Shades of Mercy (Porter Beck #2) by Bruce Borgos
Publication Date: July 16th 2024 by Minotaur Books
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher
Rating: ★★★★½
My
Thoughts:
Porter Beck, the sheriff of Lincoln County, Nevada has his
hands full policing his large territory, even with the small population that
resides there. His is a small department. Beck is called out when his high school
friend, Cash, hooked on pain meds after an old football injury, overdoses on a
nasty concoction of Fentanyl that’s been making its way through his county.
Also, the government arrives to retrieve a part of an aircraft
that fell off in testing at Jesse James Roy’s Ranch, another high school friend
of Beck’s. Beck hadn’t seen Jesse in years and is surprised to see how prosperous
his ranch has become. It raises questions.
Beck’s investigations intersect and the government involvement
adds an extra layer of difficulty as their motives are purposely unclear.
Shades of Mercy is the second installment in the Porter
Beck mystery series and though it has a mystery that’s introduced and solved
here, I recommend starting with the first book as it establishes Beck’s
history. Also, because it’s sooo good!
This was another action-packed mystery with Beck coming head-to-head
with some very bad people. I was on the edge of my seat in spots! Beck’s sharpshooter
sister, Brinley, his police team and other allies were aiding along the way. Plus,
Beck has a sweet new addition to his crew: Frank Columbo, a dog! Loved Frank
and he was very helpful!
4.5 Stars
Book Description:
In the usually quiet high desert of Nevada, Sheriff Porter Beck faces one of his greatest challenges—a series of unlikely, disturbing and increasingly deadly events of unknown origins.
Porter Beck is the sheriff in the high desert of Nevada, doing the same lawman's job his father once did now that he's returned home after decades away. With his twelve person department, they cover a large area that is usually very quiet, but not of late. One childhood friend is the latest to succumb to a new wave of particularly strong illegal opioids, another childhood friend—now an enormously successful rancher—is targeted by a military drone, hacked and commandeered by an unknown source. The hacker is apparently local—local enough to call out Beck by name—and that means they are Beck's problem.
Beck's investigation leads him to Mercy Vaughn, the one known hacker in the area. The problem is that she's a teenager, locked up with no computer access at the secure juvenile detention center. But there's something Mercy that doesn't sit quite right with Beck. But when Mercy disappears, Beck understands that she's in danger and time is running out for all of them.
