Eight stars
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Bruce Borgos, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
When I saw this book by Bruce Borgos, I was both curious and intrigued by the premise. Borgos mixes the intensity of a Cold War era thriller with a modern police procedural to deliver a piece sure to appeal to many. Strong writing and great characters help the story come together and keep the reader forging ahead well into the night, as they flip pages to learn the truth about a small community in Nevada and its connection to a nuclear test site. Borgos is one to watch and has me wanting to come back for more in this series.
Porter Beck enjoys his life as a sheriff in rural Nevada. Having spent his early years there with his father as the head lawman, Beck dabbled in the Army and Intelligence before returning to take up the sheriff role. The bucolic community is rocked when a former FBI agent is found murdered, having been severely tortured. While Beck is willing to use his resources, he is soon visited by someone from the FBI's Las Vegas Field Office, wanting to liaise. This raises many red flags and Sheriff Beck won't stand down until he gets some answers.
It would seem the victim has ties to investigating a nuclear test site in the area during the late 1950s. What took place there was so secretive that Beck is surprised when he learns about it, but even more stunned to know that there could be a killer out there trying to silence anyone with intel from what happened.
While Beck and Special Agent Sana Locke work to track down the killer, a young girl in a surrounding community disappears, thought to be the target of a kidnapping. Working both cases, Beck and Special Agent Locke soon find key pieces about the cases and how events from the past might be playing out before them. A killer lurks out there, not willing to stand down, forcing Beck to take on a role no small-town sheriff could have imagined. However, it's what he discovers that leaves Beck even more flummoxed. A great series debut by Bruce Borgos that has me ready for more Porter Beck!
I always enjoy discovering new authors, as it gives me a chance to contrast their work with some of those with whom I have an ongoing reading relationship. Bruce Borgos impressed me from the outset with his strong storytelling abilities and never let up throughout. The narrative is balanced by both past and present threads, which run parallel for most of the novel, but intersect at key moments. Characters from both these narratives fit perfectly into their respective stories and leave the reader feeling as though they are in the middle of the action. There is an especially great banter between Beck and Locke, both personal and professional. I can only wonder if Borgos is planting the seeds for a larger story arc with these characters. Plot twists and development throughout is strong and keeps the reader guessing, though some aspects are understandable predictable, especially with a Cold War angle. I can only wonder what is to come for Porter Beck in the series, as this book was labeled the first in what I hope is a strong collection over the coming years. I have Bruce Borgos on my radar and cannot wait to see what's on the horizon.
Kudos, Mr. Borgos, for the great series debut. I hope you have lots to come!
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