Storm Runners by T. Jefferson Parker

After a couple of years of hitting the booze after his wife and son were blown up by a bomb meant for him, ex-police officer Matt Stromsoe is recruited for a security job by an old colleague. He is assigned is to protect local FOX weather reporter, Frankie Hatfield from stalker. Before long Matt finds out there is more the stalking than meets the eye. Frankie is more than a weathergirl. She is scientist intent on carrying out her great-great-grandfather's lifework of making rain. Those at the LA Dept of Water and Power don't exactly want her to succeed.

There is also an intertwined plot involving Mike Tavarez who was Matt's best friend in childhood, and also the man responsible for the bomb which killed Matt's family. Mike who is now in prison is part of the Mexican Mafia, and is still very active in running the Mafia using code via letters and the Internet.

For me the story with Matt worked better than story involving Mike and the Mexican Mafia just because I've never been a fan of anything involving prison as a subject matter. It almost seemed like two stories in one because the scenes with Mike in prison and his backstory were extensive. I really did enjoy Matt as a character. I've always been a sucker for a damaged hero, and Frankie was an interesting female lead. They had good chemistry as a team. The plot was a bit strange with the rainmaking element, but the novel was nice paced, and the two intertwining stories seemed to flip back and forth without a jarring effect.

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