The Contractors, Harry Hunsicker
The Contractors, Harry Hunsicker
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The Contractors

Author: Harry Hunsicker

Narrator: Harry Hunsicker

Unabridged: 11 hr 34 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download (DRM Protected)

Published: 03/18/2014


Synopsis

Private military contractors. They’re not just for foreign wars anymore. Jon Cantrell, a disgraced ex-cop, works for one such company. He's a DEA agent paid on a commission basis, patrolling one of the busiest drug-hubs in the country: Dallas, Texas.When Cantrell and his partner and sometimes lover confiscate the wrong shipment of drugs, they find themselves in possession of a star witness in an upcoming cartel trial that could destroy the largest criminal organization in the hemisphere.To turn a profit, all they have to do is safely deliver the witness to the US Attorney on the other side of the state. An easy trip, except the witness doesn’t want to go and a group of competing DEA contractors and a corrupt Dallas police officer want everybody involved dead.This heart-stopping thriller takes readers deep into a strange underworld where the lines between government officials and mercenaries blur. In this complex network of drug traffickers, cartels, politicians, and police, no one's hands are clean.

About Harry Hunsicker

Harry Hunsicker is the former executive vice president of the Mystery Writers of America and the author of three previous novels, crime thrillers set in Texas. His debut novel, Still River, was nominated for a Shamus Award by the Private Eye Writers of America. His short fiction has been nominated for the Thriller Award by the International Thriller Writers and selected for inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories of 2011, edited by Otto Penzler and Harlan Coben. Hunsicker lives in Dallas, a fourth-generation native of the city. When not writing, he works as a commercial real estate appraiser and an occasional speaker on the creative process.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Thomas on August 20, 2020

An enjoyable read, a lot going on and some of it very implausible and hard to believe but its fiction so... I did prefer the Arlo Baines books to this but this was a fun read. I would read the next book in the series to see what happens next for John and Piper. 3.5 rounded up.......more

Goodreads review by Kevintipple on April 13, 2014

Anyone who has read the Lee Henry Oswald series by Harry Hunsicker knows that the author does not write the Dallas Chamber of Commerce ad copy type of books. The Dallas streets in his books are not of glitter and not necessarily always mean. Instead, these streets are broken dreams, cracked asphalt......more

Goodreads review by David on December 20, 2013

Harry Hunsicker, former executive vice-president of the Mystery Writers of America, is better known for writing the Lee Henry Oswald Mystery series. In The Contractors he introduces a new protagonist, Jon Cantrell, who's got a very interesting backstory. It's presented here in bits and pieces and re......more

Goodreads review by Gloria on August 13, 2014

Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the nation about the dangers of a Military-Industrial Complex. But what he didn’t envision was something even more invidious: the development of private contractors that supply civilian employees to serve in military operations or even as DEA, Homeland Security or other t......more

Goodreads review by Greg on February 11, 2015

In many ways, this book is a reminder why a novel is so much more valuable to a literate person than a film. The 90 minute movie with overly loud Dolby and 15 minutes of previews becomes a 6-hour ( or longer) exploration of the mind. Characters that don't make it past the cutting room take on meanin......more


Quotes

“With The Contractors, Hunsicker delivers a compelling thriller, a high-power rollercoaster ride across the dusty plains of West Texas and the back streets of Dallas.” —Harlan Coben, international bestselling Author of Missing You and Six Years“Hunsicker’s latest book imagines a frightening scenario: private military contractors—the corporate soldiers usually found roaming the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan—are operating within the borders of the United States. With a relentless pace and doses of black humor, Hunsicker creates a thrilling combination of What-If with an altogether plausible What-Actually-Might-Be, giving the reader a remarkable post-9/11,War-on-Drugs novel.” —David Morrell, bestselling author of First Blood, and The Brotherhood of the RoseThe Contractors is the fully-loaded model with all the options. With streetwise and wisecracking Jon Cantrell and Piper at the wheel, they take the reader for one hell of a ride through the drug and crime-ravaged parts of Texas that don’t appear on picture postcards or tourist brochures. Hunsicker’s eye for detail, sense of place, and his snappy dialogue shine through.” —Reed Farrel Coleman, three-time Shamus Award–winning author of Hurt MachineThe Contractors is film noir without the film, cyberpunk without the cyber. It’s a world to lose yourself in, a fascinating tale that lives in shades of grey. The prose is muscular, the images vivid, and the pace relentless. Simply put, Hunsicker kills it.” —Marcus Sakey, bestselling author of Brilliance“If you’re looking for a new favorite author, read The Contractors...[The book] reads like a treatment for a new Quentin Tarantino film, full of quirky—and dangerous—characters, twists and turns, and enough action to fill another two or three books.” —Book Reporter“Part of the fun of Hunsicker’s thrillers is trying to figure out how the characters will get out of the invariable jam. Hunsicker doesn’t disappoint with The Contractors.” Austin American-Statesman