This tautly written debut thriller was named one of the 10 Best Mysteries of 2013 by the Wall Street Journal.After two tours as a sniper in Iraq, Tommy Smith has returned to his former life as a cowboy and wilderness guide in California’s Sierra Nevada, hoping to reclaim the simplicity of his youth and heal the wounds the world can’t see. When, high on a mountain pass, he and his partner find the … and his partner find the wrecked plane of a billionaire adventurer who disappeared months earlier, a seemingly innocent act triggers a breathtaking cycle of violence that threatens Tommy’s world. Soon he is enmeshed in the struggle between the billionaire’s trophy wife and wannabe drug lord son and their allies. Every effort to set things right draws him deeper into a bad situation and closer to needing those deadly skills that he had hoped to leave behind forever.
With lean, efficient prose and dialogue that crackles with repartee, Bart Paul has written a contemporary thriller of steadily mounting suspense and ruthless action. He captures both the beauty of the high mountain wilderness and the laconic rhythms of the outfitters’ lives. In Tommy Smith he offers a protagonist whose cool competence, home-grown decency, and clarity of purpose in the face of danger suggest a brotherhood with heroes from the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Cormac McCarthy.
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This was a good version of the often told story of “finding a lot of money, but not being able to keep it. Characters try to keep their discovery a secret, but that rarely works. The story, however, takes place in a unique environment, and unique characters. That made it worth reading.
Awesome, riveting, on the edge of your seat, and really loved it.
Good book and characters. Interesting story line and kept my attention.
Great Book
I felt that this story was very well written and it kept my interest.
I want to read more of this author’s books.
I really enjoyed spending time with characters I never otherwise would have met.
Not great literature but a thoroughly entertaining read. Well developed, believable characters and a terrific plot.
About as gripping as a quilting bee. Dull hoople characters and distracting plot line.
After about 30-40 pages in I gave up on it. Uninteresting characters and way to slow. It may have gotten better if I had stuck with it but who wants to spend the time when you aren’t enjoying it.
I fell for these characters, so much that I wish they were real people. The author does an excellent job of bringing us into the world of these finely tuned people and the mystery than ensnares them. Don’t be put off by the way the beginning blossoms slowly, I recommend this story wholeheartedly!
Good yarn
Enjoyed his style of writing.
Did not like the ending. Left me hanging
This novel was original and interesting. I remained involved with it all the way to the end!
Only gave this a two because I couldn’t get past the first chapter. Gave up after that. It might have gotten better but I couldn’t make myself plow through it to find out.
I love to read. I had to force myself to keep going, giving the benefit of the doubt hoping it would get better. Finally gave up. Sorry but this was a waste of time. Surprised it got printed at all.
The author took an actual event that happened only a few years ago in Nevada and fictionalized it into an intriguing story. It could have happened this way.
Everyone has their own unique taste in books and I don’t think my review should discourage you from reading this. It just didn’t flow for me.
New author for me. Very well written with enough action and character descriptions to hold interest. Liked it so much stayed up late to finish.