The Replacements — David Putnam

Best-selling author of the Bruno Johnson Crime Series

High Octane -- Urgent -- Authentic

Bruno Johnson, ex-detective with Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and an ex-convict, is hiding out from the FBI in Costa Rica, tending bar to support eight children he illegally rescued from abusive homes.

Partway through a normal day, Barbara Wicks, a former colleague and the chief of police for Montclair, California, walks into his bar. Bruno is shocked to the core. Is she there to arrest him and take him back to California? Turns out she's there to request Bruno's help -- two children have been kidnapped.

The kidnapper, Jonas Mabry, was himself a victim whom Bruno rescued as a small child. Now Mabry demands a fool's retribution -- a million-dollar ransom and that Bruno must put his own life on the line to secure the money.

In this twisted turn of fate, Bruno returns to California as a wanted criminal. Despite the risk of arrest and jeopardizing his life, he cannot turn his back on these kids.

Perfect for fans of Robert Crais and Michael Connelly

While all of the novels in the Bruno Johnson Crime Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

The Disposables
The Replacements
The Squandered
The Vanquished
The Innocents
The Reckless
The Heartless
The Ruthless
The Sinister