I am always on the lookout to find new hard-boiled mysteries/thrillers so I happened onto this book while browsing and decided to give it a try. I’m glad I did. What a fun read! Jack Reilly is a retired cop just trying to make it through the day. His “brudda” is in prison and complicates his life no end. So he ends up doing a favor for his brudda’s friend and the next thing you know, the guy gets popped right after talking to Reilly. See where I am goin wit dis? Did I mention the story takes place in Boston? Anyway, there are more twists and turns in this tale than a giant rollercoaster, and you get to go along for the ride. Chandler once said, “If you don’t know what to do next, send a man through the door with a gun in his hand.” This book has that feel. I also enjoyed the up-close-and-personal take on Boston politics, the corruption and how it works. Hard Knocks is Mr. Carr’s first book of fiction and I hope it is not his last.