Chicago, 1993 – Tequila Abernathy, former Olympics gymnastics medalist and a collector for Marty “the Menace” Maritelli, is out collecting a debt when Marty’s vault is breached, his collector muscle team overcome, and his Super Bowl take of more than a million dollars disappears.Tequila is framed for the heist, set up by someone who even hired an accomplice with a butterfly tattoo on his hand, just like the one Tequila has. Marty, a Chicago bookie, goes into a rage and sics his goons on Tequila. They do horrible things – they rape and kill his sister, Sally, who has Down Syndrome, as well as her caregiver. Tequila goes into a rampage and seeks revenge.
Chicago homicide detective Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels, 26th District and her partner Det. Herb Benedict begin investigating a liquor store shooting, for which Tequila was responsible. After many false starts and lots of probing, Jack figures out most of what had gone down, with but a few details eluding her.
When Marty‘s henchmen fail to get Tequila, he contacts Fonti, the biggest loan shark in the Midwest, who lends him Royce, a brutal and effective killer. One by one, the thugs fall, until the only one left is Hector Slade. Nobody else is left, not even Slade’s partner with the butterfly tattoo, not even his five ferocious dogs – Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy and Happy.
Both Tequila and Jack want to find him, Tequila for revenge, and Jack to arrest Tequila. As it turns out, they end up working as a team.
Konrath’s clever and witty writing is sprinkled throughout Shot of Tequila: “The guy’s head was so empty that when he had a thought, there was an echo.” “Marty slapped him hard enough to be heard in Indiana.” I chuckled often, in spite of myself.
This is not Jack Daniels’ first appearance in a Konrath novel, but it precedes the first. YOU figure that one out.
Shot of Tequila (2010)J.A. Konrath
CreateSpace Reprint Edition (Paperback, $13.95)
ISBN-13: 978-1453885765
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