James Tarr wrote Failure Drill as Book 1 in his John Phault Series.
If you're not into guns, you might not appreciate that James Tarr is also a gun writer for major gun/shooting magazines. This is pertinent because there is mucho fire power of all kinds in this entertaining story which is really more geared toward the male audience although I found it quite entertaining - except for the abundant profanity.
Private Investigator John Phault is asked by his cop friend to look into the missing son of a friend of his. John hates missing person's cases and wants to refuse, but ultimately takes the case. When he inquires of the 20 yr. old's friends about him, they're suddenly on alert and will not allow John to proceed without them. Ron and Steve and then Bob are all bound by their strong friendship and kindred spirits to find the missing Jerry who they insist is in big trouble, danger, or dead because he would never just disappear. As much as John does not want their assistance, he ends up needing them while they end up shocking him with their incomprehensible skills, knowledge, and composure.
After accepting the assistance of the young men he views as just past teenagers, things get real. When John's wife is put in the hospital by thugs and his life threatened more than once, he's on a vengeance trail. People have been showing up dead, and now one of them is going to wish he was. Soon the group realizes somehow Jerry's absence is related to all of this, and when they figure that out, they know they have to get to whoever's orchestrating the chaos before Jerry becomes a resident at the morgue.
The real mystery is discovering where Jerry could have gone to disappear. Once John surmises what probably happened, the group aims toward possibilities. An unusual occurrence when John visits the ATM where Jerry visited after he disappeared finally leads them in the right direction.
It's an occasionally bloody battle to retrieve Jerry and it's one where you have to accept the end justifies the means.
If you can ignore or get past the grimacing at the abundant profanity, it's an entertaining storyline. John Phault is the typical private eye stereotype to a degree, dark humor, quick witted, but ominous when he realizes his wife's been hurt. There are some hardcore scenes involving John and these young men in their pursuit of the missing Jerry, but James portrays them as both typical young men and as smart, intuitive, and somewhat exceptional young men. At times, the story will catch you shaking your head.
There was only one detail I found somewhat unbelievable involving a Kevlar vest at the end, but, hey . . .
(Sidenote: I learned one of James Tarr's occupations is a gun writer after I'd made my new protagonist's brother a gun writer in my WIP.)
Father, only you save souls and give talents and gifts. Only you see the hearts of mankind. May each one know from whom their gifting comes. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.