But, when Jack approaches Mikey planning to help him further his career, Mikey tells him in no uncertain terms to stay away.

Johnny Bondano, aka "The Deuce" (because he was given the two of hearts by his childhood sweetheart who died during surgery and after which he killed the anesthesiologist), is a hitman for the Lucchesi family in New York. The Deuce is given the assignment to find and kill Kyle McClean who was the hit and run driver responsible for killing the grandson of Angelo Marconi, the number two man in the organization.

Of course "The Kid" is really Kyle McClean who is in hiding after having faked his death in a car crash when he couldn't repay the $100K he borrowed from the Mafia to help pay for his mother's cancer surgery and did not in fact participate in the hit and run. All this unbeknownst to Jack who even becomes an usher at the Tarpon's home games to try and get inside information.

After four really good financial thrillers featuring Christian Gillette as "The Chairman" of a major New York firm, Stephen Frey has slipped into mediocrity with this effort. The plot is all over the place with alternate chapters discussing either the Jack Barrett portion of the plot or that of Deuce Bondano until the end when they meet in Sarasota for what was a most disappointing conclusion.

Frey also had too many subplots which did not enhance Forced Out. My advice would be to bypass this weak ground ball and wait for next season.

--Jerry Solot