NOT FOR ME! I wanted a survival story but there was too much going on for me to enjoy it! I was duped by the title and the cover

Great thriller that kept me engaged from start to finish. Fabulous plot and characters, and author I will definitely read more of!

Ryan Decker has a reputation for leaving a pile of dead bodies in his wake. He seems to be a magnet for bad guys. When the opportunity to leave the Los Angeles area in order to help a friend of Senator Steele’s in northern California becomes available, he hopes to get a break from that legacy. With Harlow Mackenzie and the rest of her team in tow, Ryan encounters something much more sinister than just locating a missing person.

Konkoly’s third novel in The Ryan Decker series, The Mountain is by far the best of the series. It’s highly engaging and draws the reader in so deep that is it hard to put down. The plot twists and turns as often as the roads that lead up the mountain. His world-building is vividly descriptive. The reoccurring support characters get a little more fleshed out. And, the relationship between Ryan and Harlow is integrated in such a way that it doesn’t overwhelm the action.

Senator Steele is committed to righting wrongs no matter how powerful the opposition. This time though she may have wandered into a force she may not be able to reckon with. The heart-pounding ending will leave you wanting more.

5 out of 5 stars.

Ryan Decker is a man of action well known for getting results. When he is asked to aide in locating the son of a conservative Senator, he agrees with reservations. The area where this young man was last seen is not only a mountainous challenge, it's the home of many illegal marijuana farms owned and operated by those who do not want anyone coming in. Decker will not let that stop him.

Steven Konkoly's Ryan Decker series has quickly become a favorite of my reading circle. This is book 3 but could easily be read as a standalone. The first two books are equally excellent reads. The stories are fast paced with no slow spots in which to make a bathroom run, so read fast and enjoy the surprise with a bang ending.

Great book. The mountain could take place anywhere with crooked cops and a giant corporate backing.

Another fast paced take down - will these shadowy corporations never learn? Barely given time to recover from the last case, or even sleep Decker must lead the team, get the girl and save the entire mid-west.

Legalized marijuana never brought about such chaos on Killer Mountain before now. And Decker is decked out to do his part to take down the bad guys, if they can figure out who they are. You know with Konkoly you get action, and adventure, suspense and intrigue, all mixed with old friends and new enemies. However, it's nice to have the Senator on your side, again.

First time reading this author for me and I was not disappointed. Actually, I was surprised at how once I started this book, I did not put it down until I finished it, I read it in one night. The characters and the storyline were all such that everything moved in a way that everything flowed. Decker was a character that was easy to get into and the story itself of a missing son was also easy to follow. Living in California already knows about the drug problem and the different busts that they have made over the years in Northern California and the huge amount of pot fields they have come across. Also, about people either missing or being shot at over the years, at least years ago not so much now. This story was easy to get into and to follow.
Everything about this from the first time they set foot in Northern California and dealing with the local Police all the way to the end and what I think is a set up for the next book just made for a very good read and one that was fast-paced and full of action and good dialogue. From the opening pages to the end this is an outstanding book.

Konkoly knows how to keep the action moving and the reader engaged! He has another exciting book in this one. Decker is sometimes a loose cannon, but knows how to plan an operation. I really enjoyed the book!

In summary, after someone goes missing in the middle of a known cannabis farm, Ryan Decker and his team are called in to try to retrieve them. Things don't necessarily go to plan, and Decker has to resort to his mental bag of tricks to try and get everyone home safe.

Steven Konkoly is showing his knowledge and personal experiences with his descriptive work in this novel. Due to the nature of the main protagonist being a previous hostage retrieval expert, his use of weapons is brought to life extremely well by the author.

This book is the third in the Ryan Decker series, and I have actually read the previous two. This follows on from the previous novels with some little references, but not enough to trouble new readers who are reading this book first. The book starts off a bit slow as it tries to establish the the role of the antagonist and the location, but once the action starts, it doesn't let up. A great book to read, and I was able to get through it in a few days (I can't read all the time, sometimes work gets in the way!) and thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you think the title is about a love affair in a mountainous region then you're way off base, and you'll have to look elsewhere, If you like action thrillers, then this is a book for you,

This review is based on a free digital ARC copy provided by NetGalley. My views are provided based on the book content only

I thoroughly enjoyed this explosive action thriller. It was fast paced with strong characters and I found it hard to put down. I’m looking forward to book 4.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of "The Mountain", the third book in the Ryan Decker series. The first two books were great so I had high expectations coming in and I'm happy to say they were met. Decker and his associates are highly regarded for their work rescuing kidnapped and sex trafficking c victims. This time around they are tasked with investigating the disappearance of a man on a place known as Murder Mountain, which is aptly named. While slightly different than his first books in this series, "The Mountain" is still a page turner.

THE MOUNTAIN by Steven Konkoly is the third book in the Ryan Decker series and the second one in the series that I have read. While this book worked well as a standalone novel, reading the series in order would provide additional depth and background.

Senator Steele asks Ryan and the team to investigate the disappearance of a friend’s son on Northern California’s Murder Mountain. Despite legalization, there are many illegal marijuana farms in the area and strangers tend to disappear. Ryan Decker is working as a private investigator and his partner is Harlow Mackenzie. What starts out as a favor, soon turns into a high stakes mission.

The story largely takes place in California except for a couple of scenes near the end. It is exactly what you would expect from a well-written action thriller with lots of concern over who can be trusted as well as plenty of information on weapons and covert gear.

There was a lot more character development in this book. It was so full of action and excitement that it kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen next. I was fully engaged in the mission becoming a success. The goals were clear and the motivations were believable. The secondary characters were well-rounded without overwhelming the story. The plot twists were believable and there was a major reveal near the end of the book that sets up book four in the series.
Overall, this book was suspenseful, riveting, fast-paced and entertaining. Steven Konkoly has become one of my favorite authors and I look forward to reading more from him. If you enjoy action thrillers that have both strong male and female characters, then this may be the series for you.

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Steven Konkoly for a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

I will leave a review on Amazon and B&N on July 14, 2020

The Mountain is the 3rd book in a series, and although I haven't read any of the previous books I didn't have any problems following along with the book. This was a action packed fast paced book. I am sure eventually I will go back and read the first two books in the series. I would recommend this book to others.

I received a ARC of the book from NetGalley and the publisher Thomas & Mercer, and was under no obligation to give it a good review. All opinions expressed here are my own

This is #TheMountain the third Ryan Decker book by Steven Konkoly and I must thank #Netgalley and #ThomasandMercer for giving me this ARC to enjoy and review. I really like this sries and I think this one was the best so far. I was a little hesitant after reading the first one but the characters grew on me. I have seldom had so much fun reading a thriller with such a sinister content. Some of the situations are wonderfully written and with lot of humor. I can really recommend that you try this series, but start from the beginning.

Murder Mountain is aptly named. When Ryan Decker, Harlow Pierce, and the rest of their team head there to find Brett Hale, a young man who has gone missing, they have no idea what is ahead. Turns out there really is a billion dollar marijuana crop, lots of bad guys, and, wait for it---a conspiracy that links back to Washington. The hunt for Hale takes Decker into one of those situations that might remind you of a movie (and indeed it would make a good movie). It's an acti0n packed read that's totally plot driven. Lots of tech, lots of ops stuff, lots of good guys versus bad guys. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This would be a great travel book (if we were doing that) but it's also a fine armchair read.

Not a puff piece in the series, and this one is "Smokin'"! Harlow and Decker go from the frying pan in the fire. The APEX is not to be missed. (ha ha, yea, sorry, I was in a pun-ny mood) Anyway, yet another hoot from Konkoly. Like the truly great writers, each book is better that the last. Pierce gets iced. Brooklyn was Nix-ed.
She was a hoot, and I am glad we will likely be reading more about her. Decker fans, you are going to love this installment.
*=yuck **=eh ***=like ****=really like *****=classic

Book Review: The Mountain (Ryan Decker #3) by Steven Konkoly
(Published by Thomas & Mercer, July 14, 2020)

4.25 Stars

"Murder Mountain", Alderpoint, Humboldt County, California.

From the hot and humid southern border in Book 2, the author transports the reader to Northern California in Book 3, to a mountain - verdant, picturesque, nestled among Redwood trees, and perhaps cloaked within its bowels, mystery - and murder.

Ex-CIA operator /mercenary Ryan Decker's third installment is based on actual high profile cases featured in Rolling Stone Magazine and in a six-part Netflix mini-series, - against the backdrop of what is now a multi-billion dollar industry, the largest cannabis-producing region in the U.S.A., the famed "Emerald Triangle" in Northern Calif.

Top action entertainment value that cuts through the chase. Check.

Imaginative adaptation, twists and turns. Check.

Cutting-edge technology. Check.

Decker, his sidekick Brad Pierce and techie Joshua, and his indomitable crew of all-female private investigators cum Amazonian warriors introduced in Book 1, led by now-love interest Harlow MacKenzie, all allied under the auspices of US Senator Steele, have their hands full against local armed and vicious guardians of lucrative, if at times clandestine, weed farms, - and against an enterprise far more sinistre, cloaked in the ghost of the very person who'd killed his wife and son....

* * *

Some gunbattles and action scenes without relevance to the story, particularly in the beginning, while spectacular and formidable as to be expected from the Konkoly brand, are disorienting and give the appearance of filler pages. Chapter One. What did I miss? Where did Book 2 end? Who are these guys and why are bullets flying?

So too do protracted segments of the dialogue, chock-a-block with repetitive puerile jests and repartee, actually cringeworthy after the nth iteration.

Overall, these take nothing away from a terrific read where you'd just settle down with a chilled Pinot Noir, and let the author use his talent and imagination to push and pull the levers on that roller-coaster ride!

Review based on an ARC from Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley.

Steve never disappoints. His research is spot on and the thrills never disappoint. His books are auto-grabs for me.

The plot may be a little over the top, but this is a very entertaining story if you like action. The characters are great, but there is too much unnecessary dialogue to be perfect.