Rain usually sweeps away dirt, mud, and debris. Excessive rain and flooding can also cause all of those things and reveal the seemy underbelly side of a community.
Annie, a PI, is tasked with finding out the story of the man who saved Bethany from the flood. The more she noses around, the more she uncovers and it’s a lot of secrets.
I have long been fascinated with PI work and since it’s not an option for me I can peer over the shoulders of characters who do all the heavy lifting.
I didn’t leave together the entire story until almost the end, but whammo, some of the characters take a literal beating in the story.
I’d steer clear of the water for awhile.

I wasn't a huge fan of the first book in this series (Pay Dirt Road) but I didn't hate it and I did like some of the minor characters so when the opportunity came to read this one I decided to take a chance. I'm glad I did. I liked this one much better. The main character is better developed, less a teenager's idea of what being a grown-up is like and more of a fully realized character and the overall story does a better job of incorporating the mystery, the people, and the small town into a full package.

A good mystery in a series that is well on its way to being great.

Hard Rain by Samantha Jayne Allen book synopsis: In shock and found clinging to a tree branch, Bethany Richter is pulled from thrashing floodwaters that have decimated the town of Garnett, Texas, by an unknown man. Annie McIntyre is working as an apprentice P.I. when she's handed her first solo case: uncover the identity of the man who rescued Bethany before he was swept downriver.

My thoughts: The book started strong, but then it drifted off course for me. I really liked Annie and how she was portrayed. However, it was the same old reason for the crime that was uncovered, and this gets pretty boring to read about.

The writing was good, and the story kept my interest, but I didn't like how it ended and the reasoning behind what occurred.

I would read more from this author, though, and overall, the book was good. I rate this 3.75 stars out of 5 stars.

@StMartinsPress #NetGalley #HardRain #SamanthaJayneAllen

I liked but didn’t love Pay Dirt Road. I was still interested in seeing the character developed so I asked for the next book in the series when it came out. I like this one more than the first. I was more interested in the story and less hit over the head than the last book. Still, I want more character development. There was a lot of repetition here that got in the way. Still, the characters are growing on me.

Book #2 in the Annie McIntyre series but could easily be read as a stand alone. Samantha Jayne Allen has brought us back to Garnett to find Annie working with her Grandfather, soaking in the local drama while trying to keep herself from being bored to death. A flood has left the town cleaning up while the clock turns slowly.
Annie accepts a job to locate a "hero". Bethany Richter was rescued from a tree during the flood. Her rescuer was washed away before she could get his name. Now she wants Annie to find him.
This sets Annie up to search through the flood's aftermath where she finds one of the drowning victims may not have drowned. So now while she's searching for the hero, she's got a murder to solve. Garnett is having a crime wave!
Great series so far....bring on book #3.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
Hard Rain by Samantha Jayne Allen is the second book in the Annie McIntyre mystery series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone. Annie is now an apprentice private eye and ready to take on her own case. When her childhood friend Bethany asks for help finding the man who rescued her from a flash flood, Annie takes the lead and finds much more than she ever imagined. Full of red herrings, deception, and dangerous thrills, this story held me riveted.

My Reading Experience:
This mystery series is more on the hard-boiled-light side. It has the darkness and grit of a hard-boiled, yet, the generous mix of Annie's personal life with the mystery gives it a softer, more approachable, and relatable delivery than its pure hard-boiled counterparts.
I enjoyed this installment more than the first book, and I don't say that very often. The first book came in when Annie was mentally in a place that bogged the story down a bit. A fresh graduate from college, she didn't want to be back in her hometown and didn't know what was next for her. In this book, Annie now has a direction and focuses. She is not entirely reconciled with the idea of living in her hometown, but her feelings about that only take up a little space in the story. I felt like I got to know her much more now that she's mentally in a more focused place.

Characters:
One of the great things about Annie being a private investigator in her hometown is that she knows several people, and her cases involve a few people she's known since childhood. This allowed me to get to know her without the story losing its focus. All the characters are unique and complex, and each has their voice, making them feel authentic.

Narration & Pacing:
The narration is in the first-person, with Annie telling us her tale. She allows the reader to be a Private Investigator alongside her. When she gets clues, the reader receives clues. The pacing is a bit slower to the point where it's solidly a medium pace, primarily due to the hard-boiled, dark atmosphere and the speed that particular tone tends to take.

Setting:
Garnett, Texas, a small town prone to flash floods because of the rivers, limestone hills, and creeks, is the setting for this series. Garnett is a small town with a dark side that allows it to sustain a few private investigators.

Read if you like:
Thriller series with private investigators
A relatable personal story mixed with the mystery
A dark and gritty tone and atmosphere

Annie McIntyre has just been given her first full fledged solo case at McIntyre Investigations. When a devastating flood takes the lives of several in Garnett, Texas, Bethany survived the roiling waters with the help from a man clinging to a tree, a man that looked like Jesus. Bethany now wants to find her hero and thank him. Annie takes the case, but soon finds out all is not what it seems. When a body is found in the water near where Bethany was rescued, it looks like her hero might just be a murderer. As Annie gets closer to the truth, enemies are made, and corruption is uncovered. Now others are looking for Charlie as well, but what are their intentions, and will Annie finally find out what happened that dreadful night? Allen has written a great follow up to the first book in the series, Pay Dirt Road. With a cast of flawed characters and an interesting plot, this book was paced well and a very good read. Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Hard Rain was the perfect follow up to @samallenwrites debut novel, Pay Dirt Road (which I also loved). This series is always serving up gritty, small town Texas, missing person mystery vibes and with each book I become more of a fan.


This one starts with a massive flood that leaves a preachers wife clinging for safety to a tree, and a stranger saving her before disappearing himself. Desperate to find him, she hires newest official P.I. in town, Annie, to track him down.

There is something satisfying from getting to revisit characters again, and I personally love Annie, who is the exact right mix of smart, determined, and wild, while also being vulnerable and young and thrust into a life she’s not even sure she wants. Following along as she works to unravel the whereabouts of a man she has nothing but a loose description of, while navigating her personal life and the realities of small town living does not disappoint.

The mix of mystery, suspense, and character drama is balanced and it plays out in a way that keeps you totally invested in the story, and ready to see what is going to come next for these characters.

This is the kind of book you can spend a day with in a puddle of springtime sunshine, with a cup of coffee and then call it a great day. It is a must have this spring.


Thank you @minotaur_books for the copy, and @samallenwrites I cannot see what Annie does next.

This small town PI story is a good follow up to Pay Dirt Road, letting Annie develop her skills as a private investigator and revealing more of the grime of her small town. I found that this started off fairly slow, but accelerated as Annie pieces together the case she's working on, using smart ideas and connections to further her investigation.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S HARD RAIN ABOUT?
It's been six months since Annie McIntyre solved a murder and began training as a Private Investigator under her grandfather and his partner, Mary-Pat. It doesn't seem like Annie's really sure of her current path, but at least it's a path—hopefully out of Garnett at some point.

A High School classmate—not really a friend, but more than an acquaintance—approaches her with a job. Mary-Pat tells her she's ready to take the lead on their next case, and is about ready to apply for her license. So, she's primed and ready—at least she thinks so.

A couple of weeks previously a flash flood had wreaked havoc on the town and the cost in property damage and lives is high. Bethany, however, was saved through the actions of someone that she fears is a victim. But his body was never found. She wants Annie to find either the body or, preferably, the man so she can thank him properly. Not expecting the latter, and equipped with only a vague description, Annie takes the job.

The police have nothing for her, and the local fire and rescue people found no sign of this man—many people think that Bethany imagined him. But Annie keeps looking—searching downstream from the area Bethany had been found in, Annie does find a body. But not of the man she's been looking for—but a murdered woman. Now Annie has to ask, is her target a killer or a hero?

As Annie investigates, she finds herself in a new layer of crime, corruption, and danger.

THE SENSE OF PLACE
When talking about the previous book, Pay Dirt Road , I had a few things to say about the city of Garnett's depiction. I won't repeat them here—but I really could. I don't think it's an issue so much with Allen's writing, just my ideas about Texas communities. (not that I'd complain if Annie made some mention of the population size)

What I failed to appreciate—or at least write about—was Allen's depiction of, and description of, the natural environment. Given the storms and flood surrounding this book, it's hard not to take note of it. Allen nails this material.

I really can see the flood damage, the sky, the geography in general—Allen pairs her vivid imagery with a little bit of wry commentary (frequently, but not always) to really help the reader get a handle on the sights and sounds. I was reminded of Chandler describing L.A. This is not typically the kind of thing I spend a lot of time thinking about when reading a P.I. novel, but I really couldn't help but do so this time—both because of the nature of Annie's investigation and because of Allen's skill at it. Particularly the latter.

THE PORTRAYAL OF EVANGELICALS
So, so, so often lately—including in books I really like—evangelicals are brought in as bastions of corruption, hypocrisy, and prejudice. Especially if they happen to belong to a mega-church.

The church that Bethany is part of, that her husband and father-in-law are pastors of, that some of the flood victims belonged to, that her missing man and the murder victim may be tied to, isn't a mega-church yet, but is well on its way to being one.

Yes, some of the members are tied to criminal activity, unethical activity, and some other hypocritical kinds of things. But by and large the members of the church are honest, faithful, and human. They're not perfect, but they're working at it. It's an honest depiction, and while not necessarily flattering, it's not vilifying, either. I appreciate that.

LEARNING THE ROPES
I described this series as a friend recently as "a PI version of the Eve Ronin books," and the more I think about that, the more I like it.

Yes, Goldberg and Allen have very different tones. The tenor and flavor of the books are different—each fitting their setting and authors. But at the core, you have determined young women in settings that aren't necessarily hospitable toward them, dealing with family issues and learning the ropes of their current professions. They make mistakes that experience would provide, get correction and guidance from their mentors (and their own reactions to their errors), but have good instincts and the drive to improve.

They're very different series and very different kinds of stories, but I like seeing Eve and Annie as different outworkings of the same idea.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT HARD RAIN?
Last year, I said that I'd have been satisfied with Pay Dirt Road as a standalone, but that I'd be in the front of the line for a sequel. I'm glad I came back—this world and this character deserve the time a series affords (I see there's already a third volume scheduled for next year).

I enjoyed this one more than last year's—I don't know that it's that much better, but Annie being more confident (maybe only by degrees, but it's there) and the type of story made that possible. If you haven't read Pay Dirt Road, Hard Rain will work as a stand-alone or as an entry point to the series, but you'd be denying yourself seeing Annie's growth.

Atmosphere, character (not just the protagonists, but all the supporting characters as well—maybe next year I'll find/make the time to talk about Annie's family, for example), and story—Samantha Jayne Allen delivers the goods on all fronts. I heartily recommend Hard Rain to your attention.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin's Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

While this book centers on Annie McIntyre, a young woman who has moved back home to Garnett, Texas, to work for her grandfather’s P.I. firm, it opens with a truly spectacular flood scene (the “Hard Rain” of the title). A woman named Bethany is spending the weekend with friends in a rental cabin when the flood sweeps her away, and she’s saved by a man who “looks like Jesus.” He saves her, and then is swept away himself. Fearing he’s dead, she hires her old high school buddy Annie to try and find out what happened to him.

That’s the straight ahead set up, but there are many layers to this well told story. For one thing, Annie has returned home, sure, but she’s uncertain about her choice, her future with the firm, or, as becomes clear later, her future with her present boyfriend. She’s young and she’s finding her feet. They turn out to be bad ass feet. She stands up to her grandfather, a lifelong alcoholic who is nevertheless charming as well as her boss. He’s a bit laid up after a recent accident and she’s checking on him, buying him groceries and picking up his meds. He, for his part, manages to share some advice gems as she works her way through the case.

Annie’s relationship with Bethany is complicated as well. They are grown women, but in high school they were more or less frenemies. The grown Bethany is married to a pastor at one of the biggest churches in town, which makes her situation somewhat tricky and more visibly public. Throughout the book the relationship between Bethany and her husband seems slightly off. His family is a powerful one who owns lots of real estate in town and has been wheeling and dealing one way or another in tiny Garnett for decades. They seem to be humoring Bethany in her quest to find this man.

Annie uses some dogged and persistent investigation techniques to find a few leads and narrow down the missing man’s possible whereabouts and connections. The book is full of settings that stay with you, ranging from Garnett itself to the surrounding natural area, including the Geronimo River, which is the one that flooded. Lending atmosphere are on and off rain and clouds, making some of her investigations even more ominous. Annie’s grandfather and his partner, Mary Pat, make her an offer about half way through and she’s really forced to consider her future. When she was younger, all she thought about was getting out of town – now she’s looking to tie herself down to Garnett.

Annie is smart and fearless (sometimes too much so) and she does get herself into some situations which she could have avoided if she’d thought ahead. That’s a pet peeve of mine, but it’s a small caveat to this well told story, one that resonates with wonderfully indelible characters, a memorable setting, and enough heartbreak to catch you up and make you think about this book after you close the cover. This is PI work for the 21st century. It seems believable but at the same time carries echoes of classic PI novel forebears. I recommend checking this series out.

I think I liked the first book (Pay Dirt Road) a bit better - the mystery, anyway. There wasn't enough tension for me in this storyline. Annie definitely has started to grow as a PI in this book, but she is still so wishy-washy in general. I get that she's ambivalent about being home in her small town in her 20s, but the ambivalence is not done well, and just reads as indecisive. I did enjoy learning more about the family relationships and other supporting characters.

"In shock and found clinging to a tree branch, Bethany Richter is pulled from thrashing floodwaters that have decimated the town of Garnett, Texas and killed a dozen others.

Six months after solving the murder of a local waitress, Annie McIntyre is working as an apprentice P.I. when she's handed her first solo case: uncover the identity of the man who rescued Bethany before he was swept downriver.

When Annie's search turns up a different victim—shot dead, not drowned—Annie questions if the hero they seek is actually a killer.

Flexing her new skills while relying on the wisdom of her eccentric, ex-cop grandfather, the case leads Annie into a web of drug dealers, preachers, and wayward drifters trying to make sense of life after a disaster. Annie's own convictions are put to the ultimate test as long-held secrets, corruption, and violence are exposed like the ruin that lies beneath receding waters."

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

Annie still hasn't left Garnett, TX, and is now pretty solidly working in her uncle's private investigating office when she gets her first case: find the man who helped save a friend during a recent flood. This second book in the series does an even better job of developing Annie's character where she is now, and going forward instead of looking back. It also does a wonderful job of fleshing out the people around her, establishing her family members. The story itself was twisty and not very simple or straight forward. I did have a feeling during most of it that I knew a bit where it was all going to end up, but the specifics eluded me until the very end. The only real big issue I had with the book was that Annie's car was named "bullet" but it wasn't capitalized. Names should be! I read an arc so maybe that was corrected prior to publication. But, this won't keep me from looking forward to reading about Annie's next adventures.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.

Annie's still finding her feet as an apprentice private investigator and now her old friend Bethany hires her to find the man who saved her life the night of a flood that took multiple lives. Bethany has struggled since the flood and she's married to a preacher who is the son of a powerful church head and this role is uncomfortable. He wasn't there when she was swept away and their friends drowned. Annie's search leads her to a surprising discovery and then to other revelations. And she's got her grandfather Leo and father to deal with. This has good atmospherics for small town Texas and well rounded characters- the mystery is also good. If I have a quibble it's Tater Tot, the cat she adopted brought home and who appears in cameo once- I kept waiting for him to be relevant but ultimately, poor Tot felt like "let's give her a pet." Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's a good read and I'm looking forward to more from Allen.

This story is well written with a gripping plot. Annie is honing her craft as a private investigator and doing a great job. There a multiple interesting events taking place all centered around a massive flood that decimated the town. There are criminals at every level and in some unexpected places. The author has crafted and easy way of telling the story’s that flows really well. This will be an excellent book to add to your collection.

Hard Rain is the second book in the Annie McIntyre Mysteries.

A terrible flood leaves Bethany Richter clutching a tree branch on the side of the river. She is lucky to be alive, after being swept into the river. After being rescued she shares her story with Annie. She wants to hire Annie to find a man who saved Bethany's life before he was swept away in the river. Annie agrees to see what she can find and gets caught up in a web of drug deals, pill abuse, while trying to find the man who saved Bethany.

Annie's search turns up a woman shot dead near where Bethany says the man saved her. Annie begins to question if the hero they seek is actually a killer. Annie will find herself in danger as a cold-blooded killer has her in his sights.

This was a twisted thriller. While there is a lot going on it moves slowly for most of the book, but it picks up the pace for a riveting conclusion.

Hard Rain, by author Samantha Jayne Allen, is the second installment in the authors Annie McIntyre Mysteries series. After an intense flood hits their small Texas town of Garnett, Bethany Richter, the wife of the local pastor, and best friend of her cousin Nikki, is nearly swept away after falling into the river only to be rescued by an unknown savior who disappears. Two weeks later, Bethany approaches Annie McIntyre who is working towards getting her own Private Investigator license so she can replace her grandfather Leroy.

Six months ago, Annie shocked everyone by solving the murder of a local waitress who was pretty much written off by almost everyone. Now she had to locate the man who saved Bethany's life, while once again getting fully immersed in the secrets of Garnett which might come back to fight her if she doesn't watch her own back. The case gets muddied when the trail leads to a woman who is found dead in her truck, floating in the river. But she didn’t drown — she was shot. As the investigation progresses, the missing man is beginning to look more like a murderer than a savior.

Annie gets caught up in a web of drug deals, pill abuse, preachers, and transients while trying to find the nameless man who saved Bethany. With each step bringing her closer to the identity of the stranger, her investigation becomes more and more dangerous to Annie while spiraling into directions not safe to go. She also has to sort out a major issue that has developed between her own father and her grandfather years ago but seems to be festering.

Even though this story can be read as a standalone, you would be better served by reading the books in this series as they are released. I am looking forward to the next installment in this series to see what happens next to Annie and her new profession and where it takes her.

Annie’s been handed her first solo case as a new partner in her grandfather’s PI busy and it’s a doozy. Still finding her feet in Garnett, Annie sorts out friends, frienimies, a mysterious savior and Nature Herself in this fast-paced who-done-it. Author Allen kept me guessing right up to the end. I will definitely be searching out others books by their author.

Hard Rain is a stand-alone mystery, the second in the Annie McIntyre series focusing on Annie’s new career as a private investigator after she returns to her small Texas town after college. A horrific flood destroys several homes where low-income families live. Annie’s high school classmate Bethany survived the flood after a man in a tree pulled her to safety. She fears he died and wants to find him to thank him so she hires Annie. Annie’s search leads her to discover a body in a car in the river and that leads to a connection to Bethany’s church. Samantha Jayne Allen has proven that she captures the rural South and is a master of propulsive action. Reading Hard Rain, shortlisted for the Hammett Prize, will offer insight into Annie, but this sharp, twisty, suspense thriller stans on its own.

Annie McIntyre is working with her grandfather, Leroy and his business partner, Mary Pat in their PI firm. Mary Pat gives Annie her first solo case. Bethany, a friend of Annie’s Nikki, wants to hire her to find a man who saved her from drowning when a flood overtook the cabin that she was staying at with some friends who did not make it out. With only a vague description to go on, Annie sets out to find him. What she finds is a name and also some very shady dealings, and a dead woman, shot in the head, strapped in her own truck partially submerged in the river. Annie is stalked and attacked but will not give up until she solves the case.