Revenge Hit

The Ben Leit Series, Book 2

By: B Davis Kroon

Narrated by: Timothy Howard Jackson

A brilliant but oddball football fanatic witnesses a player die on the gridiron—thanks to an official’s screw-up—and the agony of his childhood takes over. Weeks later, some part of him is killing football officials. And Ben Leit is dragged into a road trip search for the anesthetic killer.

©2050 Barbara Davis Kroon (P)2023 Barbara Davis Kroon

Who are you going to root for?

Picking your team—that's half the fun of the game. Only, Davis Kroon's football-themed thriller Revenge Hit had me rooting for both sides. Chemist-turned-killer "Beaker" Beacham sets out on a crusade to stop incompetent football officials, the kind whose failed calls contribute to injuries and even death among young college players. Players like his own long-dead brother Deke, who seems to be along for the ride. Ex-footballer-turned-investigator Ben Leit is the good guy here, but he, too, stands in the long shadow cast by CTE, traumatic brain injury caused by football-related concussions.

This is the kind of thriller I like, with plenty of action, a credible threat, complex characters and enough dodges and feints, but without a lot of morbid sadism directed toward women. And woven all through like a ribbon is a crazy buddy road trip across America, from a midwestern college ball game to an earthquake induced traffic snarl in LA. It's like Thelma and Louise with corndogs, except they're both actually Thelma, and... well, you'll just have to listen.

Narrator Timothy Howard Jackson has the perfect voice for this complicated story. He manages to keep the two brothers separate—for us, if not for poor Beaker. He follows the intent of sentences very well and builds suspense without hamming it up. Plus, his mellow baritone is a pure pleasure to the ear.