The List

Rico's Revenge

Fiction - Mystery - Murder
294 Pages
Reviewed on 07/10/2019
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Detective John Ramos and Detective Beth Harper have many successful cases to their names and they are known for their incredible teamwork and positive outcomes. The duo has solved some of the most difficult homicide cases, so it makes sense for them to take up the new case that is terrorizing Los Angeles. A dangerous man is on the loose and he is killing people with such precision that no one can trace the murders back to him. However, when Beth and John get a breakthrough, they are surprised to find someone who could help them find the killer. Can they catch the killer in time, especially when their own lives are at stake?

The List: Rico's Revenge by Larry Horn is a murder mystery that had me interested from the moment I read the blurb. The characters were very well rounded and well developed. The author gave them plenty of page space to evolve and plenty of opportunities to have them find their individual paths in the story. I enjoyed the chemistry between Detective John Ramos and his partner, Detective Beth Harper. They made a team that respected each other and gave importance to each other’s decisions. I also enjoyed the mystery as well; the author handled the plot and the individual storylines of the characters while at the same time keeping the mystery alive. There was never a moment where I felt that the story was lagging or lacking in any aspect. I could not guess how the story would end, no matter how hard I tried and how obvious I thought it was. A brilliant mystery that kept me guessing. This novel deserves each of these 5 stars!

Michelle Stanley

The List: Rico’s Revenge is a murder mystery by Larry Horn. Dr. Charles Stevens is a famous transplant surgeon. Once organ donors are available, and they usually are with the help of Rico, a highly trained ex-soldier, the doctor travels worldwide to perform surgeries. Stevens’s fondness for publicity arouses Detective John Ramos's suspicions about the doctor. With the help of his partner, Beth Harper, John begins to follow the transplant route left by Stevens and learns about his elite client list. When evidence is found at a prostitute’s home that is located out of state, it matches the one the detectives have. This turns the investigation into another direction that is totally unexpected. It also puts Ramos's and his colleagues’ lives at risk.

In The List: Rico’s Revenge, ailing patients and their loved ones are both affected by the trauma surrounding them. Waiting lists for persons requiring organ transplants are always long, while organs and donors are not readily available like commodities. Some people wait long periods, never giving up hope and faith, but there are others who are willing to take drastic measures to speedily save lives once the price is right. Dr. Stevens is really a skillful transplant surgeon. Detectives Ramos and Harper make a great team. Larry Horn’s story is moderately paced, with characters showing what they are thinking at times, thus making the story more relatable. It’s suspenseful, a bit emotional, and engaging to read. The ending is indeed suspenseful and was not the one I expected with particular characters, but I liked it.

Trudi LoPreto

Dr. Charles Stevens is a very well known and brilliant transplant doctor; he saves the lives of many famous people around the world but is he a good doctor or an evil killer? In The List: Rico's Revenge by Larry Horn, the main characters of Detectives John Ramos and Beth Harper provide brilliant investigative skills plus some undercurrent romance to add a little spice. Ramos is an astute and very skilled detective and he begins tracking the deaths of prostitutes that appear to coincide with deaths of people being used for organ donations. As he and Harper begin to look carefully into other states and other cases, they find an amazing amount of similarities and the closer they get to finding answers the more they put themselves in danger. The clues are well hidden, the reasons are questionable, and the detectives are not going to stop until they get answers - no matter what danger they face.

The List: Rico’s Revenge was impossible to put down because this book has all of the elements of a very special story with excitement from the moment you begin reading until the final breathtaking conclusion. The List is a must-read mystery, suspense, romantic medical thriller. John, Beth, and the other players are faced with both ethical and psychological dilemmas before the case comes to an unbelievable edge of your seat finale. The twists and turns which Larry Horn has written into The List will quickly give it a five-star rating and have you anxiously awaiting his next book. This is a MUST-read! Put The List on the very top of your reading list – you will not be disappointed.

Darryl Greer

According to UNOS – United Network for Organ Sharing – there are currently over 113,000 people on the waiting list for an organ transplant in the United States. Against this, so far this year there have been less than 20,000 organ transplants. The fastest risers to the top of the list are those who are the sickest. This is the rather unique background to author Larry J. Horn’s thriller, The List: Rico’s Revenge. L.A. detective John Ramos and his partner Beth Harper are renowned for their ability to solve the most difficult homicide cases, with Ramos often accused of being unduly paranoid. Some of that paranoia floats to the surface when he notices that world-famous transplant surgeon Dr. Charles Stevens, the go-to surgeon for the rich and famous, always seems to be in the right place at the right time in order to perform a transplant. Can it be a coincidence? Or does he have some inside knowledge? Or worse. As Stevens is perceived as a national hero and has recently saved the life of a Congressman’s daughter, Ramos’ boss does not want him launching an official investigation. But Ramos can’t help himself and his nose for the truth takes him to some very dark places where he stumbles upon Rico, a cold, calculating, highly trained assassin. But how can this personification of evil be connected to the iconic Dr. Stevens?

This is Larry J. Horn’s debut novel and it is a creditable work. I suspect that The List might be the first of a series, or at least that there might be a sequel as the ending seems to suggest it. The novel is well written, intriguing and topical and grips the reader’s attention from the get-go. The characters are living, breathing beings. You find yourself cheering for the good guys, wishing the worst on the bad guys, all the time turning pages as quickly as you can to see where the story heads next. There’s a touch of romance without it overpowering the rest of the story and a few shocks and surprises along the way. The plot itself is intriguing with some interesting twists and turns, reminiscent of Robin Cook’s medical novels. The List: Rico’s Revenge is a great kick-start to a promising career as a writer for Larry J. Horn.

K.C. Finn

The List: Rico’s Revenge is a short, sharp work of intriguing crime and murder mystery fiction, penned by author Larry J. Horn. Written for adults due to explicit content and language, this high stakes thriller takes us into the worlds of both medicine and crime as we explore the dark world of organ trafficking and transplants. The central crimefighting pair are detectives John Ramos and Beth Harper, who have their fair share of interpersonal tension. So when John’s crime radar goes off upon meeting an innocuous doctor who seems to be a hero in his field, John can only scratch the surface without making an official investigation. Unfortunately, even a scratch begins to reveal the dark truth behind Dr. Charles Stevens.

Thriller and crime readers will be absolutely delighted to delve into this dark and murderous mystery novel from the mind of author Larry J. Horn. The setting of Los Angeles presents a fast paced background for the crimes to take place, where high-rolling and high-earning people seem to lead the way as shining examples. Horn turns all that on its head with unexpected plot twists that uncover exciting secrets, keeping pages and chapters turning throughout the read. Character development brings Ramos and Harper closer together, giving plenty of that ‘will they/won’t they’ feel without overwhelming the central crime plot of the novel itself. I was also especially fond of the dialogue, which did really well to give different characters their unique voices and develop them beyond their initial descriptions. Overall, The List: Rico’s Revenge is an excellent compelling medical mystery.

Anne-Marie Reynolds

The List: Rico's Revenge by Larry Horn is a murder mystery surrounding the medical world and ethics. John Ramos is an LAPD detective and, together with Beth Harper, his partner, has solved some of the most complex homicides. People tell John he is paranoid but his feelings are rarely wrong and he doesn’t think they will be this time either. Dr. Charles Stevens is a celebrity transplant surgeon, operating on some of the most influential and rich people in the world. He always seems to be there when a high-profile transplant needs to be done and John is suspicious – every transplant operation seems to be preceded by an accident. Persuading Beth to help him, John gets on the trail and they discover that the eminent surgeon has a Preferred Client List, a list of people he promises will get the surgery they need when the organ is available, regardless of where they are on the transplant list. They also discover a connection to Rico, a shady character who hacks medical databases and murders people. Until now, his tracks have always been clear but John Ramos isn’t letting this one go. What is the connection between Rico and Dr. Stevens? And when their lives are put at risk, can John save Beth?

The List: Rico’s Revenge by Larry Horn was compelling reading. Surrounding the world of medical transplants, with a healthy dose of murder and ethics thrown in for good measure, this is one story that will keep you reading. It is fast-paced, drawing you in from the very first page and holding your attention all the way through. It is a thriller, a suspense novel, a murder mystery all rolled into one with some well-developed characters and a plot that I suspect Larry Horn researched very well before writing – certainly the attention to detail, especially surrounding the medical aspect, suggests that. All the main characters have been developed to the extent that they feel like people you know. The characters are real people with real lives, solving real, believable problems in a story that is full of twists and turns. I guarantee you won’t want to put this one down.