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Mike Tucker is the lead character of the Mike Tucker series also known as the Black Cat Mysteries series of novels written by Dean Koontz, one of the most prolific and popular of caper novelists. The first novel featuring the Mike Tucker character was the 1973 published title “Blood Risk”.
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Order of Black Bat Mystery Series By: Dean Koontz, Brian Coffey
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blood Risk | 1973 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Surrounded | 1974 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Wall of Masks | 1975 | Description / Buy |
Michael Tucker who goes by the name of Mike Tucker is a perfectionist, art dealer, and thief who works alongside several shady characters in doing odd criminal jobs. The lead character is somewhat of an enigma, as his background story is never given in full, as Koontz releases it bit by bit over the course of the series.
“Blood Risk” the first novel of the series opens to four unidentified men waiting for a Cadillac transporting nearly $350,000, that is half a month’s Mafia take from a suburb they control. The four men are some of the best heist men in the country, having never failed in three years, in which they had thirteen successful heists. The four men are Mike Tucker, perfectionist, professional thief, and art dealer, Bachman the top getaway driver in the city, Pete Harris the machine gun master, and Shirillo the watch out.
As the target car comes into the bend, they realize that their plan had a fatal flaw. Tucker in trying to be too clever had made a terrible miscalculation. What follows is a disaster of an operation that could plunge them into one of the deadliest and bloodies war with the Mafia. The novel is quick and fun caper in the tradition of one of the best writers in the genre, Dean Koontz.
BEST Mike Tucker BOOKS:
Blood Risk: The first novel in the series is an excellent title that packs a lot of action in only 160 pages. Written under the pseudonym Brian Coffey before the author became Dean Koontz, it is a basic money heist narrative that goes awry to lead into an explosive action fest.
The novel offers excellent characterization as Koontz develops his lead character Mike Tucker very well. Carter leads a double life and throughout the course of the series, the reader gets a chance to look at him from the two perspectives. However, the author increases the intrigue with the character by keeping his motivations for leading a double life secret.
Surrounded: The second novel of the Mike Tucker series sees the lead character return to the scene with one of the most intriguing of characters in the series, Frank Myers. Myers is assembling a robbery crew as he has put in place a plan to rob a bank in California’s most exclusive mall in the Santa Monica area. Having teamed up with Mike, he enlists the services of Edgar Bates the best safe cracker in the state.
The team intends to rob a jewelry store and the bank near it of jewelry and money during a national holiday when the mall is closed. Things go awry on the day of the heist as Myers abandons the plan, as he wants more money. His actions alert law enforcement of the robbery at the mall and with the mall surrounded, it is now up to Mike Tucker to figure out an escape plan that does not leave them empty-handed or in jail.
The Wall of Masks: This book is the last novel written under the pseudonym Brian Coffey is an incredible novel that sees Mike Tucker get back with Shirillo of “Blood Risk”. Teaming up with local gangster George Knight, they intend to steal a highly valuable cache of masks that had been recovered from a previously unexplored in a Mayan ruin. Unfortunately, the plan goes to the dogs when the local police officer arrives looking for his customary cut and stumbles on the robbery. The three must now find a way to evade the enraged officer and get out of the jungle that the man knows like the back of his hand.
OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE
Mike Tucker fans also love the “Repairman Jack” Series by F. Paul Wilson. The series of novels feature repairman Jack, an extraordinary repairman who fixes tough situations often putting his life on the line. The man only works for cash, has no social security number, and no last name though he always gets the job done.
Many fans of the Mike Tucker series also love the “Dennis Milne detective mysteries” by Simon Kernick. The series of novels feature Dennis Milne, a sarcastic detective who works in London and later goes on the run under an alias.
What Is The Next Book in The Black Bat Mystery Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Black Bat Mystery Series. The newest book is The Wall of Masks and was released on January, 12th 1975.