Reviewed by Paul Johnson for Readers' Favorite

Ex-mercenary Gianni Gordini, now known as Johnny Silver, and his friend Bull is living in quite partial seclusion on a small Caribbean island trying to keep away from some bad Russian’s that would like to see the dead. When Johnny Silver's brother, Carlo, the head of an investment bank, disappears along with ten million euros, Johnny is reluctantly persuaded to come out of hiding to track him down. The trail leads Johnny into the world of gambling, prostitution, drugs, human-trafficking and more.

They soon find out that the bad guys are the same Russians they worked so hard to avoid. They also find out that Carlo’s bank has been laundering dirty Russian money. Calling his old team back together, Johnny decides to put an end to the bad guys once and for all. Learning that his other brother, Roberto is in bed with the New York Mafia, he decides to attempt to kill two birds with one stone. After all these years, does the team still have the skills to get it done. Maybe, maybe not, but they have to try.

Mercenary is action adventure at its best, where the good guys and the bad guys are quickly outlined. From the opening sequence, the reader is quickly drawn into a well constructed suspenseful plot. The cast of characters is outstanding from Johnny, the hard-core leader with a good heart, to the hulk of a man Bull, to half Comanche Red, to the self proclaimed ladies man, South African Pieter to the thoughtful and ever cautious Stan. These, as well as the bad guys, are characters with which the reader can easily identify. This is an enjoyable adventure without excessive blood and guts and strong language. The author has put together a very good tale and left the ending with a possible sequel or more. Excellent.