A Wolf in the Fold

A Ralph Compton Novel 
by David Robbins

Signet, February 2007

A hired assassin, Lucius Stark is the coldest man in Texas. If the price is right he’ll kill anyone with no second thoughts. But even the hardest of men have a soft spot. When Stark grows too fond of a woman he is hired to kill, his client shows his displeasure by shooting him in the back. Now it’s payback time and Stark sets out to deliver his own brand of vengeance…free of charge.

A book written in the first person isn’t my usual choice of reading but this one has me convinced I must try more.

A book where the lead character can only be described as a cold-hearted killer, a man other books would have as the hero’s foe. David Robbins' masterfully composed words have you wanting him to win even though you feel you shouldn’t.

But is Stark the most evil character in the story, I’d say no. There’s one other, a person who takes what they want with complete disregard for those in the way, they will be walked over, or killed, without a second thought. Yes Stark kills without feeling too but he only kills if paid to do so or his life is threatened.

David Robbins also allows a moment of feeling to crack the hardness of Stark, a fleeting moment of humanity that almost gets Stark killed, a moment in which Stark’s desire for vengeance is born, and then for those who like violent and action packed reads it becomes one long killing spree.

A story that will confuse your emotions into how you should feel about a killer, touch your emotions due to the fate of innocents and rouse your emotions in wanting to see justice done. All this achieved by superb storytelling that makes this one of the best books written by David Robbins.