A well written, action-packed book that you can't put down. ( )

This is the second installment of the Porter Beck Mystery series, and I was thrilled to get my hands on this ARC. Bruce Borgos did not disappoint with this page turner. The story revolves around incidents in Beck's jurisdiction that can only be caused by a hacker.

Shades of Mercy kept me enthralled as Porter and his cohorts raced to save the young hacker after she disappeared with both a drug cartel and a foreign government as possible suspects in her abduction.

Bruce Borgos is an auto buy for me after reading this one. I can’t wait for the next book in the Porter Beck Series. 4⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for this complimentary ARC. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ( )

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

When a military drone crashes onto Jesse Roy’s Double J Ranch in the midst of Shiloah Roy’s seventeenth birthday celebration, a prize bull is its sole victim. At the same time, Sheriff Porter Beck mourns the loss of a friend, another in a string of drug deaths plaguing the town.

Who hacked into the drone and caused the crash? Could it have been a local hacker? Sheriff Beck learns that sixteen-year-old Mercy Vaughn has the skill, but is detained in the local Youth Center and has no access to a computer.

Or does she?

As the investigation continues. Sheriff Beck finds himself with more questions than answers . . . and growing doubts about Mercy.

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Although this is the second book in the author’s Porter Beck Mystery series, there is sufficient backstory for the story to work well as a standalone. Nonstop action and well-defined, believable characters pull readers into the telling of the tale. Of special note is Beck’s English Lab partner, Columbo, who had washed out of the county’s K-9 Drug Academy.

With its strong sense of place and a complex, intriguing plot, the unfolding narrative keeps readers turning pages as fast as possible. Filled with secrets, lies, and unexpected twists, the suspenseful tale is both entertaining and unputdownable.

Readers who enjoy fast-paced stories full of action, tension, and suspense . . . along with a bit of international spy intrigue . . . will find much to appreciate in this thriller that keeps them guessing right up to the immensely satisfying denouement.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
#ShadesofMercy #NetGalley ( )

I really enjoy Sheriff Porter Beck, Beck, as a character. He's highly fallible, but also extremely intelligent, with a heart of gold. I also love his sister, Brinley: badass weapons expert to the stars. I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as his first. Though I was really intrigued by 16 year-old hacker, Mercy, who is wreaking havoc in Beck's county. Lots of action in this one, which you can read as a standalone, but the various bad guys and their ill intents got more convuleted as the story went on.

Definitely a series worth investing in, bring on #3!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing me with a e-copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Side Note: Do not read if you don't want to read about a cows being essentially blown up. ( )

abduction, vision-issues, retinitis-pigmentosa, espionage, hacker, exmilitary, CIA, triggers, unputdownable, invisible-disability, contemporary, lies, snarky, torture, local-law-enforcement, series, fiction, Chinese-intelligence, rural, crime-thriller, siblings, Nevada, networking, wildfires, action-adventure, punny, suspense, drones*****

Mercy is a computer genius/hacker/teenager who was doing time for her misdeeds. The most relevant of which is hacking into cartel monies, this is what gets her abducted and more. Secrets are revealed, past contacts with CIA activated, and all this has the background of wildfires fed by temperatures and drought. Fast paced and alarming. Loved it!
Can't wait till it comes out in audio so I can get a copy to keep!
I requested and received an EARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
#PorterBeckMysteriesBk2 Available 16 Jul 2024 ( )