Proving Ground by Peter Blauner

Proving Ground by Peter Blauner

Proving Ground by Peter Blauner is a relentless thriller about an ex GI, Natty Dresden , who comes home to find his liberal father David has been murdered. He desperately wants to find the killer but he has his own problems to deal with as well. He's got terrible dreams of killing a kid in Iraq and he fades in and out of reality. Drinking doesn't help and he almost kills a firefighter in a brawl. Meanwhile, the book's second narrator Lourdes , is a female cop who is also looking for David Dresden's killer. There is another story which works into all this, David Dresden was suing the government in The Mailman Case, which has to do with terrorism. Did the FBI have him knocked off? David is in no shape to take all this on but does anyway, and we go with him on this dark ride. It's a really well written novel, with great lines, and subtle observations. A very literary thriller, which substitutes brains and insight for loud explosions. 

This is the first in a series. I look forward to the next one.