Category: Leaves Books

Down Range (Garrett Kohl #1) – Taylor Moore The Great Start of a Reading Friendship

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Down Range Taylor Moore

In September of 2021 I found Down Range, the first book in the Garrett Kohl series, at my local library. It looked interesting, and then I read this quote on the back of the book.

“Having lived it Taylor Moore hits very bit of the cost of counterterrorism in Down Range but this story is much more. It’s a riveting thriller with a family in crisis at the core. It’s my kind of book.” – Brad Taylor

Well, even though I’ve never read any of Brad Taylor’s books (several are sitting on my TBR shelves), I figured I’d take a chance.

Boy, was he right. This turned into one of those series where I just kept coming back.

About Down Range

Down Range is a thriller that blends action, crime, and Western elements. It introduced me to DEA agent Garrett Kohl. Kohl is returning to his Northwest Texas home after serving in Afghanistan. He finds it overrun by criminals, and Garrett uses his elite military and intelligence skills to protect his family and community.

What Makes the Garret Kohl Series Stand Out

hile the action is great throughout the book, what makes this series special is the heart that the characters bring to the story—especially Garrett and Asadi, a young Afghan boy Garrett brings back with him after his family is killed.

The rest of Garrett’s family—his father and siblings—are also strong characters and add depth to the story.

Through my reading I often get to visit places I’ll never see, and Taylor Moore does a great job of transporting me to Northwest Texas. The descriptions of the ranch and surrounding area make you understand why Garrett loves his home.

This ended up being one of those series I read over a stretch of time without ever getting around to writing about it—something I’m trying to fix now.

I’ve since read several books in the Garrett Kohl series, and it all started here with Down Range.

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Taylor Moore

About Taylor Moore

TAYLOR MOORE is the author of Down Range, which was nominated for the Barry Award for Best First Novel, named a Strand Magazine best mystery of the year, and selected for the Texas Library Association’s … Google Books

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The Black Highway – Simon Toyne (Laughton Rees #3)

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The Black Highway - Simon Toyne

The. Black Highway is the third book in the Laughton Rees series by Simon Toyne. The first two books Dark Objects and The Clearing set a pretty high bar for the series. The Black Highway clears that bar and leaves me eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series.

The river Thames aka The Black Highway is the backdrop for the third book in the Laughton Rees series from Simon Toyne. Dr. Laughton Rees is a professor and a forensic specialist who provides assistance to the London police

The Story


.The previous two books in the series Dark Objects and The Clearing were both outstanding, as was Sanctus the first book in the Sanctus trilogy (of which I have only read one book Boo Me!)
In The Black Highway the case becomes extremely personal. When a headless and handless body is pulled from the Thames, with Laughton’s home address on its arm a target is placed on both Laughton and her teenage daughter.


Soon Shelby Facer a figure from Laughton’s checkered past shows up. Shelby has been recently released from prison after serving a 16 year prison sentence in Florida. The drug deal gone bad that resulted with Shelby’s arrest was overseen by none other than Laughton’s father John Rees. Oh and Shelby unbeknownst to him is Laughton’s daughter’s father!


When a second body is found in a similar condition and it’s related to the Shelby’s prison sentence it appears that the murderer is out to avenge their imprisonment. Does that make Laughton and he daughter targets because of her father’s association with the case!
And from there story is masterfully told


My Thoughts a Book of Relationships and Murder?


The Black Highway is another gem of a book by Simon Toyne. I enjoy books and series where the character relationships are as important to plots of the novel as the action occurring be it a murder, a kidnapping or other action.


I guess that’s why I love the Cork O’Connor books where many of the story-lines revolve around Cork and is family relationships, as well as, his relationship with his Ojibwe roots. Another example is the Joe Pickett where Joe’s relationships with his family, Nate Romanowski and even the Governor of Wyoming are important to various books in the series, Oh, I forgot Joe’s relationship with his mother-in-law Missy!
Boy do relationship form the core of The Black Highway.

First there’s the relationship of Laughton, her daughter Gracie and Shelby, How do you deal with the appearance of you daughter’s biological father who is not only a convicted criminal but is now associated with a murder investigation and a potential target. But also represents a time in your life you would rather forget.


Then there is the relationship of Laughton with her own father former police commissioner John Rees. Laughton blamed her father for her mother’s murder and left home at the same age as Gracie! Oh,my! Could he have been responsible for what happened to Shelby?


Finally, there is the relationship between Laughton and Kahn Tannahill. which was just blooming. The actions throughout the book certainly put a strain on their relationship.


So all these relationship are tied into the weaving story line of The Black Highway resulting in a rip-roaring finish that I believe sets the stage for more Laughton Rees books in the future, At least I hope!


(oh Laughton is named after the actor Charles Laughton!

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Simon Toyne

About Simon Toyne


Simon Toyne was born February 29th, 1968 in Cleethorpes, England, but spent his formative years in Peterborough. He moved further south, to Goldsmiths College, part of the University of London, to study English and Drama then ended up working as a producer, director in commercial television for almost twenty years.
He quit in 2007, just shy of his fortieth birthday, to try and focus more on writing. His first book, Sanctus, became the biggest selling debut thriller of 2011 in the UK and also an international bestseller, translated into 27 languages and published in over 50 countries.More at Goodreads

 

Charlie Donlea Shines in His Debut Summit Lake

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Summit Lake is Charlie Donlea’s debut novel and a smashingly great debut it is!

From Goodreads…..

Set in a small, picturesque North Carolina town, Charlie Donlea’s suspenseful debut novel tells the haunting story of a murdered law school student, the reporter assigned to her story—and the intimate connection that comes when the living walk in the footsteps of the dead.

“No suspects. No persons of interest. Just a girl who was alive one day and dead the next.” Read More

The Story

The murder victim is Becca Eckersley a first year law student and the daughter of a powerful attorney who is about to become a judge. After Becca is murdered investigator Kelsey Castle is sent by her employer Events magazine to Summit Lake to find out what happened.

Once she arrives Kelsey discovers that the murder appears to be more complex than the theory that the Feds are promoting that it was a random robbery gone bad. The story is told from dual perspectives—Becca’s in the months before her death and Kelsey’s in the present—the book is a fast-paced thriller filled with twists and intrigue. 

The story also explores the connection between the living and the dead as Kelsey walks in Becca’s footsteps, uncovering dark secrets that may help solve the crime and confront her own past. 

Bottom Line:

Summit Lake was a very good read. It took me a while to get into the story and I must admit that I found some aspects of the story somewhat implausible. Particularly the willingness of the county police chief to give police files to Kelsey.

But the overall story more than made up for those minor dislikes

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    Into The Wild With – The Vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson (Alex Carter #4)

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    The Vanishing Kind Alice Henderson

    Wildlife biologist Alex Carter returns in The Vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson a tense, immersive novel of suspense  set in a vast wildlife preserve in New Mexico— and the his may be her most dangerous assignment yet!

    Originally Posted June 2025 Revsed and Updated April 2026

    📖 What’s It About?

    Searching for the Elusive Jaguar  in the Wild of New Mexico with Alex Carter…..

    In her fourth outing, Alex Carter accepts an assignment to determine whether any reclusive jaguars roam the preserve. Once a species that was prevalent throughout the US the species is now endangered.  Alex hopes that her study can find at least one of these great cats!

    Alice is not alone in this vast preserve and the lands surrounding it.  First there is a dangerous group of anti-immigrant vigilantes are  terrorizing the nearby town and the archeological dig. The dig is excavating the grave site area of a sixteenth century Spanish conquistador near where Alex has setup her camp. When the vigilantes discover the purpose of Alex she becomes a target of their wrath! The groups fear is that if Alex finds a jaguar it will impend the completion of the border wall.

    Alex also encounters a local farm couple, a couple helping the immigrants, the eccentric funder of the archeological dig and at least one person out to kill any jaguar she may find!

    🧠 My Thoughts About The Vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson

    Once again Henderson constructs a novel that provides both suspense and action, coupled with educating the reader about endangered species. In her previous assignments Alex has study wolverines, polar bears and caribou, and I learned more about those species then I ever knew! In addition,  I learned a lot about how a wildlife biologist sets out to study these endangered species. (Who knew jaguars are attracted to Obsession perfume).

    I believe The Vanishing Kind  contains a larger and more diverse cast of characters then any of Alex’s previous assignments. But it still provides the feeling that it’s Alex against the world!

    As always Henderson creates a strong sense of place in The Vanishing Kind. The presence of the archeoligical dig not only adds to the cast f characters but the importance of the jaguar in the culture of the American southwest and the Spanish presence  in the area.

    If you enjoy thrillers with a strong sense of place and a capable, independent protagonist, this series is for you. While this novel can be read independently from the series, since the series is only four books old go back to the fist book A Solitude of Wolverines to get the complete backstory of Alex Carter.

    So if you like novels that provide both excitement and education check out The Vanishing Kind. As for me, I can’t wait for Alex’s next assignment! Hmm, maybe my next read will be The Medici Return by Steve Berry his Cotton Malone stories also educate and entertain!

    A Final Wrap – The Vanishing Kind by Alice Henderson

    I will say that throughout the book, while I was enjoying it I wasn’t that impressed. I didn’t find it  all that suspenseful. That ended a little over halfway through the  book,  when the rich funder of the dig asked the members of the dig and Alex for dinner and cut off the digs funding! After that all help broke out and the novel shot along to its conclusion. And I wasn’t expecting Alex’s savior to appear!

     

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    Alice Henderson
    Alice Henderson
    Visit the Alice Henderson Page

    If You Enjoyed The Vanishing Kind, Here’s Where My Reading Went (and Where It’s Going)…

    • Nora Kelly (Preston & Child) — archaeological thrillers I’m planning to dive into, a natural next step after the dig storyline here
    • Breaking Wild — Diane Les Becquets — a gripping wilderness survival story that I couldn’t put down (see my original post)
    • Peter Heller — The Last Ranger / The River — atmospheric wilderness novels blending nature, danger, and reflection (see my posts)
    Preston & Child
    Diane Les Bequets
    Peter Heller

    Village in the Dark – Iris Yamashita (Cara Kennedy Book#2)

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    Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita is book number 2 in her Cara Kennedy series. It is a mystery thriller set in Alaska. Book 1 in the series is City Under One Roof. Cara Kennedy is an Anchorage Police Department Detective. She is on administrative leave after her husband and son disappear while on vacation in Point Mettier. Point Mettier is an isolated town where its residents all live in one high-rise.

    In book one Cara finds some of the answers to her husband and son’s disappearance and they weren’t pleasant. (I’m not spoiling things by telling you what she discovered). Anyway at the end of the book she makes another discovery that leads her back to Point Mettier to see if she can find the final answers!

    Village in the Dark is full of great characters.The story is told through the eyes of three women. First is obviously the main character Cara Kennedy. Second is the owner of a hotel within the Point Mettier high-rise Ellie and finally Mia, an Indigenous woman who left the village she grew up in to enter the White man’s world. The plot of the novel interweaves the lives of all three women. It’s really hard to say more without revealing too much!

    Bottom Line

    The bottom line is Village in the Dark is a really terrific read.  It;s filled with great quirky characters and a few twists here and there that kept me guessing, I really would recommend that you should read City Under One Roof before reading Village in the Dark. So check them both out!

     

     

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    Scott Carson – Lost Man’s Lane. His Best yet? Yes!

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    Lost Man's Lane - Scott Carson

    I have been a fan of author Michael Koryta ever since way back in 2003? And after two terrific books I am now a fan of his alter-ego Scott Carson. And I think Scott Carson’s latest release  Lost Man’s Lane just may be Scott’s best novel. As such it also makes it Michael’s best! 

     

    The Story

    The story grabbed me from the beginning, when Marshall Miller was pulled over by a policeman on the first time he took the car out after getting his license. The police man was very surly and while Marshall was receiving his ticket he noticed in his rear view mirror a young girl is sitting in the backseat of the police car looking terrified and crying. She was wearing a t-shirt of a restaurant that had closed years ago! 

    Soon posters are put up concerning a missing girl from a neighboring town, Marshall recognizes the girl, She was the one in the back of the police car. When Marshall goes to the police to report what he saw he discovers that there are no police officers with the name he’s reporting. As a result, Marshall sets out on a quest to discover what was happening. He is soon in contact with a private investigator who is investigating the case. The PI hires Marshall as an assistant for the summer. 

    The story takes many twists and turns as the investigation unravels. And the story because not only a horror/mystery story but also a coming of age story, with an ending that upturns Marshall’s life!

    Bottom Line

    The bottom line is go find and read Lost Man’s Lane, you won’t be sorry! It’s a terrific book on so many different levels. I think it would  make a great book club read. If anyone else has read it I would love to know what you thought about it. 

    While your at it you can also check out Scott’s two other books The Chill and Where They Wait. All three books are high recommended!

    As for me I have to wait until next April to read my next Scott Cason book Departure 37

    Scott Carson

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    About Scott Carson

    Scott Carson is the pen name for a New York Times bestselling author and screenwriter Michael Koryta. He lives in New England.

    Michael Koryta is a New York Times-bestselling author whose work has been translated into more than 20 languages and has won or been nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Edgar® Award, Shamus Award, Barry Award, Quill Award, International Thriller Writers Award, and the Golden Dagger. They’ve been selected as “best books of the year” by numerous publications. Michael Kortya for More

     

     

     

    The Last Ranger – Peter Heller

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    The Last Ranger - Peter Heller

    The Last Ranger is only the second book I’ve read by Peter Heller. The first, The River, was one of the best books I read in 2020…

    So I was looking forward to reading The Last Ranger. I must admit that I found it a little slow going in the beginning and and actually set it aside and started reading James Grippando’s latest Goodbye Girl.

    However, I went back to it as the library due date for the book approached, uh it’s today! Anyway, I’m glad I returned.

    About the Last Ranger

    The setting of The Last Ranger is Yellowstone Park. The main character Ren Hopper is a Park Ranger or an Enforcement Agent assigned to act like the police within the Park. As an Enforcement Agent his duties range from breaking up fights at campgrounds to saving tourists from moose attacks.

    He also works to keep the peace between the vacationers,who tromp around with cameras and the locals who want to carve out a meaningful living in the lands beyond the park boundaries,.

    The book takes off when Ren finds his friend Hilly, a biologist and wolf expert, nearly dead in the steel jaws of a wolf trap. He hopes it’s just an accident.

    However, a small red ribbon tied to the stake makes him fairly certain that it wasn’t. The first and best suspect is a known poacher, who has an ongoing feud with Hilly.

    Aside from this investigation Ren soon finds that someone is also out to get him. The best suspect is a member of a local group of ranchers

    \.These ranchers have formed an alliance at odds with both the park and with Ren’s responsibility to protect it. Is the poacher a member, too?

    From Goodreads

    Rife with surprising humor, populated by a cast of extraordinary characters, each drawn to Yellowstone for their own reasons, Peter Heller once again mines the rich vein where our very human impulses play out against the stunning beauty of the natural world.

    More at Goodreads

    My Thoughts about The Last Ranger.

    The setting is one of the aspects like the most about The Last Ranger. I have only visited Yellowstone Park and surrounding area via the books of C.J. Box. And both authors have left me feeling that I’ve been there and wishing that I could be there. I get the same feeling from the William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Conner books.

    Needless to say, the characters are the other aspect of the book I love. Major and minor characters are real life folks with real life problems. And the reader gets to know and care for them all. Even if you are rooting against some of them you still understand their behavior.

    Speaking of behavior, I also like books that teach me something. The Last Ranger does just that discussing both behavior of the wolves of Yellowstone, as well as, their impact on the environment.

    The bottom line is I highly recommend this book. So check it out. As for me, I will be on the lookout for books from Heller’s back catalog! I will also be getting back to Grippando’s Goodbye Girl.

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    Petwer Heller
    Peter Heller

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    If You Enjoyed The Last Ranger Here’s Where My Reading Went (and Where It’s Going)…

    This one sent me down a bit of a wilderness/conservation rabbit hole…

    • Nora Kelly (Preston & Child) — archaeological thrillers I’m planning to dive into, a natural. It’s also set in the rugged moutnains of the American west.
    • Breaking Wild — Diane Les Becquets — a gripping wilderness survival story that I couldn’t put down (see my original post)
    • Alice Henderson — Alex Carter series — where I’m heading next with environmental thrillers
    Preston & Child
    Diane Les Becquets
    The Vanishing Kind Alice Henderson
    Alice Henderson

    Those Empty Eyes – Discovering Hidden Gems: Like Charlie Donlea!

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    Those Empty Eyes — Charlie Donlea

    Avid readers all have those must-read authors—the ones you grab the day a new book drops. For me: James Lee Burke, C. J. Box, and Karin Slaughter. (I keep a longer list here: Long-Time Favorite Series Still Going Strong.)

    Then there’s a second circle of authors I really like—but I sometimes miss release day and circle back months later. Charlie Donlea is squarely in that group.

    That happened with his 2023 novel Those Empty Eyes. I didn’t read it until November—and it’s another terrific, twisty ride.

    About Those Empty Eyes

    Those Empty Eyes belong to Alexandra Quinlan, nicknamed for the look in her eyes the night her family was slaughtered—and she became the prime suspect. The charges are dropped and she wins a massive settlement for the botched investigation, but her life is wrecked. With no killer identified, plenty of people still think she got away with murder.

    Years later, Alexandra keeps an evidence board of everything she’s uncovered. Can it finally point to the killer? And will her work as an investigator for the law firm that won her case help her finish the search?

    Why it worked for me: propulsive pacing, a smart investigator protagonist, and that obsessive evidence-board thread that pays off.

    If Those Empty Eyes isn’t your thing, browse Charlie Donlea’s Goodreads page for his other standalones—he likes fresh setups, and you’ll likely find a premise that clicks.

    Question for you: which authors do you always find late—then kick yourself for waiting?

    Author Charlie Donlea

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    About Charlie Donlea

    Charlie Donlea is a USA Today bestselling author often praised as “a bold new writer…on his way to becoming a major figure in the world of suspense.” He was born and raised in the Chicago area. (Bio note via Google Books.)

    raph –>

    Jeff Gunhus -SilentThreat – A Wild Ride

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    Jeff Gunhus -Silent Threat
    So if you’re in a Dollar Tree over the next few weeks and see a book titled Silent Threat buy it! You should buy it because it’s everything that Steve Berry says about this Jeff Gunhus book on the front cover.

    “With an aplha female herione and a tantaliuzing premise, this hard-edged, gripping thrillermatches wits and wiles, delivering an entertaining romp”

    Mara Roberts is the female herione and we meet her in the first sentence, which drew me into the book immediately…….

    Mara Roberts knew the Agency would try to kill her father the day he got out of prison; she just didn’t expect her to be the one to do it.

    Mara’s father Scott Roberts is a former agent and a convicted traitor, was responsible for the death of Mara’s mother and is in fact Mara’s father! Needless to say there is no love lost between Mara and her father. However, the killing dod not go as planned and soon Mara and her father are on the run.

    Mara, who is an ex-Marine. She is also one the Agnecy’s most reliable assasin’s! Needless to say her  world is turned upside dow,  as she and her father head first to Chicago to get answer, from the ex-President of the US is speaking! Their most important is: Who ordered the hit onMara’s mother?? Wait Scott didn’t kill her mother?? Oh, and to make sure that Mara kills her father the agency has kidnapped her nephew!!

    Stteve Berry characterizes Silent Threat as an “entertaining romp”. I’d say it’s more of a “wild ride,” with a lot of twists, as Mara and Scott are not only being chased by the Agency, but also by a shadowy cabal known as “Omega”. Who present a clear and present danger to Mara, Scott and the World!!!

    Bottom Line

    The bottom line Silent Threat is a terrific read and proof that great bargain books can be found at Dollar General. Jeff Gunhus is a USA Today best-selling author. He writes thrillers and horror for adults, fantast for middle-graders, and picture books for  children. So Check Out Silent Threat.  As for me, I have already purchased the ebook version of Imminent Threat (Mara and Scott Roberts #2),

     

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    The Resting Place -Camilla Sten ( Book 30 of 2022)

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    The Resting Płace - Camilla Sten

    Now that I am semi back into the swing of writing blog posts, I’ll first try to write about the books that I am currently reading, or just finished. With that being said, I just finished The Resting Place by Camilla Sten and it was really, really good!

    The Resting Place is Camilla Sten’s second novel. The first was internationally acclaimed The Lost Village. Rights for The Lost Village have been sold to 17 territories around the world including film and TV. And based on The Resting Place I’m sure it’s terrific! In fact I just checked the Ebook version out at my local library!

    About The Resting Place


    The Resting Place     is set in Sweden and begins when Eleanor is coming to dinner at her grandmother Vivianne’s house. Eleanor suffers from prosopagnosia (face blindness) so she doesn’t recognize the person who rushed by her, when she was entering Vivianne’s apartment. However, when she discovered her grandmother’s dead body in the apartment, she know that she had come face to face with a killer.  Maddeningly, she didn’t know who it was!

    After weeks over agonizing over the murder, a lawyer calls. Vivianne, has left Eleanor an estate     outside  of Stockholm. An estate that Vivianne had kept hidden from Eleanor her whole life!

    Soon Eleanor, her boyfriend Sebastian, Aunt Veronica, and Rikard the lawyer are off to inventory the estate. The estate is a house of secrets and it doesn’t wish to reveal them! Consequently, as the group starts to get closer to a truth that will turn everything Eleanor knows about her family, things get deadlier!

    The Bottom Line

    The Resting Place is….(from the book jacket)

    A heart-thumping, relentless thriller, that will shake you to the core, The Resting Place is an unforgettable  novel of horror and suspense.

    The story is told in alternating chapters. Current action is told from Eleanor’s POV. While the past is reveled by Anushka a maid, who worked for Vivianne’s family.

    Although the story was somewhat predictable, I I was never sure what the final answers would be until the end. And it was a pretty wild ride to get there!

    All in all, The Resting Place is a strong 4.5 star book. Check It Out! As for me I can’t wait to read The Lost Village!

    Links for the Further Exploration of the Books Camilla Sten

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    When I first saw this book in the library, the name Sten seemed familier, but I just couldn’t place it. When I googled Camilla’s name to śrutę this post I saw her mother is the reason the band Śten is familiar. Way back in 2015, Iread read her mother  Viveca Sten’s book Still Waters book one on her Sandhamn series! I enjoyed the book a lot,  ut have necer read another of her books same on me! Maybe it’s time to delve into that series again!