Review: "Firebreak" by Tricia Fields

Weather in Texas often is one of two extremes--- flood or fire. It has been a couple years since the floods came to Southwest Texas. Now it has been 9 months since rain fell in the desert area and now wildfire is the threat to Artemis and the surrounding area. The threat comes from the north and south with Artemis trapped in the middle. Evacuations are ordered for parts of Arroyo County, but not everyone will agree to leave. This area of southwest Texas where folks are used to hard times, desert conditions, and relying on themselves and their ingenuity to survive, makes for a people to don’t turn away from a fight.

In the aftermath of the fires that spare the home of Artemis Police Chief Josie Gray, a body is found in the remains of the badly damaged home of Billy and Brenda Nix. If his wife and manager, Brenda, is to be believed Billy is about to make it big with a Nashville music contract. Billy is old school country and sings while playing guitar. Both he and his wife evacuated, according to some of the locals, but neither one is answering their cell phone. They may be up in Austin lining up future events or somewhere else. In the chaos of the evacuation they were seen at least once, but nobody really knows where they are or why they would not be answering their cell phones.

The location of the Nixes, the identity of the body, and figuring out what happened should be Police Chief Josie Gray’s priority and focus. A focus that isn’t easy to maintain, as thanks to the events in Wrecked, her longtime boyfriend has packed up and left. Getting kidnapped by a drug cartel can kind of put a damper on the whole romance thing. Four months later and normalcy is a foreign concept for both her and Dillion.

Firebreak is the fourth in a series that began with the award winning The Territory. This latest mystery features once again the deep characters and desert beauty present in the earlier books as well as the complicated cases Police Chief Josie Gray and her team must solve. This is a series best read in order as there are references to earlier events in each novel. The books are very good and so is Firebreak. If this series is new to you, it will be another year before Tricia Fields has another so get to work as you have some very good books to read. 

Firebreak

Tricia Fields

http://www.triciafields.com

Minotaur Books (A Thomas Dunne Book)

http://www.minotaurbooks.com

March 2015

ISBN# 978-1-250-05505-7

Hardback (available in e-book)

288 Pages

$25.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2015

Senior News Newspaper Book Review Column---June 2014

For my monthly newspaper book review column in the Senior News Newspaper, I try to make sure to choose one fiction and one nonfiction book in the hopes of interesting more readers. Cookbooks are very popular so I included one as well as the latest mystery in a very good series. Included below are the relevant book covers for my June 2014 column…

Stuffed: The Ultimate Comfort Food Book-- Taking Your Favorite Foods And Stuffing Them To Make New, Different And Delicious Meals

Dan Whalen

ISBN# 978-1-62414-011-2

Paperback

208 Pages

Have you ever thought about combining two different foods into one super food? Like putting a cheeseburger inside a ravioli? “Cheeseburger Ravioli Burger” looks really good and the recipe is here on pages 84-85. Or, maybe you have a craving for something like “Lobster Stuffed Fried Mac and Cheese Balls” (pages 94-95) or a “Mac and Cheese Stuffed Burger” (pages 100-101). The culinary possibilities are intriguing and quite varied in Stuffed: The Ultimate Comfort Food Book by Dan Whalen.

After a brief and interesting introduction the book is broken into six chapters featuring lots of possibilities. Each recipe has an ingredient list and directions, the number of portions it makes, a heat scale as to flavor, and a “Pig-Out” scale as how gluttonous you feel. There are not any specifics regarding fats, salts, etc., as the ratings are more of an unspecified personal scale. Some recipes have pictures, but most do not. This same format continues throughout the book and features recipes that are designed for those who do not have dietary restrictions and are open to experimentation.

Wrecked

Tricia Fields

Minotaur Books (Thomas Dunne Book)

ISBN# 978-1-250-02137-3

Hardback (also available in e-book and audio)

320 Pages

The series that began with the award winning, The Territory, and continued in Scratchgravel Road, continues in the recently released Wrecked. While this novel could be read as a standalone, because of the numerous and often spoiler references to the two prior books scattered throughout this novel, readers who have not read this series would be prudent to start at the beginning.

Deep in southwest Texas in the Big Bend region sits the small town of Artemis, Texas. A small border town where folks struggle to survive despite the economy of the region as well as the violence that occasionally spills across the border into Texas. Chief of Police Josie Gray knows firsthand about the violence that comes across the border and is about to again as her boyfriend, Dillon Reese, will be taken.

While the previous books were more police procedural oriented, this one is considerably more psychological suspense as it shifts through the various character viewpoints. The primary focus is on what Dillon’s disappearance does to Chief Gray and others as well as what being kidnapped does to Dillon. Despite the occasionally travelogue feel to the series, the reads are complex and feature realistic characters and multiple interesting storylines. As noted, this is one of those series best read in order from the beginning.

Kevin R Tipple ©2014

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Review: "Wrecked: by Tricia Fields

The series that began with the award winning, The Territory, and continued in Scratchgravel Road, continues in the recently released Wrecked. While this novel could be read as a standalone, because of the numerous references to the two prior books scattered throughout this novel, readers who have read the earlier works will appreciate this one more. Some of those references are clear spoilers for the prior books.

Deep in southwest Texas in the Big Bend region lays the small town of Artemis, Texas. A small border town where folks struggle to survive despite the economy of the region as well as the violence that occasionally spills across the border into Texas. Chief of Police Josie Gray knows firsthand about the violence that comes across the border and might prefer that to local politics.

The idea that Mayor Steve Moss would show up at her door one morning at 6:30 am is something she has never had to contemplate before. This spring morning he has arrived unannounced and she is less than thrilled to see him no matter what he wants. She has been Chief of Police for six years now and their mutual distrust has steadily grown. According to the Mayor, a local woman by the name of Roxanne Spar, went to one of the officer the night before and filed some sort of harassment/stalking charge on Moss. Not only does Chief Gray know nothing about the case or the charge, Moss thinks she should destroy all the paperwork on the case because he said to do it. That won't happen under Gray's watch and the Mayor should have known that.

Of course, Moss should not have put himself in to a position that a woman could accuse him of wrong doing. If he wasn’t smart enough to know that as Mayor, he should have known that as a married man. For Chief Gray Moss’s problems at home and politically are going to become nearly meaningless as in a few hours her boyfriend, Dillon Reese, will disappear.

The next seven days are a nightmare for Chief Gray as she has to take a backseat in the investigation and search for Dillon. Haunted by her actions in the early hours when she wasn't aware he was missing, she can't do much of anything as the days pass and Dillon remains in the clutches of the kidnappers. Having to step aside and let others run things their way is a role guaranteed to drive her crazy if her own emotions about the events don't make her snap first.

The latest in the series from author Tricia Fields is a good read. While the previous books were more police procedural oriented, this one is considerably more psychological suspense as it shifts through the various character viewpoints. Of course the police work is still present, but the primary focus is on what Dillon’s disappearance does to Chief Gray and others as well as what being kidnapped does to Dillon. Guilt, rage, and angst are the main components for all in differing amounts as the case drags on day after day with no easy answers. Despite the occasionally travelogue feel to the series, the reads are complex and feature realistic characters and multiple interesting storylines. As noted, this is one of those series best read in order from the beginning with The Territory and Scratchgravel Road.
  

Wrecked

Tricia Fields

http://www.triciafields.com

Minotaur Books (Thomas Dunne Book)

http://www.minotaurbooks.com

2014

ISBN# 978-1-250-02137-3

Hardback (also available in e-book and audio)

320 Pages

$29.99

Material supplied the good folks of the Plano Texas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014

Review: "Scratchgravel Road: A Mystery" by Tricia Fields

“Given the right set of circumstances I think we're all capable of doing bad.” (Page 289)

The right set of circumstances has come together in this second novel from author Tricia Fields following last year's powerful debut The Territory. In fact, “the right set of circumstances” happens over and over again in a variety of ways resulting in numerous life and death situations as well as plenty of good old fashioned luck. In fact, it happens so often at precisely the right time, there is a strong hint of deus ex machina at work throughout the book.

“The right set of circumstances” happens from early on when Police Chief Josie Gray leaves home at noon in the June heat to begin her shift. On her way to the station, she decides to stop for a few minutes at the nearby watch tower. She climbs the tower at random times so she can evaluate the local area of the Chihuahuan Desert and keep eyes on Piedra Labrada, the staging point for recent cartel violence that crossed the border and rocked the small southwest Texas border town of Artemis. Things have calmed down for now, but memories are very fresh, and the 33 year old police chief expects the violence to flare again at any time.

As she drove toward the watch tower, Chief Gray didn't expect to find the car of former jail employer Cassidy Harper parked nearby on Scratchgravel Road. Cassidy is a decent enough person, but, she has made a few bad decisions and that includes the man in her life. She seems to have made another as she left her car and apparently walked off into the desert under a blistering noonday sun. Chief Gray heads off road and into the desert with her jeep and soon finds an unconscious Cassidy. She also finds her lying next to a man who clearly has been dead for days.

That discovery, a runaway teenage daughter of a fellow office, and the start of a monsoon season that breaks 100 year flood records are just some of the many factors at work in this complicated second novel of the series. While the heavy rains depicted in this novel may strike native Texans such as myself as way over the top as they simply do not happen the way they are depicted, the rest of the novel featuring multiple storylines works well. Josie remains a strong and interesting character and a number of secondary characters are allowed to bring forth their own rich and varied perspectives in Scratchgravel Road. That character development further brings to life the small town while also adding depth and complexity to those involved. While not nearly as good as The Territory the novel does work fairly well and keeps the reader entertained.

Scratchgravel Road: A Mystery

Tricia Fields

http://www.TriciaFields.com

Minotaur Books (A Thomas Dunne Book)

http://www.minotaurbooks.com

March 2013

ISBN# 978-1-250-02136-6

Hardback (also available as e-book and audio)

310 Pages

$24.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Texas Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2013