Buddy is a blast. Never a dull moment in this read. The narrative is sharp and funny. The hero less than perfect and that makes for a perfect novel
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Shootings, robberies, and cybercrimes in small-town California
“Risk Factor” is part of Michael Brandman’s “Buddy Steel Mystery” series. People have moved on a bit from the last book, but any details new readers might need are part of the current narrative. This is Buddy’s story in his first person narrative; he talks to readers, and he talks to himself. He controls the story; readers hear what he says to other people and what they say to him. Buddy is believable and complex with personal challenges. Buddy has two distinct and different attitudes; sometimes he is casual yet focused and concise, but his professional tone is intense and no nonsense.
Buddy had been working as a deputy in the San Remo Sheriff’s Department with his father, the sheriff, and has taken a soul-searching vacation. His relationship with his father is strained at times, professional when needed, but always caring and affectionate. He is the prodigal son and not interested in taking over his father’s job, and yet his father and his father’s job need him. He returns to “work” because there has been a rash of robberies in Freedom, despite elaborate home alarm systems. Then the unthinkable happens; a deputy is involved in a shooting. As the investigation continues, a much darker pattern evolves. Events increase in complexity and are not what they seemed to be at first. Eventually things get very personal, and Buddy’s safety is threatened.
“Risk Factor” moves at a deliberate pace, increasing in intensity page after page. Signs point to clues, and yet every revelation is a surprise. I received a review copy of “Risk Factor” from Michael Brandman and Poisoned Pen Press. It is not necessary to have read the other books to enjoy this one, however the continuing characters and developing relationships in this book encourage new readers to “catch up” by going back to read the previous ones.

Risk Factor – Michael Brandman (5*)

Sheriff's Deputy Buddy Steel is on a long vacation, contemplating life and what comes next, when he’s summarily summoned home by his father, after a bold robbery of his father’s home. Somehow, these thieves had managed to bypass an alarm system, gain access, and by all appearances, knew the exact layout of the house and where to strike. As Buddy attempts to familiarize himself with the robbery, he learns that there have been many other home invasions of a similar nature in Southern California. And no one seems to have any idea as to how the perpetrators are gaining access.

Meanwhile, an old school friend comes to Buddy with a different problem. Andrew Snyder, owner of a financial services company, has just discovered all of his accounts have been hacked into and emptied in a cybercrime. Buddy hires Quinn Anthony to assist in that investigation, a young millennial computer wizard with a sharp wit and a disdain for the older generation. But Quinn quickly finds a trail and a possible link to the local branch of a well-known cartel. Then other local businesses are similarly drained, to a total sum in the millions.

As the investigations into both crimes escalate, the home invaders remain just out of reach, but the danger heats up as Buddy & Quinn as they take on the cartel, and net their prey, while attempting to recover the missing millions. But the cartel strikes back, in a desperate move for revenge, putting Buddy in grave danger…

This was a great read! Full of suspense, snappy dialogue and laugh-out-loud moments, I picked it up yesterday afternoon and couldn’t put it down until the final page was turned! Buddy Steel and his exploits are quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Another great series to add to my ever growing list of favorites!

Available today from your favorite bookseller!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley & Poisoned Pen Press in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit Netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Buddy Steel is a classic law man and the author has created the perfect partnership with his quirky offsider. This book could be compared to many traditional crime thrillers but it is somehow set apart by the characters, who are genuinely original and appealing.

Buddy Steele is one of my favorite law enforcement officers. He does things a little different but he gets results. Risk Factor is the latest book in this series by Michael Brandman and boy can he write. I love his books and actually a lot of the movies he has been involved with as well. This time Buddy thought he was clear of the sheriffs department but they pulled him back in when a new kind of burglaries takes place as well as cybercrimes in the community. This gets him a target on his back from a vicious cartel. This is a series with humor and action but also some unusual policing, I love it. Thanks to @netgalley @poisonedpenpress for giving me the chance to read this book and to Michael Brandman for writing it. Highly recommended.

When Buddy Steel's father .. the Sheriff .. becomes ill, he asked Buddy to take on the role of Acting Sheriff. It's not a job that Buddy particularly wanted, but how to tell his aging father?

In the meantime, Buddy and the other deputies have their hands full. Their small town of Freedom, California is usually fairly quiet .. these days not so much. There have been a series of home invasions and burglaries. Luckily, so far, no one has been home when these things occurred.

On top of that, there are now cybercrimes targeting local businesses. The entire town is demanding that something be done.

LAPD Gang enforcement's computer geek, Detective Quinn Anthony, has been following the trail of these particular hackers. But it's only when Buddy and Quinn join forces that they begin to understand just what they're facing.

The closer they get, the more danger they face and the more danger they face, the closer they get.

This is an action-packed page turner. The crime itself was captivating, but the relationships are what sold me on this novel. Buddy has a tremendous sense of humor. His relationship with his father has been somewhat contentious in the past, but it's getting better. Quinn is a forced to be reckoned with. She's smart, she's sassy, got a mind like a steel trap and is unconventional in her work. They are all solidly written and stand tall in the midst of a crime spree. A few twists and turns led to a surprising, unexpected conclusion. Although 4th in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone. However, I highly recommend reading the books in order.

Many thanks to the author / Poisoned Pen Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this humorous crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

If you miss the writing style of Robert B. Parker, you must check out the Michael Brandman “Buddy Steel” series. The same crisp writing style that lures you in to the story knowing that Buddy will find a unique and often humorous way to save the day. Deputy Buddy Steel is enjoying some time away from Freedom, California when he is called back. His father is the sheriff and his home has been burglarized. Along with his home, it seems someone has devised a way to circumvent the alarm systems on homes belonging to the very wealthy. When they make a possible arrest, Buddy is immediately thrown into a case involving cyber criminals and the mob. Buddy has some “interesting contacts” along with the assistance of a young, female former LAPD hacker who has mad skills. This one, as are the other books in the series, is pure enjoyment for this reader. I love spending time in “Buddy’s world”. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Buddy has been called home to Freedom in Risk Factor, the fourth entry in the series. Buddy’s father, Freedom’s Sheriff, wants to step down. He has ALS and a recent break-in of his home has shaken his confidence. While Buddy refuses the interim Sheriff role, he does return as a Deputy Sheriff just in time to solve a wave of break-ins and a cybercrime.

Risk Factor is a good, not great, police procedural. However, its constant harping on the “generation gap” between millennials and Gen X is just annoying. I believe it was supposed to be witty or even funny but fails epically at both. Overall, I just can’t recommend this book. 2 stars.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Buddy Steel who is on vacation and is forced to return home due to a home invasion. Buddy who is a sheriff is also forced to deal with some cyber crimes that are affecting some of the business in the area. He enlists some help to try to find out who the perpetrators are.

I've been a fan of this series which features Buddy, who has moved home to the ironically called Freedom, to take over his father Burton's duties as Sheriff as his dad has ALS. This outing, however, has Buddy tangling in the complicated world of cyber criminals and the plot whole fast moving at times strains credulity. Buddy also has complicated, to put it mildly, relationships with women, especially in this installment which puts those as much at the front of the story as the crime. I think Brandman and Buddy have reached the turning point on a number of fronts (no spoilers). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy of Risk Factor, the fourth novel to feature Acting Sheriff Buddy Steel of the fictional Southern Californian town of Freedom.

Buddy is on sabbatical in Utah when his father, in need of help, calls him home. He has been burgled and is the first in a series of victims and no one can work out how they do it. At the same time there is a spate of cyber thefts, cleaning out both individuals and businesses. Fortunately Buddy has cyber super sleuth Quinn Anthony on the team.

I didn’t enjoy Risk Factor as much as the previous novels in the series, perhaps because I’m older and not American, as I found the constant sniping between Buddy and Quinn about gen Z versus millennial values trite, incomprehensible, unfunny and, by the end very annoying. A strange thing to get annoyed about you may think, but it crops up in just about every chapter, or so it seems.

Apart from that, the plot is quite interesting, although I can’t say that cyber crime rocks my boat. The author keeps it fairly simple, so I could follow it without getting totally lost - bank accounts drained and a few algorithms later Quinn has a sort of identification of the perpetrator and a location for the money. The physical burglaries are more complex in human terms with a who did what scenario and how. I found this strand more interesting and ingenious.

Risk Factor is a solid read.

This is book #4 in the Buddy Steele Mystery series. I read the first book and liked it a lot but this latest one is just not good. Flat characters and a paper thin plot combine to create a generic, cliche ridden yawn fest.

There's no nuance or subtext, the attempts at witty banter and humor fall flat, it all seems rushed and incomplete. I've read this writer before so I know he's capable of much better.

Strong language, sexual situations, no explicit violence.

*** I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley.

Great suspense novel, had me hooked from the start.
Buddy Steel has been on hiatus from his position in the sherifs office, when he is called home to help with a break in that occurred at his father's house. His father has taken the news of the break in rather hard, and asks, or really pressures, Buddy to step in as acting sherif and help . This break in is part of a larger series of thefts, all in well secured homes.
Simultaneously, there is a cyber thief also targeting locals, and getting away with millions. Buddy teams up with Quinn Anthony, a person very familiar with the workings of the dark web, to find the source of the hacks and hopefully recover some money. But the closer Buddy gets to solving the crimes, the more danger they seems to find themselves in.
Fast paced book. Love the characters and their interactions.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.