What is Reed Farrel Coleman reading?

Featured at Writers Read: Reed Farrel Coleman, author of What You Break.

His entry begins:

The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly

One of the unfortunate side effects of writing as much as I do is that I enjoy reading less and less. I have little patience for obvious ploys and ruses. It’s almost like having x-ray vision, because I can see through weak writing and I refuse to push myself to finish novels I don’t enjoy. That’s why I turn more and more to great writers like Michael Connelly. I so thoroughly enjoy watching a pro do his or her thing. I have to say that Michael’s current hit might be my favorite. Harry Bosch is a wonderful protagonist, but there is a level of emotion in this novel that...[read on]

About What You Break, from the publisher:

Former Suffolk County cop Gus Murphy returns to prowl the meaner streets of Long Island’s darkest precincts with a Russian mercenary at his back in the stunning second installment of Reed Farrel Coleman’s critically acclaimed series.

Gus Murphy and his girlfriend, Magdalena, are put in harm’s way when Gus is caught up in the distant aftershocks of heinous crimes committed decades ago in Vietnam and Russia. Gus’s ex-priest pal, Bill Kilkenny, introduces him to a wealthy businessman anxious to have someone look more deeply into the brutal murder of his granddaughter. Though the police already have the girl’s murderer in custody, they have been unable to provide a reason for the killing. The businessman, Spears, offers big incentives if Gus can supply him with what the cops cannot—a motive.

Later that same day, Gus witnesses the execution of a man who has just met with his friend Slava. As Gus looks into the girl’s murder and tries to protect Slava from the executioner’s bullet, he must navigate a minefield populated by hostile cops, street gangs, and a Russian mercenary who will stop at nothing to do his master’s bidding. But in trying to solve the girl’s murder and save his friend, Gus may be opening a door into a past that was best left forgotten. Can he fix the damage done, or is it true that what you break you own…forever?

Visit Reed Farrel Coleman's website.

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Writers Read: Reed Farrel Coleman.

--Marshal Zeringue