When Sam Cable, Texas Ranger, is assigned to protect a volatile and controversial candidate for US Senate, April Marie Fortney, his life is turned into a daily dose of hell on toast. Just when he thought the situation couldn’t get worse, he wakes up next to her dead body… with no memory of how he got there.The investigation focuses on Cable, highlighting him as the newest poster boy for an … an intense debate on racial relations. Racing against an impending indictment, he digs through a web of conflicting motives, politically-driven ambitions, and the past of the murdered woman, desperately seeking the truth before time runs out.
His only ally is feisty FBI agent Rita Goldman, whose sense of justice is as profound as her lack of field experience. Cable doesn’t know if the rookie agent will help prove his innocence or be the one to bury him.
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A great book in this series
Scott Bell, the author of “April’s Fool” (Red Adept Publishing 2019), is one heck of a thrilling writer who knows how to build suspense, spin a tale, pull his readers to the edge of their seat, and get inside his characters’ heads.
Bell’s writing is crisp, clear, and moves at a fast pace. The plotting is astute. The characters are fascinating. While the books have a grim/gritty quality where they need to, they also have humor and acute descriptions. What more could one ask for?
“April’s Fool” is the first in a new police procedural/crime thriller series set in Texas, and “May Day” (Red Adept 2019) is also available, and “June Bug” (Red Adept) should be along soon.
The protagonist is the series, Sam Cable, is a modern-day Texas Ranger, and being a Texas Ranger, he is naturally tough—and as an added bonus, he is exceptionally tall and Hollywood handsome. But he also has a wry sense of humor that adds a sparkle to the story and a determination that drives him and the book. He is also in one helluva mess at the start of ”April’s Fool.”
Bell does not tip toe into the story. Right there on page one, Sam wakes up groggy beside a dead body. And, naturally enough, not just any dead body but the corpse of the woman he was assigned to protect, a controversial and often irate candidate for US Senate, April Marie Fortney. Fortney is black and works racial discord in her campaign; thus, the story has some interestingly timely elements to it, as Sam, who is white, is quickly pegged as her killer, though he insists he was set up.
Though he wakes up in bed with her, they have not been lovers. They didn’t even like each other. In fact, Sam and the dead woman pretty much loathed each other. Still, there he was—in her bed.
As Sam is not immediately put in jail, he has time—though not much—to find out who set him up and why and how he can prove it all. In many ways, his situation goes quickly from bad to worse. His enemies are hidden, but talented, and his allies are scarce, and consist primarily of a rookie FBI agent Rita Goldman. Rita, who is a delightful bookish contrast to Sam, is more at home with paperwork, research, and numbers than guns and confrontations. She and Sam don’t get each other at all, and neither is sure they like the other. But it doesn’t matter as Rita digs in, ferreting out some essential facts. Rita’s character arc is profound and profoundly well done.
Sam’s other helpmates are his brother Matt, a Dallas (Texas) County sheriff’s deputy, Matt’s pregnant wife, Darla, and Sam’s feisty mother, who apparently raised her kids with a combination of tough love and sheer toughness.
All in all, April’s Fool is a fast moving, exciting book, well worth the reading.
4.5
Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.
Texas Ranger Sam Cable has been assigned to bodyguard April Marie Fortney, a US Senate candidate while she campaigns. No one is more surprised than Sam when he wakes up next to her dead body. And they’re both naked. What?! Someone is going to a lot of trouble to make it look like he killed Fortney, but Sam knows in his gut (since he can’t remember what happened) that he did not. So, instead of sitting around while others look no further than his own yummy self (my words), he starts poking around on his own. The big question is: can he find the real killer before he gets locked up good and proper? Time is ticking…
Well, how often does a book start off with a naked Texas Ranger in bed with a naked candidate for Senate? Ok, so maybe that start is out there somewhere, but how often is the woman dead and the nommy Ranger clueless about what happened? Talk about getting a book up and running from the get go. How about we stir the pot? Not only is Sam being set up, but he’s white and she’s black. White law enforcement officer, dead black woman. Oh, man. Talk about a powder keg. Sam has his investigative work cut out for him. Luckily, he has help when the FBI gets involved and Rita Goldman is put on the case. Add in Sam’s brother, some helpful co-workers, and a peach of a boss and things start looking up for Sam. Just a tiny bit, but we’ll take it, right?
The writing will toss you in the deep end (kinda like Sam from page 1 on) and you’ll need to keep swimming along with Sam to get to shallow water. The characters are awesome. Seriously. And the plot is twisty and turny enough to keep you guessing. Nice! I can’t wait to go on more adventures with Sam and his dynamic crew. If you’re looking for a fast-paced intriguing whodunit with great characters then be sure to pick this one up!
I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are mine.
This is the first book in the Sam Cable Mystery series. Sam is a Texas Ranger who is assigned to guard a Judge running for a Senate seat. Their relationship is not great but Sam is dedicated to his job. One day, Sam wakes up naked in a hotel room and lying next to him is the body of the Judge. He has no memory of how he ended up in the Judge’s hotel room or how she ended up getting murdered. What’s worse – the FBI are pounding on the hotel room door – how can Sam explain this?
This was a mystery which grabs you from the very beginning and doesn’t let go – it’s chock full of action, red herrings and some good humor. Sam is a well developed main character and his interactions with his brother Matt are realistic and warm – as the best ribbing is from those who know you best. Every chapter begins with a quote to set the tone – which I enjoyed. I’m am looking forward to more of Sam’s adventures.
I listened to this book – the narrator, J. Scott Bennett, did a great job. He completely embodied the character of Sam. I have become a great fan.
Another excellent book that grabs the reader on the first page and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end! Love the main character, Sam Cable, and although he seems to have the whole world against him, he never gives up the fight! The secondary characters Matt and Darla, and the other Texas Rangers were memorable and added to the suspense in the book.
The spunky FBI agent, Rita Goldman added hope and her dedication to finding the real killer.
The narration was incredible as is the norm for J. Scott Bennett. Multiple voices and dialects, all genders are done well and with ease.
Some quotes from the kindle version of the book which I also own:
“Railroad spikes pounded into my head, driven by a chain gang of demons.”
“I suspected he was trying for intimidation, but he wound up looking constipated.”
“If heaven had a meal plan, I hoped it included open-faced turkey sandwiches.”
I thoroughly enjoyed the quotes at the start of the chapters written by famous persons, musicians, and authors and I actually looked forward to hearing the next one. Extremely well done!
“A wise man makes his own decisions; an ignorant man follows public opinion.”-Grantland Rice
This is a great murder, mystery story that keeps you wondering who the killer is right up to the end. Texas Ranger, Sam Cable, is framed for the murder of a political candidate in this fast action who-done-it. Help comes from an unlikely source, and together they race to find the true culprit before Sam is arrested. Sam is the stereotypical cowboy, all “western” and hunky good looks, but he is smart, honest and has both a temper and a great sense of humour. You can not help but like him. Scott Bennett, the narrator of the audiobook, does a great job of the voices and definitely makes you feel the cowboyness of Sam. This story has lots of action, intrigue, twists and realistic characters that keep you entertained the whole way through.
One heck of a plot. A lot of twists and turns, it takes some navigating to get through them. In the mean time you have people doing drive byes and someone fallowing you around town. It can get crazy for a bit. Very good story, and in the end you fallow the money as usual. I received a complimentary review copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving a honest review.
Texas Ranger Sam Cable has been assigned to protect a candidate for the US Senate. They don’t get along well …. they have different political beliefs …. and with her being black and his being white, there’s usually a racial overtone to their conversations.
To his surprise and mortification he wakes up naked, fuzzy headed and staring into the dead eyes of the woman he was charged with protecting. He has no memory of how he got there..when he got there…
While local law enforcement focus their sights on Cable and the media is going crazy with reports of race relations exploding.
His only allies are his boss and FBI Agent Rita Goldman, a rookie in the field. She doesn’t like him much, either, and Sam’s afraid that she will do more harm than good and he’ll find himself wearing orange in prison.
He knows they have to solve this murder immediately if not sooner … before they come to arrest him. There are plenty of suspects, and some surprises regarding the Senator’s background. While Sam works one end of the list of possible suspects, Rita starts at the other end.
It’s when they meet in the middle that things turn deadly for both of them.
I love the characters of Sam and Rita. Sam is the stereotypical cowboy.. from his Stetson to his boots. He’s got a temper, but also a terrific sense of humor. Rita, being a rookie, comes across as a bit arrogant, but that’s mainly because she doesn’t want anyone to see how vulnerable she really is. The one thing they do have in common is their sense of justice.
There’s a lot of action from beginning to end and twists and turns that keep you riveted to each page. This is a stand alone but I would love to see/read a series with these characters.
Many thanks to the author / Red Adept Publishers for the advanced digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.