LAYNE PARRISH

Full Name:	Layne Parrish
Codename:	Boy Scout
Nationality:	American
Organization:	Unnamed Agency
Occupation	Agent

Creator:	Jim Heskett
Time Span:	2016 - 2021

ABOUT THE SERIES

Layne Parrish is an agent with an unnamed organization.

Was an agent, when we first meet him. He has quit and quit for good and vowed never ever to go back to work for the people he has served for so many years, doing things that he does not want to have to think about and would be greatly saddened if his daughter ever learned of them.

Very telling about the type of work that Parrish did for the department is when Daphne tells him he is in Australia because someone is going to assassinate the governor of Victoria in four days, Parrish's first question is, "Am I killing the governor or stopping the person who's going to kill him?" (For the record, it was to stop the killing.)

On that first encounter, Parrish is living in the small town of South Fork, Colorado (population 350) happily no longer being an operative sent throughout the world fighting the country's enemies. He had had enough of that life, joining the group when he was 24 years old and staying with them for 15 years.

Parrish is a 40-year-old "beefy man with buzzcut blond hair" threaded with gray, crow's-feet are around his eyes with wrinkles lining his square-jawed face like bitter scalpel slashes. He is still in impressive shape considering his age and the fact that he was more or less retired. Of course the kind of work he is doing about his mountain home is grueling so his muscles remain toned. The question that arises when he is forced back into his former occupation is whether his mind is still as sharp as it was. For reasons I have yet to learn, he has tattoos of a cherub on each of his forearms.

The main reason Parrish quit, other than he was very tired of the killing he invariably had to do on his missions, was 3-year-old Cameron. That little girl, his daughter, was his pride and joy and, he knew it was not just sentiment, his life. Her mother had left for California and a new life but Cameron stayed with him much of the time and he treasured every moment.

All of which makes it more and more annoying when life comes calling and pulls him back into that former life.

BOOKS

Number of Books:	11
First Appearance:	2016
Last Appearance:	2021


1			Blood Thief Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2016 Book 3 in the Micah Reed series of crime thrillers. "Micah Reed has always been a sucker for a pretty face. When his shy neighbor Daisy shows up with a black eye, he's damn sure going to help her. He investigates her boyfriend, a man she last saw counting piles of unexplained cash. As Micah chases murky clues to uncover where all that money came from, he soon realizes the situation runs a lot deeper than a few illicit Benjamins." This explains how Micah Reed meets and becomes friend with Layne Parrish.

2			Stone Deep Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2016 Book 5 in the Micah Reed series of crime thrillers. A lethal biological weapon threatens thousands and Micah Reed finds himself as the best way to stop it from happening. Layne Parrish has a very small part in it, hardly more than a cameo.

3			Prison Runner Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2016 Book 6 in the Micah Reed series of crime thrillers. When Micah Reed sees on a news program his old prison cellmate fleeing from hitmen, he knows he has to step in to help. That is before he heads to Texas to find his celly and before he learns why the killers are after him. Needing something vital sent to him from him home, Reed asks Layne Parrish to overnight it but instead Parrish drives his Harley from Denver to Dallas and proceeds to play a major role.

4			Shadow Soldiers Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2018 When he retired to the mountains of Colorado to raise his daughter, Layne Parrish was put the killing behind him, leaving the agency he once worked for in the past. Then the late night calls and finally the knock at the door and he is pushed into just one more mission - find and eliminate a ghost from his past before that spectre kills again.

5			Snow Blind Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2018 Once again a mission that just could not be ignored is pushed into Layne Parrish's face, this time dealing with an organization group of human traffickers specializing in children. To learn enough to bring it down, Parrish must go undercover at a meditation retreat as a client.

6			Omega Trap Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2018 The death of a teenager from a sniper's bullet pushed Layne Parrish into looking into the killing but then his former government handler warns him to step away from the matter. Parrish is not that kind of guy and follows the clues to a vicious organization in Colorado and to learn more, he must becomes friends with the lead man.

7			Snake Bite Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2019 When Layne Parrish's best friend, the computer expert Harry, is kidnapped, Parrish knows he has only a very short period of time to get what the snatcher demands, a classified government dossier.

8			Knife Point Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2019 While Layne Parrish, retired assassin, is no stranger to people disappearing, he is not used to having long gone individuals suddenly showing up again but that is the case with his former partner, Jonah. When Jonah claims to have no idea who Parrish is, the mystery deepens.

9			Shotgun Mine Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2020 With some trepidation, Layne Parrish travels back to the city he grew up in to finally make some peace with his father. He was not surprised to find the community still held the same lies it always did but when he makes the mistake of asking questions, he finds someone has put a bounty on his head.

10			Among Thieves Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2020 Book 7 in the Micah Reed series of crime thrillers. Micah Reed was just trying to take a walk with his girlfriend but trouble happens and he steps in to help and ends up with his picture on the web, racking up a gazillion views. He knows the cartel after him will be coming soon but before he can hit the road, his girlfriend is kidnapped. Layne Parrish hears of his trouble and comes to help.

11			Clockwork Soldiers Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2021 For someone who has been determined to live a live of peace and solitude in the mountains of Colorado, Layne Parrish certainly is quick with his agreement to help his former boss who came calling for a favor. Soon he will find that a double agent is very interested in his activities.

11.5			Micah And Layne Get Short Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2021 A collection of 15 short stories, several of which deal with Micah Reed and some with Layne Parrish, with one having both. The Layne Parrish stories are: Eat The Bear Game Day The Layne Parrish Restaurant Story #1 The Layne Parrish Restaurant Story #2 The Layne Parrish Restaurant Story #3 The Layne Parrish Restaurant Story #4 The Layne Parrish Restaurant Story #5

NOVELLAS AND SHORT STORIES

Number of Stories:	2
First Appearance:	2018
Last Appearance:	2021


1			Museum Attack novella Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2018 While visiting a large multi-building art museum with a woman named Jasmine, Layne Parrish is one of the hostages taken prisoner by a well-organized paramilitary group which has no hesitation to kill, having initially exploded two of the buildings as a prelude to the insane mission they have in store for the captives.

2			Salt Shaker short story Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2021 Published as an email freebie to subscribers to the author's newsletter. When Layne Parrish stepped into the diner, he was looking for something to eat. That was all. Maybe some quiet time. Certainly not someone he didn't know sitting at this table calling him by a name he had never heard before and then spending way too long apologizing. And fiddling with the salt shaker. Constantly fiddling.

3			Eat The Bear short story Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2021 Story contained in the collection Micah and Layne Get Short. A dangerous assassin named Dallas is on the hunt for Micah Reed and he knows he needs help. Calling for help from Layne Parrish, he is surprised when a colleague of Parrish, Serena Rojas, shows up instead since Parrish was on a mission to France.

4			Game Day short story Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2021 Story contained in the collection Micah and Layne Get Short. Micah Reed and Layne Parrish are heading to the annual Nuggets Christmas basketball game at the Pepsi Center in Denver. They are not expecting trouble but of course, knowing both fellows, that is what finds them.

5			The Layne Parrish Restaurant Story #1 short story Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2021 Story contained in the collection Micah and Layne Get Short. Someone approaches Layne Parrish in The Firehouse restaurant thinking he is someone else. The mistake takes a very interesting turn, literally, with a salt shaker involved.

6			The Layne Parrish Restaurant Story #2 short story Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2021 Story contained in the collection Micah and Layne Get Short. The woman who stormed into The Firehouse was so angry that even though she had not said a word, she had the attention of all patrons. She was there to collect the cook and he was not the least bit happy about it. Stands to reason when your very irritated wife comes to your place of business. where you have been sleeping with a coworker. When tension escalate, Layne Parrish sees again why domestic quarrels are nothing to interfere with.

7			The Layne Parrish Restaurant Story #3 short story Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2021 Story contained in the collection Micah and Layne Get Short. [plot unknown]

8			The Layne Parrish Restaurant Story #4 short story Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2021 Story contained in the collection Micah and Layne Get Short. [plot unknown]

9			The Layne Parrish Restaurant Story #5 short story Written by Jim Heskett Copyright: 2021 Story contained in the collection Micah and Layne Get Short. [plot unknown]

MY COMMENTS

I really enjoyed the Layne Parrish adventures. They were filled with action and excitement and a good amount of variety in how they came about, i.e,, how poor Parrish finds his determination to stay out of trouble being thwarted.

The fun thing was that it was not always his old boss wanting just one more little mission handled. Everywhere this dude wanders, someone is set to give him grief or to ask to be saved from grief, or, I swear, grief just falls from the sky on him.

And he handles it, regardless the source, and does so in well-written style.

GRADE

My Grade: A-

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