Kurt Argento was a tough, honest cop from Detroit who had been forced to retire. His anger and stubbornness were no longer tolerated by the DPD. Having recently lost his beloved wife, Kurt got in his truck, took his trusty dog Hudson and headed west. He gets involved trying to prevent a crime and winds up in jail. The corrupt sheriff has it out for Kurt and has him transported to a maximum-security prison until his court date to be admitted under a false name. As soon as he arrives, he goes into good cop mode by helping the prison nurse who is about to be sexually assaulted. Then, the computer system which controls all the doors goes haywire. It is only a matter of time before all the prison's most heinous criminals will be able to roam free and escape.
That same day, the governor's daughter Julie, a criminology major, was on-site being given a tour of the prison to help her prepare for a paper. She is being protected by two officers. As all hell breaks loose, Kurt, who is hiding his identity as a former police officer, becomes the best chance for Julie, her protectors, the nurse and other non-convicts, to escape. But they need to get through the six floors of the prison to access the roof. Each floor is filled with a different grouping of criminals ending with the top floor, where the death row inmates are held, and the worst ones have committed unspeakable crimes. As bodies fall left and right, time is quickly running out.
Author Adam Plantinga is a sergeant with the San Francisco Police Department making him highly qualified to tell this story. He has previously written non-fiction books on crime. The Ascent is his first novel and it's quite an accomplishment. It read like an action movie and had my heart pounding throughout. It's a tense and exciting book. I thought Kurt was a great character as was Julie. Everything happens very fast as the chaos keeps elevating. And it gets quite bloody and often gruesome. You won't be able to put it down.
Many thanks to Grand Central Publishing and Novel Suspects Insiders for the opportunity to read this fabulous book in advance. Fans of the genre are bound to love it.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Crime Thriller | Mystery | Suspense.
Publication Date: January 2, 2024.
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