I really enjoyed Ray Banks’ Sucker Punch. The characters are very well drawn and the world that they are set in is extremely compelling. I especially liked the lead character Cal Innes who is a tough as nails thug trying very hard to be good, but not quite finding his way. His internal conflicts drive the book. This adds a depth to a book that would otherwise been a pretty light thriller.

Sucker Punch is the second novel in the “Cal Innes Series”. I didn’t read Banks’ first Innes novel Saturday’s Child but didn’t feel lost reading Sucker Punch which felt like a very self contained novel. I appreciate a writer who can write a series and make each book feel unique, all too often writer’s in this genre write fractured stories with an eye to the greater series, Banks resists this temptation and delivers a solid and complete novel.

Sucker Punch is at its best when it’s immersed in the world of amateur boxing, the closer to the ring this book gets the better it is. Unfortunately the book takes an extreme left turn about three quarters of the way through that really threw me. It’s jarring and really derailed the momentum of the book. Banks’ does ultimately pull it all together after that serious mis-step and it’s not enough of a mis-step to prevent me from recommending this book, but it would have been a better book without it. The twist also arrests the natural story arch and results in a key conflict not getting the resolution it should have.

If you’re a fan of boxing or enjoy the gritty world of sweat soaked gyms and tough guys Sucker Punch is definitely worth checking out.