Naked We Came haunted me. Every time I opened my NetGalley homepage, it would be on my recommended books. By the time I got the email from NetGalley that said it was a read now book, I decided that I would download it. I felt that it stalked me to the point where I had to read it. I read the blurb and felt that Naked We Came was a book that I would like. I am glad that I decided to download it because I did enjoy reading it.

Now, this is the 5th book in the Jake Travis series. I was a little leery about reading this book because it was a book 5. I know that I have mentioned in other reviews that I do not like picking books up mid-series. Nope, not at all. Because when I do that, I find that there are references to the other books that I do not understand. Now, with Naked We Came, there were instances where I wished I had read the other books. But other than that, Naked We Came can be read as a stand-alone book.

The book starts off with a body washing up on a beach by Jake’s house. This wasn’t an ordinary body. It was the body of the man who was suspected of kidnapping and killing Jake’s older sister. The only reason he wasn’t arrested was that her body wasn’t found. Jake thinks that he might have been set up. Actually, he was certain about it. So he opens his sister’s cold case with the determination to find her killer. Instead, he is lead into a mystery that involves the CIA, the State Department, and Russia. The more he digs into her disappearance, the more things don’t add up. And what he finds at the end of this quest might be the biggest shock of them all.

I actually felt bad for Jake. He carried the burden of his sister’s disappearance for years. He blamed himself for her disappearing and unfortunately, his parents somewhat did too. I did think that Jake was perfect for investigating Brittany’s disappearance. He had a bulldog mentality about the case and it got him further than the police did. I also liked that his BS meter was almost always right on. The only time I saw that he was wrong was with David. But even I didn’t see that coming.

I also liked that Jake was human. He had his issues but he refused to let them control him. His drinking was a big one, as was his love for the ladies. He was also one of the toughest fictional characters that I have read to date. I mean, he was able to take a beating and keep on going. It impressed me. I was actually comparing him to Jason Stratham in my mind.

The end of the book threw me for a loop. I loved twists and oh boy, was this a huge one. I actually put down my Kindle, shook my head, rubbed my eyes, went “No effing way” and picked the book back up. To say that I was not ready for the ending is an understatement. I am actually pretty excited to see where the book goes from there. I also excited to see how this ending will affect any forthcoming books in the series.

Naked We Came was a gripping action thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I could not put my Kindle down, that is how engrossed in the book I got. From the explosive beginning to the explosive ending, I was not disappointed. The characters were well written and the plot was fantastic.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language, violence, and sex.

I would like to thank Robert Lane, Mason Alley Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Naked We Came.

All opinions stated in this review of Naked We Came are mine

I received no compensation for this review

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Convoluted! Jake Travis is on a mission. His mission is to find out who kidnapped and murdered his sister 30 years ago when his family was vacationing in Florida. Jake was a kid at the time, but now he has the means, and the opportunity, to solve a thirty year-old mystery. The plot of this novel is extremely complex. I received the book free from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Written by Robert Lane and published by Mason Alley Publishing of Saint Pete Beach, FL, this is a novel about a ruthless protagonist who intends to hunt down and kill the man, or men, who kidnapped and killed his sister when she was only fourteen years old, and he was seven.

Jake’s search takes him to Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia and points between as he ranges from his home in Florida to interview potential witnesses and suspects. The story involves the Russians, the CIA, and current American politics, so the plot line is definitely not dated. Jake meets a range of characters and bad guys during his mission, and some of them do not have happy memories of their encounters with him. One thing they all seem to have in common, though, is that they lie to Jake. His task is to navigate through a massive web of lies and find the truth — which he does (of course) by the end of the story.

A few minor inconsistencies were seen in the book. One example is the fact that his sister’s body was never found, as he reminds us constantly in the story. But then, at location 2462 in my Kindle, he is talking to his girlfriend Kathleen and he says that she was: “Brutally murdered a long time ago. Left in a ditch to rot.” In actual fact, her body has never been found, and murder is only a suspicion shared by Travis, and the police. Was she murdered and left in a ditch to rot? If she was, then how come her body was never found? Perhaps it was intended to be some sort of metaphor, but it didn’t work for me.

There is no doubt in my mind that Robert Lane is a talented writer. This story, however, is a bit too complex. And it has a plot line that is quite convoluted. It made the book drag for me in places, and I enjoyed reading it a bit less than I otherwise might have. Also, I did not find Jake Travis to be a very appealing character. He seems to be ruthless and cold-blooded. Yet, when the chips are down, he hesitates when he should be taking action. I think most readers are going to like this novel, and I enjoyed reading most of it. Recommended!

I wanted to like this book a lot. I like wise-cracking, justice-seeking characters but Jake just didn't fit. He jumped between being a Spencer-like character and a take no prisoners vengeful man. I hate to rate this so low because the potential was there for a really good book. It tried to be too many different things - beautiful writing and imagery, a character focused on his revenge, a man finding his way after a huge loss, and too many characters to cloud the plot. And can I just say for someone so totally in love with Kathleen, every other woman that comes along seems to tempt him a little too much.

I am usually all for a good whodunit but this book failed tremendously. There were more twists, turns and government corruption that it made my head spin. About half-way through the book I couldn't read any more and flipped to the end and read that and still would never read this book again.

this book was part of a series. I was little confused - I felt I came in the middle and the background did not help me catch up. Jake's sister disappeared 0 years ago and he is still looking for her. this book he finds some evidence and continues to look for her. The book ends with him finding her -- the ending was not a disappointment but a what? The story was well written. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had more knowledge of things from other books

Having never read Robert Lane before, Naked We Came was a great surprise ! Jake Travis is such a multi-layered character that you have to keep reading to peel back the layers to get a grasp on him. I have to say I love all the characters in his circle, especially Kathleen. I definitely have plans to read the rest of the series, because this tale of Jake searching for the killer of his sister was amazing. Heartbreaking and personal, it was filled with an endless need to know the truth. A cut above most private investigator series! I loved it!

A crime in the far past that comes back to drive the story in the present is a familiar storyline in mysteries. Robert Lane tells his tale with a great mixture of melancholy and black humor. There are a number of allusions throughout the book to events in the main character’s history. It was only then that I realized Jake Travis had a colorful career as some kind of a government agent. I am still not totally clear what his title and responsibilities were, but I was still able to follow the plot. The author’s style reminds me of a combination of iconoclastic Travis McGee and the Florida-based stories written by John D. MacDonald and the family-driven books of Ross McDonald located in California. The secondary characters are fully-realized and really add to the enjoyment of the book. Periodically Lane lost control of his writing and let it get overblown. Since this tended to make the story bog down, a good editor could have done wonders. As an aside, I began to be bothered by the number of beers consumed by Jake at all hours of the day and night. This guy has a real drinking problem! My final assessment of this story is that it had more turns than a corkscrew. A few times the betrayals and reverse betrayals lost me to the extent I began to wonder why Jake was still pursuing this unsolved crime. By the end of the story, I had begun to figure out the solution and was somewhat satisfied with the way he revealed it. However, don’t put the explanation under the microscope; I’m not sure it would hold up.

Jake Travis’ sister went missing over 30 years ago, when the family was on vacation in Florida. Jake blames himself and has attempted to find the person who took her. When a suspect washes up ashore, Jake is the prime suspect. Opening up old wounds and finding new leads, Jake goes on the hunt.

This is the first Jake Travis novel I have read and choose it because of the location (since I live around the same area). But the characters, even the secondary ones were interesting. The story went around and I couldn’t decipher what was going on and enjoyed it very much; even the ending. So much, that I will have to go back and read the earlier stories.

Once again I enjoyed Jake Travis' snarky commentary, but this time life is turning darker. He's struggling with alcohol, with his relationship, with a home-improvement project, and even with the police. It turns out that the worst of his problems is the guilt and trauma over losing his sister as a child.

He eventually pushes through the crowds to find the criminal, and as usual he takes matters into his own hands. This time, however, the plot is farfetched and readers are expected to believe it just so that the final scene can break the cold-case stereotype.

I appreciate the skill of an author expanding his characters, but I'm not looking forward to the sequel.

I typically don't read a book well into an established series as my introduction to that series, but NetGalley offered me a free download, and I bit.

I could never really settle in to the story, which relates Jake Travis' search to find the abductor/killer of his sister 30 years ago, after the body of a prime suspect in her disappearance washes up very close to his home.

From that rather compelling beginning, the plot devolves as the Russian mob gets involved. Credulity is stretched to the breaking point more than once, and yet I continued to read just to find out what had happened to Brittany all those years ago.

I won't spoil it for you, but the resolution was a real cop out, as though Lane couldn't quite figure out how to make this all work out in a way that would please the reader.

Despite occasional bits of humor, and some unexpectedly thoughtful bits of reflection about loss and guilt and regret, this was a disappointment.

Naked We Came by Robert Lane is a new sizzling mysterious read!
At the very beginning I became enmeshed with the unique twist and turns with the characters and storyline.
I felt vendicated with the satisfying ending!

A retired detective is recalls his childhood memories of when his elder sister is abducted while the family were on holiday. His sister is never found and he grows up to become a detective with a longing to solve the mystery. Nothing is ever found and suddenly the body of a paedophile that was a suspect is found where he lives. It is then revealed that the man had left a confession as to the abduction and murder of his sister. The detective brother having during his investigations eliminated suspect from his enquiries was convinced of a cover up. This prompts him to undertakes a renewed investigation of what is a thirty year old cold case .A most complex and interesting story unfolds of vested financial and state interests that are involve in trying to keep matters closed with the brother determined against all odds to find and bring the perpetrator to justice and to locate the body of his sister. All of which recalls the quotation from Walter Scott to mind. Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive.

Let me start by saying that Robert Lane and his Jake Travis novels are new to me, so I jumped into this one cold and it's not the first Travis novel. That being said, the premise of this book is quite good - a thirty year old mystery that is about as personal as it gets for Jake. My problem is that I never quite connected to the character. Whether this is because I'm jumping in late to Lane's Travis novels or something else is something I'm still unsure of, but the fact remains. Jake has a sarcastic wit that I usually love in a character, but when there's little else, it gets tedious pretty quickly.
There is plenty going on to keep the story moving, but in the end, I found the conclusion less than believable. The idea of a secret that big staying a secret for that long is far-fetched at best, especially when multiple people are involved. Everything combined, Naked We Came ended up being just an okay read for me.

It is always nice to visit Jake and his circle. I own a handyman business. Would be happy to go to Florida and fix his house. He doesn't seem to have time and patience for home remodeling. I wonder if Jake will ever get around to marrying Kathleen. But why mess up a good thing, right? This story was really about what haunted Jake, his sister. In typical Jake fashion he plows through in search of answers and running into an interesting cast of characters. The ending was a bit obvious but getting there was well worth the read. What will Jake get up to next? Can't wait to see!

“Naked We Came” is Robert Lane’s fifth Jake Travis novel and it is a suspenseful and intriguing as his previous four in the series. Jake’s sister Brittany disappeared when he was young and he has lived with a constant nagging “what if” moments that have foreshadowed many of his life choices and it all appears to be coming to a boiling when a man that he once suspected as being the culprit washes ashore near his home. Jake and several of his good friends follow one lead after another that leads them through a maze of back-channel espionage to what Jake hopes is the truth. This is a fast-paced novel that will keep the reader guessing until the very end. I was given an advanced copy of this book, and all of the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A good mystery that delves into the kidnapping and murder of Jack's sister 30 years before. I think this writer has a lot of potential

Starts strong but weakens by about a third- to half-way through. Plodding, redundant.

This guy is the archetypal tortured, not quite broken former soldier. His sister was murdered and the suspected, but never proved, pedophile washes up on the beach, our guy finds himself in the crosshairs of his own self destructive behavior and some pretty violent mobsters.
The story didn't capture me as much as the writing. In some places the tone seems to be trying to be Sam Spade with the snappy banter and comebacks. There are some sections that are really wonderfully written; I got a real sense of the sincerity of the author.

The descriptions of location and action are good, and the story moves along pretty quickly. Not sure if I can totally hang with the ending, but it was satisfying.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I had hoped to enjoy this book more than I did. Jake's never-ending wise-cracking started to grate after a while and so much of it seemed forced. (? If he weren't wise-cracking, would he still be Jake ?). I've not read any other of the Jake Travis books, so that may be unfair. I usually like wise-crackers, but with Jake, it seemed like there was nothing behind the wise cracks beyond snideness.. Yet, we readers are supposed to believe this story started with a seven year old's sense of guilt over the disappearance of his sister over thirty years ago.

Over all, it felt like Robert Lane was trying to reinvent Robert Parker's Spenser character in South Florida. I found the secondary characters more interesting than Jake. While the story moved along at a good pace, I enjoyed it up to nearly the end. But the ending ruined the whole book for me.... How did I get sucked into a Life-Time movie?

Robert Lane has a great first sentence in Naked We Came: "I was 37 when the man suspected of abducting and killing my sister nearly 30 years before washed up on the beach a mile from my house." This tells the reader what to expect in a succinct sentence.

Jake Travis is an interesting protagonist. He lives on the shore in Florida, does a punishing workout each morning to make up for drinking too much the day before and is basically a smart a×× to everyone he talks to. His dialogue reminds me of a verbose Spencer, a main character in many Robert B Parker books. He does not have a 9 to 5 job but takes on tasks that require a man of certain skills that might involve killing. There were times I liked him and times he treated people with such utter disregard I wasn't sure he had a heart. He carries a sadness and a need for revenge for the 14 year old sister that disappeared while they were on vacation.

This is a complex mystery with three college age suspects. Alex Brackett whose family has money and owns the motel where the crime was committed, Peter Omarov the son of a Russian diplomat. David LeClair who was killed in a car crash about a year after the incident. The story held my interest and I changed my mind several times about the guilty party. I definitely recommend this book.