It’s not often I read a book that I actually dislike. Fighting Dirty, by Blair Denholm, is one of that elite group. I usually drop books that fail to please me, but this one sprung its trap at the end.

Technically, Fighting Dirty is not a book. It’s a short story, a prequel to a series about Jack Lisbon, a London police detective and former boxer who relocates to Australia. In this story we learn how Jack came to make the move.

Jack fixed a case for an old trainer friend, who promised him a large bribe, then failed to pay it. Jack threatens him. His “friend” then retaliates by sending some toughs to beat him up while he’s drunk (which he generally is). Then we see Jack going through recovery, during which time he cleans his act up somewhat. Then he decides to move to Australia, and we see a new, more likeable Jack – until the sucker punch at the end, which turned the tale, for this reader, into a horror story.

Not recommended.