Review: Shades of Mercy: A Porter Beck Mystery by Bruce Borgos

Shades of Mercy: A Porter Beck Mystery by Bruce Borgos is the second in the series that began with The Bitter Past: A Novel. This one might be better than the first. 

Among other things, massive wildfires are ripping through the Nevada countryside and adding to the long list of Sherriff Porter Beck’s worries. The government helicopter arriving to land near his house means even more trouble.

Aboard the helicopter is Special Agent Ed Maddox of the Office of Special Investigations. OSI is the equivalent of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Department. He wants Beck’s help in locating a piece that came off an aircraft last night. He has a general idea of where it went down and wants Beck to ride in the small unmarked chopper to go look.

Once onboard the helicopter, Maddox reveals the impact site is out at the Double J Ranch. Owned by a childhood friend who has moved back home, Beck coming along should help smooth the way. It might have if they were still close. They aren’t and a lot has changed at the ranch that has existed for decades.

It is also clear that the impact was not a piece of the aircraft. Maddox claim a fuel tank did it. There is no way. Beck is ex-military and knows missile debris when he sees it.

Maddox finally admits that they lost control of a Remotely Piloted Aircraft the night before. It was hijacked and flown way off course. It ultimately fired a missile at the prize bull at the ranch. Somebody targeted the bull of the owner who just happens to be a guy Beck grew up with a long time ago. Who would want Jesse Roy’s prize-winning bull exploded into pieces? What are they planning to do next? And the biggest question of all – how did they take control of the RPA?

Those three big questions and many others are answered in the incredibly entertaining, Shades of Mercy: A Porter Beck Mystery. This review only carefully scratches the surface as much is in play here and I am not going to spoil any of it for readers.

Additional character development, multiple complex story lines, and plenty of action make this second in the series a very good book.

For a more in-depth look at the very good read, make sure you read Lesa Holstine’s review. 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3SFeNS7

 

My digital ARC reading copy came by way of the publisher, Minotaur Books, through NetGalley.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Review: The Bitter Past: A Novel by Bruce Borgos

The Bitter Past: A Novel by Bruce Borgos takes readers to Nevada and Lincoln County. Retired FBI Agent Ralph Atterbury is most definitely dead. It also was certainly not a peaceful death. The 71-year-old man has been found strapped down to his recliner. He has had patches of skin stripped off, every finger is broken, and his teeth were pulled one by one. All this and quite a lot more was done as he was tortured for reasons unknown by a person or persons unknown.

It is a brutal case and one that Sheriff Beck knows is going to be bad. He is ex-military so he knows a thing or two about what people can and will do to others. He has seen the work of the Taliban and this far exceeds what they are known to do.

It is not long before Sana Locke of the FBI shows up. She is beautiful and intriguing on many levels, but there is something a little off about her. Not just because she claims to be from nearby Las Vegas when it is far more likely she is out of Washington. He does not have long to contemplate what is off about her as she makes it very clear that wants to see the crime scene and the body.

What follows is a complicated read that moves back and forth between current times and the late 50s and the Cold War. Nevada was the site of the nation’s nuclear testing program. That program is a significant part of the book as the current case has links to what happened then. I will leave it there as this is one of those books where it is better to do a less is more approach to the review so as not create spoilers and ruin the read for others.

The Bitter Past: A Novel by Bruce Borgas is a very complicated read and one that is incredibly good. I suspect it will collect award nominations and some hardware. One hopes that this is the first book in a series. Regardless of that fact, this is a book you really need to read. 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4j0SAc6 

 

My reading copy came by way of a NetGalley digital ARC. Big time thanks to Lesa Holstine for pointing it out to me on NetGalley and suggesting that it might be a read for me. It certainly was. You should also read her review here. 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023