Author: Alisa Lynn Valdes
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Release Date: April 1, 2023
This book surprised me in the best of ways: gritty, action-packed, and just plain good!
Jodi Luna has left her life in academia to return to her home state of New Mexico to become a game warden. Others in her family have followed this career path and after many challenges in the academic world, Jodi leaves with her daughter to start anew. In her first week on the job, she apprehends a poacher who quickly threatens to retaliate. Jodi finds herself and her daughter being stalked and in the middle of a fight with a white supremacy group. The group has been kidnapping women of color and hunting them for sport. Jodi is met with resistance from the local sheriff and turns to his young deputy, Ashley Romero for help. Together the two work to stop the group and keep those in the area safe.
This book started out on the right foot and took off down a path of suspense, tension, and darn good writing from page one. I loved the rugged setting, characters that weren’t afraid to get after the action, and the ones I was supposed to dislike I sure did, all signs of excellent writing. This was the first book I’ve read by Valdes and from the looks of it there will be more to follow with these characters, making me a very happy reader. I loved that there was nothing trivial in the story; all the events as well as the characters involved all felt right and real. As the story came to a close, I was very satisfied with how it was all playing out even though I can tell there is more that could be done with the characters and continue the storyline in different directions. I live in Texas in a town close to New Mexico, so it was fun for me to read about a rugged area so close to where I actually live. I would recommend this book for adults who enjoy suspense thrillers with hard themes that are written well and a story that can be read in a single day.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.
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