Book ~ "The Devil's Necktie" (2013) John Lansing

From Goodreads ~ Retired inspector Jack Bertolino had strict rules when dealing with confidential informants. But Mia had the kind of beauty that could make a grown man contemplate leaving his wife, his job, and his kids. After a passionate night together, Mia is found murdered - and Jack is the lead suspect.

Facing threats from the LAPD, the 18th Street Angels and a Colombian drug cartel, Jack delves deeper into the seedy world of drug dealers and murderers and discovers that the top players knew Mia personally. And now Jack is torn between fearing for his life and seeking revenge for his slain lover … either way, the body count will rise.

Jack is a retired cop and was looking forward to doing nothing more than BBQing and growing tomatoes on his terrace.   He gets a call from Mia, a former informant, that she is in town.  He's always been attracted to her ... now that he's retired, there are no rules and he can't resist her.  Later he finds her brutally murdered ... a devils necktie is when your throat is slashed and your tongue is pulled through the slash (ewwww!).  Jack is the suspect in the murder.

Mia had ripped off a key member in the drug trade for millions of dollars ... was her murder ordered by him?  Or was she in the wrong place at the wrong time because someone wanted revenge on Jack for when he was a cop?

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.

I liked the writing style .. it was well-paced.  There was lots of action and never a dull moment.  It is written in third person, with the focus shifting depending on what was going on.

I liked Jack ... he was a good guy.  He had a good solid support system of friends who were there for him when he needed them.  The bad guys are really bad ... not nice at all ... so I was cheering Jack on to give them what they deserved.  I found that there were a lot of characters, though.  I had a hard time keeping them straight sometimes and I had to keep going back to see who they were.

I would recommend this book.  I can see it being the first in a series.