What You Break

What You Break by Reed Farrel Coleman, 357 pages.

Gus Murphy used to be a cop with the Suffolk County PD. He used to be married, and he used to be the father of two children. Now he drives the van to the airport and the train station for a second-rate Long Island hotel, provides security for the place, and works the door of the bar / nightclub on weekends. His son is dead, his wife left him, and a fair number of his former coworkers think that he is not to be trusted. Gus's life has turned to shit, but he has been coming back, slowly, with the help of three of his friends. Slava, who works with him at the motel, saved Gus's life, as did Father Bill, a former priest who quit the church when he regained his long-lost faith. Gus is a believer in loyalty, and he feels that he owes these two friends everything. When Father Bill asks Gus to investigate the murder of a young woman on behalf of her grandfather, someone who is definitely not Bill's friend, Gus agrees. When Slava's secrets start to unravel, Gus feels he has no choice but to help him as well. Deft, artful writing with interesting characters and an interesting plot. I have already put the first book in this series, Where It Hurts, on hold for myself.