The Boys From Santa Cruz by Jonathan Nasaw

 

Luke Sweet didn't have much of a chance in life.  Raised by a serial killer father and his partner, Little Luke managed to escape when the police came for them.  Raised with little school but plenty of drugs and violence, he went to his grandparents, hoping to live with them but they turned him in to the police and he was put in a juvenile center.  There he was taken on a wilderness trip that ended up with two other juveniles dead, deaths that were put on Luke's list. When he is caught this time, he is put into a mental hospital and drugged into compliance.

Ten years later, FBI Agent E.L. Pender hears about a mental hospital that had a gas explosion with lots of patient deaths.  Pender had been part of the team that took down Big Luke and when deaths occur to those close to Little Luke, he believes that the son has somehow escaped and is now taking revenge.  He goes back to California to finish what he started all those years ago.  Will he be successful this time?

I'd forgotten how much I like Jonathan Nasaw.  His thriller are not for the faint-hearted as they are full of violence and gore, but Pender is an engaging character and his adventures are always fun to read.  He sees what other law enforcement seem to miss and his policy of ask forgiveness instead of permission is engaging.  This book is recommended for thriller readers.