Review: The Fatal Saving Grace: An Ed Earl Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt

 

Some would call it justice. Some would call it revenge. No matter what you call it, the concept has been a long running theme of the Ed Earl Burch series. The same is very much true in the fifth book of the series, The Fatal Saving Grace: An Ed Earl Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt.

 

This novel picks up a few months after The Dead Certain Doubt. This read addresses those events and brings some of the characters back while also addressing events earlier in the series. That means that it is impossible to review this read without referencing some spoilers if you have not read the previous book. I am doing my best to minimize that aspect of things. But, if you keep reading you were warned….

 

This is a novel of tying up loose ends and settling scores. It begins with Ed Earl Burch barely surviving a far Southwest Texas ambush. These days he carries a shield as an investigator for the Cuervo County District Attorney. Technically that would make the DA his boss, but the reality is that he reports to the Cuervo County Sheriff Sudden Doggett as well as a retired Texas Ranger by the same of Dub McKee. McKee has connections to powerful people and made it happen and roped Sudden Doggett into the plan to give Burch a badge again despite what happened with the Dallas Police way back when. Burch tends to be a burr under Doggett’s saddle as the two men don’t mesh well for a variety of reasons.  

 

Based out of the Sherrif’s Office in Faver, and within a couple of hours drive down to Marfa and Presidio, Burch is teamed up with Deputy Sheriff Bobby Quintero as the two chase down leads on who might have tried to ambush Burch on his way home.

 

Not only is Bobby good company, he has great skills as he was a Ranger and worked in some of the worst trouble spots on the globe. Still, Burch would prefer to go it alone. Because Burch does his own thing. Always.

 

Being a one-man band fits his personality best. Having the badge back after losing it many years ago in Dallas is great and all, but it has not been as good as he thought it would be. He is feeling a bit suffocated by being forced to work with others, go through a chain of command, follow orders, and control his outlaw impulses. He was brought in to get things done as he had the reputation of being a loose cannon that got results, and now he is supposed to work with others after years of going his own way to get justice and settle scores.

 

He is also missing the heck out of Carla Sue Cantrell who recently took off and said she might be back whenever. He has found solace in the arms of a couple of local women, but they are a poor substitute. Inleading the certain lady that can make one heck of a chicken fried steak.

 

(Don’t read this while your hungry as food comes up a lot. Especially if you have not had a good chicken fried steak in years.)

 

In the here and now, Burch was chasing leads on one Lonny Dalrymple and apparently that stirred up somebody to try the ambush. There was a big murder case awhile back and it was believed there were three killers involved. Two are dead. One is death row where he belongs. The case was supposed to be closed and done.

 

But, the supremely talented County Crime Tech, Katie Navarro, was able to identify some additional latent prints from the victim’s Airstream trailer. They belonged to Lonny Dalrymple. Burch had been going around Presidio asking questions and was headed back to his isolated home when a flash of light off of nearby rocks made him react. He jerked the wheel of his old truck and the first shot of many to come hit the roof of his truck instead of his head.

 

The resulting gun battle left the shooter dead and Burch fuming. He is going to go back and brace the people he already talked to, for starters, to track down the parties involved. He wanted to go alone, but Sheriff Doggett told him Quintero was going with him, and that was that. He didn’t want company, but if he has to have some, Quintero is good to have along.

 

Especially when the dead and gone don’t stay either way.

 

As always in this crime fiction series, there is nearly constant graphic violence and quite a lot of graphic sex. There is also a lot of settling scores as this novel winds up several different story arcs. A fast moving read that is over all too soon, The Fatal Saving Grace is also a mighty good read.

 

Strongly recommended.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Xtq3mn

 

 

My ARC digital reading copy came from the author with no expectation of a review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT BY JIM NESBITT

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT BY JIM NESBITT

BookDivasReads: Guest Post: Jim Nesbitt – THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT

 BookDivasReads: Guest Post: Jim Nesbitt – THE DEAD CERTAIN DOUBT

Review: The Dead Certain Doubt by Jim Nesbitt

 

Dallas Private Investigator Ed Earl Burch has a love/hate relationship with West Texas. Loves the land and its stark beauty. Does not care for many of the people--- especially the ones that have repeatedly tried to kill him. But, truth be told, he never felt more alive than when working out there being the manhunter deal where one kills or is killed. It was like working Dallas Homicide without the red tape. Get the bad guys and gals, dead or alive.

 

In the wake of the savings and loan collapse the last decade, these days he is off the pills and making a good living going after the fugitive partners of real estate deals that went bad, finding hidden asserts, and nailing dead beat developers. He has done so well that he got his lawyer paid off and that meant he was free and clear from that shyster. Also did well enough to open an IRA and play in the stock market a little. He is a regular guy these guys with bad knees, mental and physical scars, and is absolutely bored out of his mind.

 

He’s spending his nights at Louie’s when he can’t sleep, drinking, and sharing war stories with a bunch of retired Dallas cops and other folks. Those old stories bring back a lot of memories. Also tends to sooth the voice of his long dead partner.

 

One memory from the past brings a lot of pain and guilt. Juanita Mutscher, at one time had an ex-mother-in-law, Theda Bayer. That woman had a daughter, Rhonda May Bayer. After Theda Bayer died as a result of her own toxic ways, Burch pulled a few strings and greased the wheels so that Rhonda Mae, who was six or seven back then, could go back to Juanita to live at her place out in the country between Midlothian and Venus.

 

It should have been a good deal.

 

It was until her Daddy came back in Rhonda Mae’s teen years, got full custody, and had Rhonda Mae move in with him. Things spiraled out of control. Burch intervened the first few times as she did drugs, booze and more, and repeatedly found herself deep in in consequences and trouble with the law. But, being off the Dallas PD by this time meant he had far less sway or markers to call in to help. He also got fed up riding to her rescue.

 

Now more than a decade later, Burch decides to go see Juanita and to make amends as best as he can. The years have not been kind to her and she makes it clear to Burch she is not long for this world. Her husband is dead and the next stroke she has will no doubt will send her on her way to him in the afterlife.

 

She would not have called. But, since he is at her place seeking redemption, she wants him to find Rhonda Mae. Been over a year since Juanita last heard from her. All she knows is that means the young woman is in trouble, not surprising since she is out in West Texas and mixed up in one of those Texas secession groups. While all the various groups preaching that nonsense are bad news, some are far worse than others.

 

Which one Rhona Mae is in, Juanita does not know. Juanita did save the letters that Rhonda Mae sent and she wrote some about what she was doing so that might help. Most of them were postmarked in Faver. A small town along the border. A place that Burch knows and he also knows the Sheriff down there pretty well.

 

With a starting point, a couple of ideas, his guns, and a handful of memories and ghosts, Burch packs up and goes down to see if he can find Rhonda Mae. It is a quest for redemption and to save the living, if he can. It does not take long for Burch to find blood, bullets, and mayhem. For Burch, this is the way.

 

The Dead Certain Doubt: An Ed Earl Burch Novel is the latest read in the series that began long ago with The Last Second Chance. As such, one expects the read to be complicated, violent, and graphic in terms of that violence as well as intimacy between partners of the night or long-term relationship. Such is true here as author Jim Nesbitt pulls out all the stops in every area.

 

At the same time, a significant part of this book is about Burch’s history and past cases. He has seen a lot and those deals are a major backbone of this book. Some situations, major parts of previous books, are detailed here in multiple paragraph odes of remembrance. As such, it would be best to have read the previous books before embarking on this read.

 

The Dead Certain Doubt: An Ed Earl Burch Novel by Jim Nesbitt is a powerfully dark and very violent crime fiction read. It is also incredibly good. 

 

 

My reading copy was an ARC provided by the author with no expectation of a review. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023