Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Marcus Prater and Benjamin Danvers are having a wonderful morning when they are interrupted by a phone call. It’s Zachary and he needs their help. An old friend of Jeremiah’s, NIck, has gone missing and Jeremiah wants to know what has happened to him. Since Ben also knows Nick from his time as a rent boy, Marcus and Ben are quick to agree to join a growing search for a young man known for his kindness and help to those on the streets.
Their investigation takes a darker turn when more boys turn up missing. This investigation reminds Marcus that he also has someone he wants to find, his younger brother who Marcus hasn’t seen in years. Their current search renews Marcus’ resolve to find his brother and make amends for all the lost time between them. The shocking resolution of both investigations will change everyones lives forever.
Knights Out, the fourth story in the City Knight series, is a wonderful installment in this Pulp Friction group offering. Here Webb continues to weave the clues to the mystery that runs through all four series, that of the increasing number of missing young men and the culprit behind their torture and subsequent deaths. In Knights Out two more young rent boys disappear, both of which the readers became familiar with in other stories. Now we are faced with uncertainty about their fate and the indication that a serial murderer is at work. Webb builds our tension and anxiety in small but increasingly fearful steps. Soon we are afraid not only for the missing men but for all the main characters that we have come to love, especially those like Ben and Jeremiah who fit the profile of the men the killer is targeting. The fact that Ben and Jeremiah have just found happiness just increases our alarm.
But T.A. Webb balances that worry and concern with moments of laughter and love, especially when it comes to Marcus and his brother. That is such a lovely element in this story. It made me laugh as well as cry. As much as I wanted to include that excerpt with Wick here, I just can’t bring myself to spoil the enjoyment of reading it as part of the whole chapter. Trust me, you will love this moment for so many reasons, one of which is the rare scene of seeing the unshakable Wick throughly discomforted (in a funny way of course).
By balancing a man’s love for his brother and Ben against the horror that is coming., Webb shows just how fragile a state happiness can be. Nothing is ever certain, nothing is ever guaranteed except death, so grab your love and happiness while you can. It’s a message that some of the characters are just beginning to accept, however much they may fight it. The author spreads tension throughout the series, like butter on bread. Whether it is Marcus’ health, Wick’s relationships, the mens past histories emerging into the present day events, all bring a certain amount of tension and uncertainty to all the investigations and relationships.
All the other characters from the other series are starting to appear with regularity. Here Wick and Chance are an integral part of the search for the missing rent boys with implications for both men and their past histories. And while there is not a cliffhanger to be found in this story, the path is laid for more investigations and more revelations to come.
Tom Webb is certainly bring his love of Pulp Fiction alive with this story and his City Knight series. None of these books and related series are to be missed. But you must start at the beginning with City Knight in order to understand the main characters backgrounds and relationships and the events to come.
Here they are in the order they were written and should be read:
City Knight (City Knight #1)
Knightmare (City Knight #2)
Starry Knight (City Knight #3)
Knights Out (City Knight #4)
Darkest Knight (City Knight #5)
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Book Details:
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 
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