Rey was working in his office when an Asian man and women walked in. James Yuen was the head of the Chinese mafia by birthright, not an elected position, and some were trying to get him to step down.

They didn’t know the name of the organization that wants him dead, but there had already been two attempts on his life. He and his daughter wanted to hire someone to help protect Yuen from opposing forces. Jennifer was currently his personal security guard, but wants to hire Rey so that Yuen’s daughter isn’t in harm’s way.

James Yuen was head of the Chinese Mafia which was his birth right, not an elected position. There were some who were trying to get him to step down. He also owned a bank and other businesses.

The Chinese had four major societies so Yuen didn’t yet know the name of the organization that wanted him dead, but there had already been two attempts on his life. Jennifer was currently serving as his personal security guard, but the two wanted to hire Rey so she wasn’t placed in harm’s way.

Rey and his friend Chris Nathan agreed to take on the task of protecting Yuen. Tied in with the Year of the Dragon prophesy that whoever kills Yuen absorbs his strength, wisdom and power. Also, they believed that Yuen would be killed after Rey was killed – they were both a part of the prophecy.

As the two conducted their investigation into who wanted Yuen dead, they found ties to street racing in Nevada and gambling.

Year of the Dragon by Ronald S. Barrios was the third in the Rey series following Blood Drops and Masks & Malice. The author also wrote An Object in Motion, a book of short stories.

This book was a pleasure to read. It was a face-paced, intriguing look at how the Chinese mafia works differently than how we are used to hearing in the United States. They have certain beliefs, traditions, and ways of doing things that would surprise most people.

The characters are well-drawn, especially Rey and Chris. It was interesting to see how closely they worked together without having to say a word. The author did a good job of keeping the story moving, especially with the number of characters that could have derailed the plot.

This is the first novel I’ve read by this author, but I am very much looking forward to catching up with the first two.

I special thank you goes to Ronald S. Barrios for providing a review copy of this book. His books are available on Amazon.com.