This was the first book that published for James Patterson. Thomas Berryman is a gun for hire. He makes his living as a hired assassin, though he is not connected to the mob or any other organization.

Ochs Jones, the narrator, is a reporter for a Nashville paper who is hoping to make it big by investigating the secretive history of Berryman. All of this is in response to the assassination of Jimmie Horne, the first African American mayor of Nashville. The assassination is followed by the killing of the assassin himself by another professional. Jones sees this as a chance to prove how goof of a reporter he is. His trek brings him to New York and throughout the South in the hopes of getting more information about the professional killer. The question is whether or not Jones can get the information he is searching for before Berryman can strike again.

I did find Jones to be an interesting narrator. I enjoyed listening to him talk about his family, everyday life, and his investigation. Sprinkled throughout his professional journal, there by Jones are notes interspersed.

Unfortunately, the book drags a lot because there really is not enough of a plot to support the length of the book. It is surprising to read, since Patterson usually has such wonderfully crafted books. I guess it goes to show that everyone starts off and has stuff to learn.