It pains me to do so, but I'm going to have to be the bad boy here. I neither enjoyed this book nor, frankly, thought it was very good.

The plotting develops at a comic book level: simplistic, obvious, and filled with coincidences. The characterizations were too superficial to cause me to warm to any of the characters or care very much about what happened to them. The dialogue was frequently awkward and clunky. But the worse part was the endless stretching out of fight sequences to the point that they became so interminable and downright dull that I simply skimmed ahead wondering when the darn things would finally end.

Fiction is almost entirely a matter of personal taste and this book simply wasn't to mine. On top of that, however, there are some objective criteria for fiction in this genre and to my mind it also fell short of almost all of those.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this newest book by Ryan Steck. When I got approved for this, I hadn't had a chance to read Fields of Fire yet, so I quickly checked that one out from my library and read it in about a day. That was an awesome read. I love being able to move right into a series and keep reading. Lethal Range lived up to my expectations, and is simply an amazing read. Ryan Steck is also known as The Real Book Spy. I will anxiously await news of more of Matt Redd stories.

An exciting novel that I had received from the author and the fine folks at Netgalley.com in return for an honest review.

This novel is apparently the sophomore effort by Ryan Steck that was anything but sophomoric.

This is the story of an FBI/counter-terrorism operative, who fresh from an attempt to arrest Anton Gage in Spain (that went wrong), rushes back to his home state of Montana to find that an attempt has been made to intimidate his wife and infant child by a motorcycle gang by the name of the Infidels.

In the course of trying to protect his young family the protagonist, Matthew Redd, learns that the Infidels are associated with eco-terrorist and billionaire Anton Gage and an attempt is made to stop them and learn Gage's motives.

This was my first read of a Ryan Steck novel and I really enjoyed the action and development of the characters. I would highly recommend this novel to fans of Brad Thor and any other adrenaline junkie type of authors. I easily rated this book a solid four and a half stars (which rounds up to five with Goodreads.com).

As with all my literary ramblings, this is my five cents worth.

Rarely do I curse when I finish a book, but as I wrapped up Lethal Range, I had an “Oh f***, it’s over” moment. It’s so difficult finishing a great novel because then you know the next book you read likely can’t compete. That’s what it was like finishing this barn burner. It was an all-out, thrilling, guns-blazing, superb sequel to Steck’s hit debut thriller, Fields of Fire.

The story starts off with Matthew Redd off working in Spain when Redd authorizes an unauthorized raid and then realizing his team got set up. Even worse, back home in Montana, his wife and sick child are being intimidated by the Infidels MC gang. A suspended Redd quickly returns home to his family where he knows there’s a battle with the MC right around the corner.

Ryan Steck’s follow-up to Fields of Fire is a brilliant, northern thriller. Blurring the lines between military thriller and western, Steck weaves multiple genres into an action-packed, movie-like novel - think Lonesome Dove but with more motorcycles and, somehow, more gunfire. Or Clint Eastwood in Sons of Anarchy.

Do you like thrillers? Ok, then pick up a copy of this book. Do you like westerns? Then grab one. Do you like books at all? Do yourself a favor and pick one up. EVERYONE should read Lethal Range. Make sure this makes it one your reading list this year.

LETHAL RANGE is the second thriller I have read by RYAN STECK and I am definitely looking forward to the next one! I particularly like the subtle Christian message that runs through his books and the way he describes the characters’ emotions. The plot is well formed and we are taken on a rollercoaster ride from start to finish.
I highly recommend Lethal Range to anyone who enjoys a good thriller, which also gives a person much food for thought.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

From the cover, I expected a western. From the opening, I expected a spy thriller. But when our hero gets home, we find that much more is going on. The author creates excellent characters and a well-designed plot which keeps the reader guessing.

Dear Ryan Steck: from one Mitch Rapp Ambassador to another, one blogging/reviewing thriller genre partner to another, & as someone you know who calls the shots from the hip this was one hell of a fantastic thriller read.
As a newbie author I was expecting a mediocre book and man, I was pleasantly surprised. I know we've always been competing against one another for the greatest in this genre but you my friend, should be applauded. You put your heart and soul on the line and it shows especially in your acknowledgements that required more than one Kleenex.
In fact, if I might be so blunt as to say this was one of the best thrillers I've read this year & I've read many of our favorites that we share in this genre.
I wasn't able to get my hands on a copy for your 1st novel in this Matthew Redd Series because I came on board too late but perhaps somewhere down the line I'll get my hands on a copy for Fields of Fire as I'd love to review that one too. This does stand well on its own without needing to have read the first one and it took me along for the ride quite well.
Matthew Redd is not too overbearing nor obnoxious with the ego filled -shoot everything up- nature that we see in many other works in this genre. For that reason alone is why I couldn't put it down.
At first the introduction I felt like perhaps you'd become too similar in nature to our fav C.J. Box but as it progressed you separated yourself and created your own niche.
Lethal Range was a fun filled, action packed, fireball that couldn't be put back down once you picked it up!
Suffice to say, it all began with Matthew Redd and the FBI team surveiling a villa in Spain to catch a fugitive. However, it may just be a trap!
Redd's wife -Emily- is taken over by the Infidels (biker gang) who surround her vehicle on a sick appointment drive to the doctors.
Redd feels compelled to blame himself for putting everyone in harms way while everything seems to be riding on his shoulders as the man of the house (cabin).
Strength in numbers is the name of the game as war rages on.
I enjoyed the settings, the fullness of the characters, the evolving plot that wasn't forced but felt naturally flowing freely.
As readers are met with one after another of high staked action that came at us from all angles.
The fact that their just might be a mole is equally engaging because it creates a new dynamic to the storyline. A mole in the FBI? Always being two steps ahead of Redd...it must be, Right?
The mission was to hunt down Anton Gage but as we learn pressure is coming up on all sides of the Montana Ranch that Redd owns.
"Stand Down" "Baby Boy" is a phrase I'd thought I'd never hear used simultaneously but it worked! Angry Johnny also was a firecracker and perhaps the buffalo stomping is just what we need.
With that said, there's no lack of luster as we continue to ratchet it up with another situation on the helm. Food supply disruption, drones, and of course, engineering efforts for profit.
The Infidels as they're known are not your average biker gang. They rise above law and order from a weakened society that prevents suppression. They're an outlaw group of criminals and must be stopped.
Redd knows this will take everything he has including life and limb to succeed as honor demands revenge.
I love the Bobbie-Sue character who was a gal with limited knowledge of the true actions behind the gang. A woman in a male dominated world in which brothers should never attack their own.
So, we're left to "focus, fight smart" and carry on carefully through every field and every step at or near their compound.
One wrong step could mean the end especially for the world's food supply.
Death by starvation? Could that be coming? Should we be concerned?
There's 12 members that may or may not be found but the thrill of the chase is what keeps readers glued to every single page.
The fact that the ranch also played a crucial role wasn't lost here. This ranch signified so much more than a mere location for Redd.
I won't spill out too much but will close with a quote, " But you'd do it for me and if a man can't fight for his friends and family, then what kind of man is he?"
My friend, I ask myself this question daily in more ways than one.
Congrats on this second in the series and thank you for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.
Give your 6 kiddos and wife all my love xo till we meet again.

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Lethal Range
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Pub Date 08 Aug 2023 | Archive Date 08 Oct 2023
Tyndale House Publishers
Christian | Mystery & Thrillers
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Description
From the Real Book Spy, Ryan Steck, comes another riveting Matthew Redd thriller.

On an island off the coast of Spain, Matthew Redd and his FBI fly team surveil a luxury villa in hopes of catching a...
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Description
From the Real Book Spy, Ryan Steck, comes another riveting Matthew Redd thriller.

On an island off the coast of Spain, Matthew Redd and his FBI fly team surveil a luxury villa in hopes of catching a high-value fugitive. But when Redd leads an unauthorized raid on the villa, he discovers they’ve been set up, and he is sent home to face the consequences of defying orders.

Meanwhile, Redd’s wife, Emily, is on a remote stretch of Montana road driving their sick baby to the doctor when she finds her SUV surrounded by a biker gang intent on harassing her. As the bikers pound her fenders and her infant son screams, Emily fights to keep the SUV on the road . . . and then suddenly the bikers back off, leaving her safe but shaken.

Redd returns home, suspended from his team and certain that he is to blame for Emily’s harassment after his run-in with the local biker gang the year before. Fearing that there is more to come, he prepares to defend his family. But Redd soon learns the gang is stronger in numbers than he could’ve imagined, and there is more behind their vendetta than he could’ve guessed. As his son’s condition worsens and his beloved ranch faces financial ruin, he finds himself fighting a war on multiple fronts—one he can’t win on his own.
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Opinion:
A 5 star read.