Category: Branches Books

Home – Harlan Coben – (Myron Bolitar # 11)

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Home is book 11 in the Myron Bolitar series from Harlan Coben. Once again Harlan both fictionally and writingwise brings it Home!

The Story

Home revolves around the ten year-old kidnapping of two boys Patrick and Rhys. The boys were captured, while they were playing at Patrick’s home. The kidnappers demanded ransom but nothing more was heard  about the boys.

Until Rhys’ mother Brooke receives an anonymous tip that Patrick was spotted in London. Quickly, she calls her brother Win Lockwood to check it out. Win tracks down Patrick in London. He kills three men hassling Patrick, but Patrick flees the site. So Win calls his best friend Myron Bolitar for help!! They find Patrick and bring him Home but questions remain unanswered….

Where has Patrick been for ten years? What does he remember about the day of the kidnapping? And most importantly, where is Rhys, Win’s Nephew?

Soon Win and Myron are on a quest to discover the answers to these questions. Along the way, Myron’s former partner Esperanza Spaulding and receptionist Bi Cyndi help Myron and Win discover the truth!

Thoughts about Home and the books of Harlan Coben

It’s been five years and five standalone thrillers between Myron Bolitar books and it;s great to have Myron and the gang back!

I love Harlan’s stand-alone books, but I always enjoy the Bolitar books a little more. I think it’s simply the character development over the course of a series. In a stand alone book, the reader just gets to know the characters and the book is over!

As is usually the case with Harlan Coben’s novels there is always a psychological message and in this book the message deals with friendship, family, and the meaning of home.

Here’s what some others have to say about Home

“Edgar-winner Coben’s action-packed 11th thriller featuring sports agent Myron Bolitar (after 2011’s Live Wire) blends family drama with a twisty plot… This page-turner is sure to please Coben’s many fans.” —Publishers Weekly on Home

“Series fans will be happy to see Myron, Win, Esperanza, and other recurring characters… given the size of Coben’s audience, this one is sure to be popular. With five years since the last Bolitar novel, expect holds.” —Booklist on Home

Bottom Line

Home is another winner from Harlan Coben. And I still love Myron as much as the standalones!

Rating:

thumbs-up-2-3
thumbs-up-2-3
thumbs-up-2-3
thumbs-up-2-3

 

Author’s Website
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Harlan Coben

About Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben (born 1962) is a renowned #1 New York Times bestselling American author known for fast-paced thrillers and mysteries characterized by multiple twists, domestic secrets, and long-buried past events resurfacing

The Kept Woman Another Winner From Karin Slaughter

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So I have not been able to write anything much since November 8th. Election Day the day America, as I know it, may have died! Anyway even through I haven’t been writing, I have been reading. As such, I have finish four books this month. The first one was Redemption Road by John Hart. I wrote about Redemption Road earlier in the month. The second was the latest Will Trent novel from Karin Slaughter The Kept Woman.

The Kept Woman – Karin Slaughter (Will Trent #7 )

Karin Slaughter has been one of my favorite authors since I read KissCut the second book in her Grant County series. Since then I have read all of her books.

It took me a while before I read the first Will Trent book, but once I read the first book that series has been a favorite, too. For several years now Sara Linton a character from the Grant County series has been a central figure in the Will Trent series. Sara was a pediatrician and part-time medical examiner in the Grant County series..After leaving Grant County Sara became staff member at an Atlanta Hospital., In The Kept Woman, she has left the hospital and joined Will Trent and Faith Mitchell as a member of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI)

The Story

A grizzly murder,at an unfinished nightclub of a major basketball player kicks off the book.  The GBI is called to help with the investigation. At the crime scene, tons of blood covers the walls of the room. The only victim found  is a former dirty cop. He is found with a door knob in his neck. Only the stabbing did not kill him or was it the source of all the blood! Evidence suggested that a mortally wounded woman fled the scene. Angie Polaski, Will Trent’s estranged wife appears to be that woman!

The plot twist and turns revealing the true nature of the crime. The progressing investigation  reveals truths, that threaten to destroy Sara and Will’s relationship.  In addition, the reader learns more about Will and Angie’s convoluted relationship. A relationship, which started, when they were in an orphanage together.

Final Thoughts

Once again Slaughter has created a psychological thriller with characters that her readers have come to know and love. The Kept Woman delves deep into the  wounded psyches of Will, Sara and Angie. As such, they are always struggling to find happiness. Sara and Will had thought they had found it together, but now Angie threatens to tear their relationship apart.

The story, I believe can be enjoyed even if you have never read any of the previous book, However, to fully appreciate Slaughter’s work you should read the earlier books in both the Grant County books and the Will Trent books! That should keep you busy for a while!!

Redemption Road by John Hart Another Edgar Worthy Novel from Mr. Hart

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Redemption Road - John Hart

Redemption Road – John Hart 

There is a simple reason that John Hart is the only author to win back-to-back Edgars for best novel and I’ll let author David Baldacci tell you what it is…….

“People in publishing have always known that John Hart can flat-out write. His prose conjures comparisons with James Lee Burke in its sultry, melodious alchemy. With Redemption Road Hart has taken it to another level. THE PROLOGUE IS HEART-WRENCHING and the chapters thereafter pull you in like matter to a black hole. Read this novel. And then go back and read all of his others. He’s that good.” – David Baldacci

I’ve been waiting for five years for a new John Hart book and, well, Redemption Road, his latest, was worth the wait!! It may well win Hart his third Edgar for best novel. Again, I’ll let some of his fellow authors tell you about Redemption Road…..

“Big, bold, impossible to put down, Redemption Road had me from page one. John Hart is a master storyteller” – Harlan Coben

Every new John Hart is a credit to the written word. Over the course of five books, he has raised the bar for commercial fiction, deftly blending  the tension, pace and suspense of the classic thriller with characters so richly drawn characters so richly drawn and prose so elegant that his stories are worthy of being called literature…..” – Corban Addison – Author of A Walk Across the Sun

It usually takes me about a week or so to read  a typical novel. I read Redemption Road in two days and I literally could not put the book down on the second day!

The Story

Redemption Road has two main twisting turning story lines The first one opens the book when 13 year-old Gideon Strange leaves his home and drunken father in the middle of the night, He intends to kill the man who murdered his mother  – Adrian Wall. Adrian is an ex-policeman who is scheduled to be released from prison the following morning.

At the same time, Elizabeth Black is recovering from her daringly rescue of eighteen year-old Channing  Shore.  Channing was found by Elizabeth in the basement of a house.chained to a mattress, She  had been brutally raped by two brothers for two days.. After the rescue, Channing’s two unarmed attackers lay dead, both shot eighteen times! Elizabeth was soon after, the focus of a police investigation to determine whether or not she should be prosecuted for murder!

The two stories intersect because Elizabeth has a connection to the Julia Strange murder. She believes that Adrian  was  not the killer. And as one of the few woman involved in the murder investigation she ended up caring for baby Gideon. She has continued to be a surrogate mother to Gideon for the last thirteen years.

Then a day after Adrian’s release from prison, a strangled woman’s body is found draped over the alter of an abandoned church. Everything about her murder matches the murder of Julia Strange. Questions arise! Did Adrian kill again? Did he kill the first time?

Other questions abound! What about Liz? Can she avoid prosecution? What really happened in that basement? Why did she snap and murder those men?

As the story develops so do the characters as the reader learns more about; Adrian’s life both in and out of prison, as well as,  the demons that haunt Liz’s past and leave her hating her father – the Reverend Black. The supporting characters in Redemption Road are as equally well-drawn by Mr.Hart. They include:Liz’s partner on the police force Charlie Beckett, Adrian’s lawyer Crybaby Jones and the  Warden of the prison where Adrian served his time.

/While reading Redemption Road  I would often pause and think that I really should stop  reading and do something else. I would set the book down, think about it, say “Nah”, pick the book up and continue reading.

Bottom Line

Redemption Road is a flat-out five thumbs up book for me! It’s one of those books that works on so many levels. First there’s just the plain fascinating story and then the psychological relationships between  just about everyone. Liz and Adrian, Liz and her father, Adrian and the Warden, Liz and Channing amd Gideon. I could go on and on, so just go read this amazing book! and then all of Hart’s other books! Yeah,they’re that good!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Books of John Hart

Author’s Website:
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Goodreads: Redemption Road
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Manitou Canyon – William Kent Krueger as Good as Ever!

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Manitou Canyon – William Kent Krueger (Cork O’Connor series #15)

Manitou Canyon is the fifteenth book in the Cork O’Connor series from William Kent Krueger. And I for one don’t think the series is slowing down at all! I have read all of the books in this series and this one holds its own with any of them.While the Cork O’Connor books are firmly planted in the  mystery.thriller genre they are also more than just mysteries. They are also books about family and cultural identity.

Lee Child says this about the work of William Kent Krueger….

“One of today’s automatic buy-today-read-tonight series…thoughtful but suspenseful, fast but lasting, contemporary but strangely timeless.” (Lee Child)

The Story Begins

When Manitou Canyon  opens it is November and the O’Connor’s are preparing for oldest daughter Jenny;s wedding. Everyone is excited except Cork. For Cork November is a painful month. In Novembers past Cork saw the violent deaths of his wife, father, and best friend. So when the grandchildren of a childhood friend John Harris’ showed up asking Cork to resume the search that had ended two days prior. Cork jumped at the chance to help. John Harris had disappeared in October while on a fishing trip with his grandchildren into the Boundary Waters. The search had turned up nothing, but Cork felt he had missed something so he wanted do whatever he could to find John.

The Search Begins

So Cork went off into the Northwoods of Minnesota to search for John. Lindsay Harris, John’s granddaughter volunteered to go with Cork, while grandson Trevor stayed behind.  Soon, Cork and Lindsay vanish just like John. The disappearance baffles the O’Connor family and the Tamarack County Police.

Throughout Cork’s life his Objibwe heritage has always been important. His spiritual guide the Mide Henry Meloux has helped Cork overcome life’s obstacles. Cork has always viewed himself as an Ogichidaa.. An Ogichidaa is one who stands evil and his people.

In this adventure Cork is pitted against men who view themselves as Ogichidaa and the losers in their battle with evil may be hundreds of citizens of a small town! If Cork and his family can’t figure out what’s going on!!

My Thoughts

Manitou Canyon was a four plus thumbs up book for me. Once again this visit to Aurora and the Boundary Waters was very, very enjoyable. You would think that in the 15th edition in a series the reader would be saying, same old same old, but that is not the case with Manitou Canyon.

William Kent  Krueger is a master storyteller and the plot of this Manitou Canyon twists and turns enough to keep you guessing about what is really happening. But also excels at creating a sense of place in his stories and he certainly makes me feel like I have visited the Minnesota’ Boundary Waters and other locations many times over the years!

He also excels at character creation and the characters he has created in Cork O’Connor and his family are a large part of the appeal of the series. Readers have watched all of Cork’s children grow into strong young adults. Jenny who became a mother to Waaboo a couple of books ago, is starting a new chapter in her life, with her marriage to Daniel English

But the minor characters are just as important. Let’s see there’s Rose Thorne, Cork’s sister-in-law who helped the family survive the loss of their mother. Then there’s Rainy, the woman who brought love back to Cork’s life and niece of my favorite character Henry Meloux. At the end of Manitou Canyon new chapters are opening in their lives too.

In Manitou Canyon Krueger has also added a new character to the family. Daniel’s great-aunt  Aunt Leah Duhling, who once thought she would marry Henry, has returned to Aurora. And it appears that Leah and Henry are about to enter a new chapter in their lives, too

With all of these new chapters opening in the lives of the O’Connor extended family I can’t wait for the 16th book in this series!! You can probably pick this book up and read and enjoy it. That is the result of Krueger’s abilities as a storyteller. But if you want to enjoy the characters created go back and find Iron Lake the first book in the series and start at the beginning!!

 

The Second Life of Nick Mason – Steve Hamilton – The Start of a Great New Series

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The Second Life of Nick Mason - Steve Hamilton

Revision Note: Originally posted in September 2016, this review has been updated in 2026 to include the latest entries in the Nick Mason series.

The Second Life of Nick Mason  – Steve Hamilton

.I have been a fan of the novels of Steve Hamilton for many years now. The first Steve Hamilton book was Winter of the Wolf – Book #2 in the Alex McKnight series according to my records I read finished that book of Jun 7,2004. After finishing it, I quickly went to the library and checked out A Cold Day in Paradise -Book #1 in the series. I finished that book on June 12th of the same year! Needless to say I loved the books and the series ever since!!

In The Second Life of Nick Mason, Hamilton has created a great new anti-hero.in Nick Mason. Yesterday, I had lunch with an old (we are) high school classmate. We both talked about the fact that life is made up of choices. You make your choices and you live with them , always doing the best you can.

The Story

Well, Nick Mason throughout his life has made some bad choices. First to steal cars, then move unto burglary, and ultimately stealing from drug dealers. During that time, he made  a good choice, he married and had a daughter. But then the ultimate “easy” heist came along – he made the wrong decision. It was supposed to be easy heist, drive into the harbor, take on some cargo and then drive it to the new owner. Right decision! Don’t do it!  Nick’s decision do it! Of course doing it meant going against his pledge to his wife to stay clean.

But Nick decides this one caper is all he needs to make things better for his wife and daughter. Bad decision! When the heist goes south, it costs him everything, wife, his daughter and his freedom. The sentence 25 years!

After five years in prison, along comes Darius Cole, a criminal mastermind Cole is serving a double life term, but still runs his empire from his cell. He offers Nick a deal. All Nick has to do is whatever he’s told to do when the phone rings.

Nick accepts. His conviction is soon overturned and he walks out of prison a free man. But is he free, Cole says “It’s not freedom, it’s mobility!” He is given a new house, a new car and more.But soon the phone rings and he is asked to become a hitman, something totally new and abhorrent to Mason.

Soon, Nick is being chased by cops both good and bad! Nick is soon fighting not just to regain his old life, but to survive in his new life!!

Bottom Line: Highly Recommended

This book was a real-pager turner for me. I zipped through it in a day and a half and enjoyed every minute of the ride. I think Nick Mason is a terrific character, who is trapped between a rock and a hard place. He’s damned, if he does, and damned if he doesn’t. And while, what he does is wrong, he tries his damnedest it make it right! I for one was cheering for him!

Post Update 2026

Post Update 2026

Since I first wrote this post, Steve Hamilton has expanded the Nick Mason universe with two more gripping novels. Having followed his work since I first picked up Winter of the Wolf back in 2004, it’s been incredible to see how he transitioned from the Northwoods noir of Alex McKnight to this high-octane urban series.

Exit Strategy (Nick Mason #2, 2017): A relentless follow-up that proves Nick is truly “mobile, but not free.”

An Honorable Assassin (Nick Mason #3, 2024): This one felt a little different—the stakes are global as Nick is sent to target a high-level assassin. What really struck me, amidst the tension, was the interaction between Nick and the child he encounters. It reminded me why I cheer for him; despite the life he’s forced to lead, his heart is still intact.

 

Steve Hamilton - Author of the Second Life of Nick Mason

Links

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About Steve Hamilton

Steve Hamilton is one of only two authors to win the Edgar Award for Best First Novel (for A Cold Day in Paradise) and then later for Best Novel (for The Lock Artist). Known for his atmospheric prose and complex characters, Hamilton spent years developing the Alex McKnight series before launching the high-stakes world of Nick Mason. He currently lives in upstate New York with his wife and two children, where he continues to craft some of the most compelling crime fiction in the genre.

Reflecting on Hamilton’s career, he remains one of those “second tier” masters—the kind of writer you can always depend on for a tight, emotional, and perfectly paced story. I believe I’ve read every book he’s ever put out, and while the Alex McKnight series will always be my “first love” in his bibliography, Nick Mason has earned his place right alongside him on my shelf.

The World of a CIA Analyst Comes Alive in Mark Hanshaw’s Red Cell

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Red Cell – Mark Henshaw – Krya Stryker and Jonathan Burke Book 1

Mark Henshaw author of Red CellA week or so ago my wife and I completed watching the first five seasons of Homeland.So when I saw Mark Henshaw’s  The Fall of Moscow Station among the new releases at my library I was intrigued. Looking at the book, I saw that it was the third book in Mark’s series that features CIA agents Kyra Stryker and Jonathan Burke. So rather than start with the third book in the series, I found and checked out Red Cell  the first book in the series. Yesterday, Red Cell became the 32 book I have read in 2016. And now that I know Kyra and Jonathan I’m ready for their next assignment which is chronicled in Cold Shot.

About Red Cell

In addition to being the first book in the Stryker – Burke series Red Cell is also Mark Henshaw’s debut novel. And while Henshaw may be new to the world of books, he is not new to the world of the CIA. Henshaw was a CIA analyst for eleven years. He was a decorated analyst. His awards included the Director of National Intelligence Galileo Award for innovation in intelligence analysis, which he won in 2007. What does this mean for the reader, well, he knows what he is writing about!!

Here’s what some people in the know have written about Red Cell.….

“Red Cell is as smart as it is exciting, a thriller that makes you think from the edge of your seat. Mark Henshaw’s unique perspective from the inside makes it all feel terrifyingly real.”

– Howard Gordon, Co-Creator of Homeland and Author of Hard Target.

“Mark Henshaw clearly knows the terrain, from the geopolitical to the tradecraft in the shadows. I’ surprised this made it past the CIA censors. A rock-solid thriller as plausible as tomorrow’s headlines.”

-Brad Taylor author of One Rough Man and All Necessary Force

After Kyra Stryker’s  first assignment in Venezuela goes bad she is assigned to the Red Cell where she will work with the brilliant but somewhat eccentric analyst Jonathan Burke. Soon Kyra and Jonathan are smack in the middle of an international firestorm.

The firestorm is centered off the coast of China and includes a potential invasion of Taiwan by Communist China, a top CIA asset who has been discovered by the China’s MSS and a potential Chinese weapon the Assassin’s Mace that may tip power toward China. And it’s Kyra and Jonathan’s job to figure it all out and make sure everything turns out ok!!

Bottom-Line

: Red Cell is a 3.5 star book for me. The technical details concerning the operation of the CIA are certainly five-star. But for me Henshaw the first part of the book dragged and i didn’t get to really know Kyra and Jonathan until the second half of the book.

There were also a couple of things that bothered me in the second half of the book. Things happened during Kyra’s assignment in Beijing that bordered on unbelievable.

Overall though I enjoyed the book and look forward to Stryker and Burke’s next assignment. I’m sure that as Henshaw improves as a writer the books in turn will improve. I also think that as the characters are more fully fleshed out I will enjoy the books more!  Does anyone have any comments on  Red Cell or Henshaw’s books in general?

 

 

The Silent Hour – Michael Koryta

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The Silent Hour – Michael Koryta – Lincoln Perry #4

My first introduction to the books of Michael Koryta was via his Lincoln Perry detective series.I read books two and three in the series.Why I never read book one, I don’t know. Most recently I’ve read a couple of his stand-alone thrillers (A couple of the others are on my “to be read” shelves).

Frankly, I haven’t thought about Lincoln Perry for several years. That was until I spotted The Silent Hour book four in the series at my library a few weeks ago.When I saw it, I remembered how much I liked the books. I was not thrilled when he ended the series. Anyway, I checked it out and now it’s book 31 for 2016.

The Plot…..

The Silent Hour could be subtitled “the case Lincoln Perry didn’t want.” That’s because from the moment ex-con and self-confessed  Parker Harrison asks Lincoln to find the missing Alexandra Cantrell, Lincoln is not thrilled. Alexandra and her husband Joshua had provided a semi halfway house for ex-cons called Whisper Ridge. Alexandra and Joshua gave the ex-cons employment around their majestic  home and a chance to get back their dreams. Parker had been one of those ex-cons the Cantrells helped.

Then the Cantrells suddenly disappeared abandoning the multi-million dollar mountainside home. Two aspects of the case made it less than attractive for Lincoln. First the Cantrells had been missing for twelve years and secondly Alexandra was the daughter of a mob boss! Ex-cons and  mob bosses – what could go wrong?

Lincoln was ready to walk away from the case when he discovered that the bones of Joshua Cantrell were found in Pennsylvania. They had been found at about the time Lincoln was first contacted by Parker. Why hadn’t Parker mentioned the bones being found?  Hmm, the case was getting more and more intriguing.When a PI shows up from Pa. asking Lincoln’s help in finding out what happened to Joshua. Lincoln is sucked into the mystery! But will the case be the last case for Lincoln?

Bottom-line

The Silent Hour is certainly a four-star book for me. The plot twists and turns and just when you think you’ve figured it out- you haven’t! I have enjoyed the interplay between all of the main characters in the series, Lincoln and his girlfriend Amy Ambrose and his partner Joe Pritchard. This book is no exception, even though Joe is in Florida miles from Cleveland. From The St. Petersberg Times….

The inventive plot of The Silent Hour surprises right up to the end, and in Perry, Koryta has created a classic tough detective—a man with enough dark passages in his own past to recognize them in others, a bulldog who just can’t let go until the ending of the story is told, no matter how close to hell it takes him.”

Final Thought

I  wrote earlier that I have enjoyed this series and was sad to see it end. however having checked back in with the books of Michael Koryta I discovered that he has a new PI series featuring. Mark Novak book one Last Words  was released in  August of 2015 and book two Rise of the Dark will be released on August 16th of this year. I just went to Amazon and bought the Kindle Edition for $2.99  Check that out here. I look forward to checking them out! Once again though, those two standalones are waiting to be read! Too many books too little time!

The 6th Extinction – James Rollins

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The 6th Extinction - James Rollins

Originally posted April 2016 Revised and updated April 2026

I don’t think there are many authors who blend science, history and action together better than James Rollins. I read several of his early stand-alone novels before I read my first Sigma Force novel Map of Bones and since then I don’t think I’ve missed an installment in the series.

One thing I love about James Rollins is that at the end of his books he always discusses the truth or fiction of  the science or history contained in the book,

In the6th Extinction that discussion  covers ten pages! The science discussed ranges from XNA, Jumping genes, De-Extinction, Extremophiles to Antarctic life and geology. While the history discussed includes Darwin’s Voyage on the Beagle and the Germans in Antarctica!….

From Goodreads – The Story

A remote military research station broadcasts a frantic distress call that ends with a chilling message: Kill us all. When soldiers arrive to investigate, they discover everyone in the lab is dead—not just the scientists, but every living thing for fifty square miles is annihilated: every animal, plant, and insect, even bacteria. The land is completely sterile—and the blight is spreading.

To prevent the inevitable, Commander Gray Pierce and Sigma must decipher a threat that rises out of the distant past.  A time, when Antarctica was green and Earth’s life balanced on a knife edge. Following clues from an ancient map rescued from the lost Library of Alexandria, Sigma will make a shocking discovery involving a prehistoric continent, and a new form of death buried under miles of ice. Read More

The Bottom Line:

The 6th Extinction is scary good, because most of the technological stuff is real and it’s scary!! The book gets 4.5 stars out of 5. Next up on the Rollins front is The Bone Labyrinth the latest Sigma Force adventure!

Author’s Website
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James Rollins

About James Rollins

James Rollins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers. His writing has been translated into more than forty languages and has sold more than 20 million books. The New York Times says, “Rollins is what you might wind up with if you tossed Michael Crichton and Dan Brown into a particle accelerator together.” NPR calls his work, “Adventurous and enormously engrossing.”

Far From True – Linwood Barclay

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Far From True – Linwood Barclay (Promise Fall #2)

(Book 16 of 2016)

Far From True is the second book in the Promise Falls trilogy from Linwood Barclay and once again Barclay has hit it out of the park! The book picks up where its predecessor Broken Promise leaves off, only  now there’s more upheaval in the quiet town of Promise Falls, leaving Detective Barry Duckworth with his hands full! The new trouble starts when a bomb goes off  on the closing night of the Constellation Drive-In and its big screen comes tumbling down and wreaks havoc on the town. Two of the people killed are Adam and Mariam Chalmers.The couple were crushed in Adam’s prized Jaguar when said screen came tumbling down.

The next morning, Private Investigator Cal Weaver receives a call from Adam’s daughter. Someone had broken into her parents house, She hires Weaver to investigate the break-in. When he discovers a secret room in the basement used for sex parties, complete with cameras to record the action, he figures someone may have taken some incriminating DVDs from the home. But who and why is the question??

Meanwhile Barry Duckworth is still trying to figure out who killed two Promise Falls women three years apart. First Olivia Fisher three years prior, and most recently Rosemary Grayson who along with her husband were central figures in Broken Promise. Both women were killed in a similarly brutal manner.

As if all of the above is not enough, another Promise Falls resident Samantha Worthington has her own problems. Her in-laws have been attempting to take her nine-year old son Carl away from her, any way they can, legal or illegal! In Broken Promise she was photographed in a compromising position, which her in-laws have tried to us to have her give up Carl. Now they are in Promise Falls to apologize??

I could probably add  more telling you about the disgraced ex-mayor who wants to run for reelection and his campaign manager, who by the way was the other person photographed in that compromising picture, or that several incidents in the town including the drive-in explosion have revolved around the number 23, but let’s just say that there’s a lot going on in this sleepy little town. Which is probably the reason that Barclay has needed three books to tell the tale!

But wait the tales of many of the residents of Promise Falls didn’t start with Broken Promise, they started back in Too Close to Home when readers met Derek Cutter and his family. Then readers met David  Harwood and his son Ethan in Never Look Away and although he wasn’t living in Promise Falls at the time, they met former Promise Falls police officer now private investigator Cal Weaver in A Tap on the Window. Each of these Promise Falls residents have played pivotal roles in these last two books.

I can’t think of any other authors who have taken characters from several stand-alone books and blended them into a series like this Promise Falls series. I for one can’t wait until November when the final book of the trilogy will be released!

Bottom Line – Linwood Barclay is a master of telling stories about common people facing extraordinary problems whether it’s a missing child (Never Look Away) or trying to discover why your son committed suicide (A Tap on the Window)  Now Barclay has now returned to his roots and made a series from his Promise Falls characters. I say return to his roots, because his first four books were a series, featuring the original common man facing extraordinary circumstances – Zack Walker! For me Far From True is one of Linwood Barclay’s best books, like C.J. Box he just keeps getting better and better!!

The New York Times Book Review writes…..

“Some days, all you really want is for someone to tell you a wicked good story. Linwood Barclay answers the reader’s perpetual prayer”

I for one say thank you Linwood Barclay!!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Novels of Linwood Barclay

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Off the Grid – C; J  Box  – (Joe Pickett #16) The Stories Get Better and Better.

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Off the Grid - C,J,Box

Soon after finishing The Hunting Wind by Steve Hamilton, I received notice that C J Box’s new novel Off the Grid was available for pick-up at the library. So I hurried over to the library and then I came home and quickly devoured the book!

Yes, Off the Grid, book 16 in the Joe Pickett series is a good one! I finished Endangered book 15 in the series last April and it took me a little while to remember what happened in that one but Box as always kept revealing little bits of that storyline, which jogged my memory and brought that story back to me.

But while it is definitely better if you know the back story and the relationship between Nate Romanowski and Joe and his family it is not essential to the enjoyment of this book.

The Story

In this installment two Federal Agents approach Nate, who has been living off the grid since escaping from the hospital at the end of Endangered (Book 15 Joe Pickett), and present a proposal to him.

The agents want Nate’s help in destroying a suspected terrorist cell in Wyoming’s Red Desert. If the operation is a success the agents will make Nate’s criminal record disappear!!

So Nate soon finds himself alone in the Red Desert facing the biggest challenge of his life a group of “patriots” led by a charismatic falconer who have created a weapon that could wreak havoc, if it falls in the wrong hands, and those wrong hands may be within the group!

Meanwhile, Joe has his hands full with a grizzly bear before Wyoming’s governor sends him on a special assignment to find out what they Feds and Nate are up to in his state! So now Joe and Nate are facing down the terror cell and to make matters worse Joe’s oldest daughter and her roommate end up on old sheep ranch that serves as the base for the group.

My Thoughts

The Joe Pickett series has been a favorite of mine for a long time now and the great thing about the series is that the books are just getting better and better and Off the Grid is one of the best!

 I think what sets the Joe Pickett books apart from other books in the genre is the Pickett Family, Over the course of the series, the reader has watched the two Pickett girls Sheridan and Lucy grow up. In addition their adopted daughter April has become a central character in the series. Even Joe’s mother-in-law Missy has been key in several books!! Here’s what Booklist says……

“Is there a crime-fiction family as fully fleshed out as Joe Pickett’s? In singing the praises of Box’s series, we often praise the plotting, pacing, and the down-to-earth hero’s friendship with force-of-nature Nate Romanowski But Pickett’s supporting cast – wife Marybeth and daughters Sheridan. Lucy and April – lends a continuity to this series that sets it apart.”

My answer to that first question is maybe.The O’Connor family from William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor series may be tied with them! But Joe’s family still makes this series special!

Bottom Line

Off the Grid for me is one of C.J.Box’s best books. it had a believable, scary plot with lots of page-turning action. I do believe that the final paragraph set the stage for the next book in the series and I for one can’t wait.

So join Joe and his family for this adventure, and while you wait for the next installment, go back and catch-up with the past lives of Joe and Nate and the rest of the clan!

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Goodreads:Joe Pickett Series

C J Box author of Storm Watch

About C J Box

Charles James Box Jr. is an American author of more than thirty novels. Box is the author of the Joe Pickett series, as well as several standalone novels, and a collection of short stories.

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If you like the family and character connections in this series…

You might also enjoy:

William Kent Kreuger
Michael Robotham
Michael Robotham
Peter May
  • William Kent Krueger — the Cork O’Connor series blends crime with family, history, and a strong sense of place
  • Michael Robotham — especially the Joe O’Loughlin books, where personal lives are always part of the story
  • Peter May — the Lewis Trilogy, where past, family, and landscape are tightly woven together