Pull together the pulp perfection of John D Macdonald and the grassroots grit of James Lee Burke; mix with one of Stephen Hunter’s alpha male Swagger clan; add the cross-border corruption of Don Winslow – and then you come close to the tales of the Wolfe family.

This standalone focuses on Axel, serving hard time with 11 years left on his sentence and longing to meet the daughter he fathered two decades ago. When he seizes an opportunity to escape, a massive manhunt ensues which forces Axel down the Rio Grande and into a desert inferno. As Axel races across desolate landscapes from West Texas to the Gulf of Mexico, he’ll meet more than one reckoning from his past. Can Axel overcome his own reckless instincts, which propel him towards wrathful revenge? Will his need for justice overcome his desire to make amends with his own flesh and blood?

The Ways of Wolfe comes blasting at you from the very first page, as the escaped felons hurtle headfirst into the kind of wild violence which might see them drifting downstream, riddled with bullet wounds… or might just get them to the border. The backstory is deftly spoon-fed in snappy flashback snippets; adding to the suspense without distracting from the action.

Axel could so easily be just another cartel drug dealing guy from central casting, but James Carlos Blake is a far better writer than that. Keeping the narrative lean and focused, he crafts Axel as a complicated character – the university graduate who could’ve gone into the straight side of the family business, and flourished as a corporate lawyer. Instead he wanted to walk on the wild side.

And, oh boy, his wishes came completely true.

There’s a risk with this story (don’t worry, I won’t spoil the surprises) that Blake could’ve taken a softer option, gone for the crowd-pleasing moment at the expense of his characters’ authenticity. Instead he stays true to the notion of genuine noir in hardboiled crime fiction. The truth may set you free, but it’ll hurt like hell in the process.

The writing doesn’t quite reach the honed perfection of Daniel Woodrell or Peter Temple, but overall this is a monstrously enjoyable romp – one with a solid centre. If you’re looking for lightweight froth then this won’t be your cup of cappuccino.

8/10

I'd heard some great things about James Carlos Blake's crime writing, but this was the first book I'd read from a unique, award-winning author who's been dubbed “one of the greatest chroniclers of the mythical American outlaw life” and "one of the bravest" writers in America.

It definitely won't be the last; The Ways of Wolfe is a rip-snorting, action-packed tale full of violence, criminality and philosophy. A true Border Noir, riding hard along the border, heavy on the noir.

Axel Wolfe has spent twenty years in prison for a robbery gone wrong, his promise as a college student and part of a powerful Texas family ground away by years ensconced in a tiny cell. There's a light at the end of the tunnel, but it's still more than a decade away, so against his better judgement Axel teams up with a young prisoner whose drug cartel contacts can provide support for an escape.

Freedom beckons, but at what price?

The Ways of Wolfe is the latest Blake tale centred on branches of the Wolfe family, a fascinating clan whose roots sprawl across both sides of the Texas-Mexico border and whose interests sprawl across both sides of the legal-illegal divide. Axel's promise saw him tapped by some in the family for the legal work, but he'd always found himself more drawn to the family's secretive 'shade trade'.

Reading The Ways of Wolfe certainly made me keen to read Blake's other Wolfe family tales, and in fact pretty much anything Blake has written. He's a superb storyteller. His prose is punchy, full of violence and venom, but it flows beautifully, unfolding at high pace but never feeling rushed or 'thin'.

I was immediately drawn into Axel's world, and his yearning for freedom and to reconnect with his long-lost daughter. As the escape plan is hatched and executed, peril appears at every turn. There's a great tension throughout the book, as Axel faces challenges both human and environmental. You know things are heading down a bad road for many involved, but it's a fascinating ride getting there.

A terrific tale full of grit and style.

Sweeping and emotional, building to a frankly superb crescendo - I just loved this.

i gather this is the latest in a series of books about the Wolfe family - in this one, rich scion Alex gets caught when a robbery goes wonky - and he is sentenced to 30 years since he refuses to give up his cohorts' names. His daughter is born while he's in prison, and he is branded for life; we are picking the story up - all in first person present at some points (hard to read for me) - nearly a third of the way through his sentence when a fellow prisoner organises to escape, Alex sees his change to finally meet his daughter ... they manage it, and escape to mexico where they continue their ways, and Alex rekindles his desire to find his cohorts and seek revenge - all while searching for his daughter. when he does find her, it is complicated with a shoot out - the women do what they must.! i know Blake is well regarded and bestselling writer but I found this first person, present tense which the novel reverts to a hard read! i must be wrong! for me too much repetition of ethos and there seem to be no good guys - I know this is fashionable but along with the stark prose, it's not for me.