought out story.
Non stop action.
Some very dark humor.
Very graphic violence.
Not politically correct at all!
Everything about the story is extreme.
Characters who are all interesting.
This is a fantastic book.… (meer)