LAPD homicide detectives Rick Dover and Falcon are hot on the trail of a Crip drug kingpin by the name of Kinks. Just as they approach him as he exits a local convenience store, a drive-by staged by a rival gang, the Bloods, leaves one dead and several wounded. One of the wounded is a carpenter who took three bullets in the back while saving Dover’s life.

When the detectives visit the critically injured carpenter in ICU, they find out very little information about him. The next day while Dover begins looking into the carpenters’ past, Jake Carroll walks out of the hospital and disappears. While Kinks continues to lie near death, with a guard stationed outside his door, Dover and Falcon search for the ‘bangers responsible for the shootings.

As the turf war continues to rage in South-Central LA, and the body count raises higher, the detective duo diligently work to bring in those responsible for the shootings. When their key witness, Kinks, is boldly assassinated in his hospital room before they can interview him, the detectives are stunned.

Eventually they locate the missing witness and he agrees to help them out. The pieces start to fall in place. However, before they can put the case to rest everything goes awry during a climatic shoot-out. The witness mysteriously disappears leaving behind two surprised detectives.

Author Mark Bouton is a former FBI agent whose years of experience bring much to the story. The Second Savior is a true page-turner that stays on course and on pace throughout. The well-developed rapport between Dover and Falcon shows Bouton’s love towards his characters.

He allows the reader to understand the motives of those on both sides of the law, no matter how vile the characters may be. It is obvious the author took the time to get to know his characters and understand their motives. Even the bad guys have a depth not usually seen in this type of novel.

Because the story is set in LA, Bouton uses the opportunity to insert a touch of humor by allowing the detectives to drop the names of the rich and famous with abandon throughout the book.

The Second Savior is a worthy follow-up to Cracks in the Rainbow. Here’s hoping for more stories starring the homicide detective duo, Dover and Falcon.