Razor Edge

By

Logan Ryles

Mason Sharpe #12

They framed him for murder. Now Mason is coming for blood.

Army veteran Mason Sharpe has found peace in Newark, where employment at a homeless shelter provides an opportunity to serve and maybe a chance to heal. Life isn’t easy, but it’s meaningful, and that’s all Mason is looking for.

Until the dirty cops show up. Mason sees them harassing Vinny, a friend from the shelter with his own troubled past. Mason intercedes and makes it clear—further harassment will not be tolerated.

But then Vinny is fatally stabbed, and the murder weapon is recovered from Mason’s personal locker.

Hunted by police who want him silenced, and stalked by Russian mobsters who want him dead, Mason has no choice but to run. To clear his name, he’ll need to dig into Vinny’s secret life—a trail that leads straight to the heart of a criminal empire hidden in plain sight.

This sophisticated organization is ironclad, infested with killers, and carefully constructed to withstand any attack. But what they don’t know?

Mason cuts with a Razor Edge.

Logan Ryles delivers another explosive thriller featuring the relentless Mason Sharpe, who once again finds himself up against impossible odds. This time, the stakes are higher than ever. Corrupt law enforcement and the ruthless Russian Mob running illegal sweatshops. Their first mistake? Choosing the wrong man to kill. Their second? Framing someone who refuses to go down quietly. And Vinny? He was hiding a secret that started it all.

This gripping installment is just as electrifying as the last. Packed with sharp writing, non-stop action, and a pace that never lets up. The earlier books are now firmly on my TBR list. Ryles is officially a must-read author.

Heller from Texas

 Heller from Texas

By 

William Heuman

(Originally published 1957)

At twenty-eight, Trev Buchman decides to return to Cannon Basin and the Box B Ranch. It had been eight years since he'd had it out with his father and ridden off never to return. His father had been dead for four years now and Trev wanted to see his brother, Jim. But he'd come six weeks too late. According to stories he'd been told in Flint Rock, seventy-five miles to the south, Jim had fallen off a holding corral fence after a dizzy spell and was trampled to death by the milling crowd of cattle inside. They'd told him that Jim had been married for a year and a half before his death.

This was my first time reading Heuman, and I have to say—he delivers. The story is gritty, fast-paced, and packed with hard-edged characters who don’t flinch.

When Trev Buchman returns to Cannon Basin, he’s greeted by the corpse of a close friend. The dying man manages to name his killer, setting Trev on a path of vengeance.

With a bounty hunter named McTigue at his side, Trev wastes no time settling the score. But revenge is just the beginning.

Ivy Buchman—his late brother’s widow—isn’t mourning. She’s mobilizing. With a crew of hired guns and a deadly agenda, Ivy’s about to turn Cannon Basin into a war zone.

Marius' Mules II

The Belgae

By

S.J.A. Turney

Reviewed 2014

I finished this book and I was worn out. The battle scene was large and engrossing. Swapping between all your favorite characters and yes, as in times of war we do lose some and feel their pain and loss. Caesar as usual is brutal and unforgiving and only Fronto is willing to stand against his ways.

Like I said the battle scene is large and it puts you right in the middle of action. Making a stand against thousands.

S.J.A. Turney is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and this series of books drags you right in and holds you there.

The characters are made to feel real and not unbelievable.

It is easy to read, flows well and keeps you hooked.

Now all I want for Xmas is the next two books!!!

If you have never tried him give it a go and I think you won't be stopping there!!

Range Killer, Jeff Clinton

 Range Killer

By

Jeff Clinton

Dan Echo rode into town with one purpose: to hire out his gun to Hoover—the greedy, heavyset man who wanted it all. Hoover had his sights set on the sodbusters’ land and was ready to drive them off by force, assembling an army of hired guns to do the dirty work. Echo signed on, but the job—and the men around him—left a bitter taste. Sickened by the mission, he switched sides, knowing full well it could cost him his life. No one quit on Hoover and lived to talk about it.

Range Killer, as far as I can tell, was published in 1965 by Berkley Medallion. Jeff Clinton was the pen name of Jack M. Bickham, who also wrote the Wildcat O'Shea series under that alias.

The story is a fast-paced, punchy read at just 128 pages. Bickham’s writing is smooth and packed with action. Echo stands out as a man of principle, even if he started on the wrong side. He honored his word to Hoover—until his conscience wouldn’t let him anymore. That’s when he crossed the line to do what was right.

This is the first Jeff Clinton title I’ve read, and if I stumble across more, I won’t hesitate to pick them up.

Crocketts #9

 Escape From the Devil

By

Robert Vaughan

Get it here!

WITH THE CROCKETTS' IN TOWN, EVERY TWO-BIT GUNSLINGER’S CHANCES OF SURVIVING ARE JUST ABOUT ZERO…

After brothers Will and Gid Crockett deliver several horses to Colonel John Abernathy – a man they knew during the civil war – he hires them to accompany his sixteen-year-old daughter, Julia, on a stagecoach trip for fear she may be kidnapped and held for ransom.

Julia is very highly sought after, and Silas King and his outlaw gang refuse to back down.

The Crockett brothers find themselves in the outlaw town of Jericho with nothing but a shootout standing in the way of justice.

Will and Gid Crockett ride again in Escape from the Devil — the gripping ninth entry in Robert Vaughan’s action-packed western saga.

This time, the brothers are tasked with tracking down Julia Abernathy, a young woman who fled home for love, only to find herself caught in a far more sinister scheme. Her suitor’s true intentions? A hefty ransom.

Add Silas King and his ruthless gang into the mix, and the Crockett brothers may have finally met their match.

Robert Vaughan delivers another masterclass in pacing and storytelling, proving that even with his later books, he remained at the peak of his craft. I’ve read several books in this series, and each one holds its own — thrilling, tightly written, and impossible to put down.

Available now from Wolfpack Publishing.

Tomahawk Callahan #2

 A Coffin for Tomahawk

By

William W. Johnstone

&

J.A. Johnstone

Western legend Luke “Tomahawk” Callahan agrees to lead one last wagon train across the Mexican border—where revolution is brewing, bullets are flying, and all roads lead to death . . .

With just a single journey under his belt, first-time wagoneer Tomahawk Callahan became a national hero. It started as a challenge waged by a railroad mogul—a race between an old-time wagon train and a brand-new rail line—with the whole world watching. Against all odds, Tomahawk led his family business to victory. At the time, he thought it would be his first—and last—wagon train. But at his sister’s urging, he’s agreed to take on one final job, a never-before-attempted trip across the Mexican border . . .

But Mexico is undergoing bloody changes. After a brutal coup, General Porfirio Diaz is determined to bring “order and progress” to the country—while revolutionaries plot against him. Tomahawk’s wagon train could help modernize Mexico, bringing railroad workers, miners, and supplies—across a desert full of rattlesnakes, Apache, and other threats. The deadliest of all is a former priest known as Generalissimo “Padre” Rodriguez, who has his bloodthirsty sights set on the wagon train. Tomahawk’s got to drive his wagons out of this frying pan and into the fire—or they’ll all end up on a wagon trail to Hell . . .

Callahan had no desire to head south with the wagon train—but he did. And what awaited him was chaos incarnate: Apaches on the warpath, bloodthirsty revolutionaries, a ruthless one-eyed woman with a taste for murder, and a Mexican insurgent known, ironically, as Padre.

The journey alone was a gauntlet of peril, but things only worsened upon arrival. Captured and cast into a dungeon, Callahan found himself fighting not just for freedom, but for survival. In the end, it all boiled down to a desperate last stand—just a handful of men facing off against an entire revolutionary army. The odds were impossible. But Callahan never played by the odds.

This tale moves at a brisk pace, with solid writing that held my attention throughout most of the ride. The narrative splits evenly—half devoted to the perilous wagon train journey into Mexico, the other half focused on Callahan’s capture and daring escape. While I personally found it a notch below the first installment, it still delivers plenty to satisfy fans of the western genre. And the cover art? Absolutely striking—one of the series’ standout features.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC of this book. 

Fallen Star

Fallen Star

By

Lee  Goldberg

 A fifty-five-gallon drum washes up in the Malibu Lagoon stuffed with the corpse of Gene Dent, the key player in a bribery scandal that ensnared several local politicians. LASD detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone know the case—and all the likely suspects—well. Just as they begin their investigation, the sheriff publicly reveals evidence linking the crime to LA’s mayor.

But Eve and Duncan realize the bombshell allegation, true or not, arises from corruption within the sheriff’s own office…because they helped cover it up years ago. If the sheriff goes down, so will they.

Eve is agonizing over her moral dilemma when a helicopter crashes in the hillside below her Calabasas home. It’s not a coincidence. Eve soon discovers among the twisted wreckage and dead passengers shocking connections to her own past…and they lead straight to a fight for her life.

I’d never read any of the Eve Ronin books before, so I figured I’d give this one a shot. I really enjoyed the story—Eve finds herself investigating a murder while also dealing with the fallout from a helicopter crash. These events both add tension and complexity to the plot. The helicopter incident brings in Walker and Sharpe, who I believe have their own series, which was a nice crossover element.

Overall, it was a satisfying read. If I had one small complaint, it’s that some of the sentences felt a bit too long—I caught myself thinking breathe more than once. But that’s just my personal take.

Would I recommend the book? Definitely. I’d be keen to read more from the series.

I'd like to thank the publisher and Net Galley for an ARC of this book.