13 Million Dollar Pop by David Levien
Friday, August 5, 2011 at 8:52PM 
Published by Doubleday on August 9, 2011
Frank Behr doesn’t fit in with the corporate culture of the private investigation/security consulting firm that employs him, but he has a baby on the way and it’s a better living than he made while working on his own. Asked at the last minute to fill in as a bodyguard for Bernie Kolodnik, a wealthy businessman who is about to accept an appointment to the Senate, Behr’s boredom is relieved by gunfire. When Behr later tries to learn what progress the police have made tracking down the man who tried to assassinate Kolodnik, his inquiries are stonewalled. Behr decides to investigate the shooting on his own. While he’s at it, Behr investigates an apparent attempt to blackmail his boss. As we follow Behr’s progress, we’re also introduced to Waddy Dwyer, the Welshman who wants to see Kolodnik dead. Dwyer comes to America after deciding that if he wants the job done right, he’ll have to do it himself. A real estate developer, a political consultant, a call girl and her pimp, and a former FBI agent all add to the mystery surrounding the plot to kill Kolodnik.
Behr reeks of machismo but he isn’t as obnoxious as some other thriller heroes who suffer from the same affliction. He has the standard action hero personality (i.e., not much); strip away his macho veneer and there’s nothing left. Still, this is a plot-driven novel and while strong characterization would have been a nice bonus, its absence doesn’t wholly negate enjoyment of the fast moving story.
David Levien’s writing style is reasonably fluid. Occasional phrases are a little silly (like two big guys hitting each other with “Superman punches”) but most of his prose is slightly better than the norm for action-thrillers. As the story unfolds, Levien delivers a nice blend of action and anticipation. The plot threads cohere into a story that is intricate without becoming unduly confusing. A scene toward the end involving a hot-tempered police officer is contrived, inserted in an obvious attempt to induce the reader’s short-lived shock, but the rest of the story evolves naturally and credibly. Not every plotline is neatly resolved (one seems to disappear entirely), perhaps with a view to setting up the next novel in the series. My most serious complaint is that the novel’s two heroes, in addition to throwing Superman punches, seem to have Superman’s invulnerability and stamina -- they keep fighting through gunshot and knife wounds -- but that’s standard for action-oriented fiction.
This is the third Frank Behr novel (I haven't read the first two). I liked 13 Million Dollar Pop just enough to stimulate my interest in other novels in the series, but not enough to make me stand in line waiting to buy them.
Addendum: I received a polite email from the author explaining that "Superman punch" is a Mixed Martial Arts term that "refers to a lunging punch where the striker leaves his feet to generate maximum force." I didn't know that, and while it still sounds silly to my ear, I appreciate the clarification.
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