Generally speaking I shy away from first-time novelists but after reading the “Click to Look Inside” feature on the Amazon website I decided to give Hunter: A Thriller a try. While the author, Robert Bidinotto, is a first-time novelist he is an accomplished journalist and author and this work clearly demonstrates his skill. More about the author later. The protagonist in Hunter: A Thriller is Dylan Hunter a freelance investigative journalist with a past.  As the story progresses the many sides of Dylan Hunter unfold in some interesting and unexpected ways.  Fans of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher and Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp will find a lot to like here.  The supporting cast of characters, even some of the minor characters, are colorful and well developed by the author.  Wait until you read the description of Wonk, Hunter’s researcher.  Hunter’s developing love interest, and the other principal character in the novel Ann Woods, is a CIA agent making for some interesting tie-ins.  Another key character, Alexandria Virginia police Detective Cronin’s parting comment to Hunter “Stay the hell away from Alexandria” might provide more insight into the interplay here.

As noted earlier the author, Robert Bidinotto while a first-time novelist is an accomplished journalist and author and the following is from About the Author in the book.

Robert Bidinotto earned a national reputation as an authority on criminal justice while writing investigative crime articles as a former Staff Writer for Reader’s Digest. His famous 1988 article “Getting Away with Murder” stirred a national controversy about crime and prison furlough programs during that year’s presidential campaign. It was named a 1989 finalist for a National Magazine Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors.

Bidinotto is author of the acclaimed book Criminal Justice? The Legal System vs. Individual Responsibility, with a foreword by John Walsh of the “America’s Most Wanted” television show, and of Freed to Kill–a compendium of horror stories exposing the failings of the justice system. He drew upon this background and his personal experiences with crime victims to write HUNTER: A Thriller.

He received the Free Press Association’s Mencken Award in 1985 for “Best Feature Story,” and he has been honored by the National Victim Center and other victim-rights organizations for his outspoken public advocacy on behalf of crime victims. As a magazine editor, in 2007 he won the industry’s top honor for editorial excellence — the Folio Gold “Eddie” Award.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and you might want to give it a try. As a bonus you can read the first few chapters on the Amazon website before making a buying decision.  If you like the beginning the novel is available for the Kindle at $3.99 from Amazon and also in paperback. Remember, you can download the Kindle reader for virtually any device.