PAPERBACK STYLE PLEASURE: MIKE BARON'S THE BIKER BOOK 11: DEPARTURE DAY

With his series character, Josh Pratt, Mike Baron found a perfect hero for an updated form of the men's adventure books., The Biker A motorcycle gang member who found Jesus in prison and now tries to do good with P.I., and process server work. He's macho, capable, not politically correct, and has contacts on both sides of the law. i had read one of Barron's earlier Biker books that was pretty dark, but he demonstrates a lighter touch with his latest, Departure Day,

While preparing for his wedding with his liberal theater director and play write Raye, a seventeen year old boy, Dolan, appears on his doorstep informing him he's his son. His mother just died of an overdose and the apartment they lived in has been taken over by the Venezuelans gang Tran de Aragua. He needs help getting his elderly neighbor out. Soon, Josh learns of others need to be rescued from the gangs in other buildings. He puts together a coalition of bikers and less menacing gang bangers to get everyone out.

Baron balances the action plot with Josh's personal life. We follow him planning both his extraction mission and wedding at the same time, creating a tension that one may compromise the other. Dolan brings the plot to him, but it also has Josh facing his past and dealing with it. The book braids all these storylines seamlessly.

Baron's use of humor acts as a lubricant for the book. Josh and his buddies have a wonderful tough guy back and forth, representing the the outskirts of society cultures they come from. The opposites attract banter between he and raye is sexy and fun. The awkward moments with Josh dealing with suddenly becoming the their of a teenager made we want to see more. Some may have a problem with the way the Venezuelans gang members are portrayed by in the book and referred to by Josh and his allies, but I decided to see it both reflecting our hero's personality and being a tongue and cheek take of the the tropes from hose books in the eighties.

Bilker 11: Departure Day moves fast and can kill time with efficiency. Mike Baron takes the men's adventure hero and humanizes him while he still kicks ass and takes name. You may feel a little guilty for enjoying it, but you can't deny the pleasure.