I like story featuring a strong underdog and this is a good one. I had fun and appreciated the solid mystery and the well developed characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

I haven't read the first book in this series, and this one starts off as a sort of continuance, but it wasn't too challenging to follow what had happened. It might have been useful to read the first book in order to understand the characters' back stories.

This reads like an 1980's gritty crime drama - it's very atmospheric and a little cheesy in places but still an interesting read with an engaging storyline.

Although the series is not really what I would normally pick up, I would recommend it to fans of True Detective and Bosch.

Offering a change of style is A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun by former policeman turned author David Putnam.

Set in the blood hot desert of San Bernardino County (California) in 1984, A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun follows the antics of maverick policeman David Beckett as he tackles crime in his own individual way. Tough and violent, with little regard for legality, Beckett follows his own code, which gets up the noses of his superiors. After a series of entertaining episodes, the story jumps forward three or four years to the main storyline. Beckett is now a Homicide detective, but because of his difficult personality and frequent insubordination, he is delegated to the task of identifying the bones of the many victims found in the desert. One day he makes a horrific discovery and becomes obsessed with identifying the victim and finding out who killed her.

This is very gritty reading. Beckett’s behaviour and attitudes will not be to everyone’s liking, but he certainly gets the job done. The jump in the time line brought some surprises with it and it kept me interested to see how things played out. The frequent action also makes for a good pace and easy reading.

I thought that some of the incidences in the book stretched credibility, but in an afterword Putnam explained how they were based on his own experiences as a policeman.

A solid read. Three and a half stars.

A gritty and realistic police procedural that reads more like true crime. These are supposedly fictional accounts that are based on true events and, given the author’s background in policing, it’s not surprising that it feels more like an autobiography than a novel. Interesting, but not quite hitting the mark.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun is the second book in a planned trilogy about Dave Beckett, the “Bone Dick”, a homicide detective charged with investigating cold cases from the bones uncovered in Southern California‘a harsh Mojave desert. I’ve read and loved several of the author’s Bruno Johnson books, and A Fearsome Moonlight Black - the first in this trilogy - was one of my Top 5 books of 2022. It’s helpful but not essential to have read that one - if I’d had more time I would’ve reread it, just to remind me of the background, but this is a complete story that more or less stands alone. The books are based on Putnam’s real life experiences of working in law enforcement, which brings a gritty realism to his descriptions and a sobering reminder of the toll the job takes on its servants. The afterword explains which elements were based on real events.

Beginning in 1984, this has rookie sheriffs deputy Beckett, now divorced and living with his ex-con father, battling his disregard for the rules and tendency to mouth off to all and sundry with his desire to hunt down criminals, no matter what it takes, and be promoted to the homicide division. His friend and partner is struggling after being first on scene at a tragedy involving their colleagues, they are both being persecuted by one of the senior officers, and then Beckett is drawn to Jimmie Poe, another young deputy. Then the story jumps forward four years, with Beckett now working alone, still mourning, but now more experienced and with it more headstrong and impulsive. When a leg bone found in the desert turns out to be someone he was close to, he will stop at nothing to find their killer.

I didn’t love this one as much as the last, partly due to the pacing - this felt like a series of anecdotes which only come together quite late on, and partly due to the overly irreverent attitude of the hero and his wilful disobedience almost just for the sake of it. His hypocrisy in arresting someone he doesn’t like for drink driving, at the risk of threatening his colleagues’ careers, when he cynically helped his friend get away with the same offence, didn’t endear him to me, although he justifies it to himself. There’s a lot of police procedure which could be confusing when you don’t understand the American system (I should, I’ve read enough thrillers featuring Californian detectives, but they all tend to assume that readers just know the reasons for it.)

The standout feature of these books is the writing - Putnam has a piercing way with words far superior to most crime writers: “Law enforcement years were like dog years. You experienced life seven times faster, saw the world unfettered in all its soiled glory. A world where moral decay and violence rules and the good of heart are trod upon.” You really feel the world weary cynicism of someone trying hard to do what is right in a system governed by politics and money, and stay sane and human, when most of the people you’re dealing with are long past either.
“The expression, one of shock, one that said life as we knew it no longer applied to either one of them. That murder and tragedy both have rotten, black hearts that stink to high heaven and forever, indelibly imprint the memory of those who survive. If surviving was what you called it.”

I liked the way the different mysteries were resolved, and the story completed while leaving some storylines open for the final book, which I’ll be on the lookout for next year. Thanks to NetGalley and Level Best Books for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily. A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun is published on October 17th 2023.

It was only after reading the reviews I discovered that this book is the second part of a trilogy, but I had no problems whatsoever to read it as a standalone.
The first 20% were a bit difficult for me to read. The writing was good, but the way Dave lives and works were so very strange to me. I call it ‘too American’. Not to offend Americans, but just because the author describes such different people, such a different lifestyle, it was a bit hard to get a grip on what was happening here, and what information was important and what not.
Luckily, the story drew me in and I finished the book easily. It’s a harrowing story at times. Dave is not always sympathetic or honest, but still, I liked the way the thought and operated. The author cleverly used his own experiences for some of the scenes and therefore the felt more real than similar scenes I’ve read recently.
Although I requested this book based on the blurb, I wish someone would rewrite it. It’s got almost nothing to do with what really happened in the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Level Best Books for this review copy.

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The story begins with Dave Beckett driving home from his shift when he hears sirens and pulls over. CHP is chasing a vehicle and as it turns out, Dave knew the driver, it was another deputy sheriff. This event plays a role later in the story. The story also relates how Fave inter-relates with his father who has been gone a long time.

Dave had been a detective earlier, but his actions resulted in him being demoted back to a patrolman. It then follows his time as he assists another patrolman, Jimmie Poe in her quest to become a detective. Jimmie Poe had just answered a call and was returning to the station when he met with her and then proceeded together to the perp's home where an arrest was made. As a result of this arrest, Jimmie Poe was made an acting detective. Her first assignment had her stumped. There was a bank robbery with very little clues. She needed Dave's help once again in figuring it out.
Once again, she was able to solve it. Jimmie and Dave then started becoming close, but Dave shied away because of his ex-wife Beth.

The next section of the book then relates the events which happened a a result of his role as "the bone detective". In this job he was in charge of solving cases which resulted when bones were found in the desert. The last case which he got involved in was related to the discovery of Jimmie Poe's bones.

Follow along and see what steps Dave took as he tried to find the party responsible for her death. Learn what other events happened as a result of this investigation. The ending wraps any questions that you might have and is definitely a book you should read. Don't miss it!

This is not your typical cop procedural/mystery. This is much more hard core REAL LIFE. It is VERY obvious reading the book before even looking at the author's bio, that he spent years in law enforcement and knows it's heart, inside and out. By taking parts that ring as true-life incidents and blending them into a cohesive story of a one incident that dominoes out and affects the entire division for years, and how events truly are 6 degrees of separation from another. It was also interesting seeing the book set in SoCal areas I spent much of my young life in, and seeing them from a cop's perspective! It's a non-stop roller coaster thriller that you won't be able to put down, once you're into the story and trying to figure out where it is headed. I definitely will be going back and reading the previous book, Fearless Moonlight Black, and Putnam is one of my new fav authors!

After reading the first book A Fearsome Moonlight Black which I loved and introduced Detective Beckett I was really hoping for something even better. It was a good story and a good read but was filled with much of his story from the first book. As I said before still a good read but personally I was disappointed.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc in return for an honest review.

David Putnam’s fictional crime novel is based on real events that he and his fellow detectives experienced while deputies in the San Bernandino county sheriff’s office and follows on from his previous novel introducing Deputy Sherriff Dave Beckett. He paints a picture of a place that’s rife with crime, drug dealers and addicts and bodies buried in the desert in the unforgiving heat.

Putnam’s fictional character, Dave Beckett, is larger than life, but perhaps too over the top – too hot headed, too reckless, too angry, too anti-authority to be someone you could sympathise with. He’s constantly overstepping the mark, ignoring orders and being hauled over the coals, but his instincts are good so he’s always right and solves the crime and arrests the perpetrator. It’s no wonder his superiors find him difficult and some openly want to see him booted out. Although he becomes more relatable when his father suddenly takes off after a year of reconnecting while living together causing Dave feelings of loss and regrets. However, I think I would have liked him better if he was less aggressive in his actions and a bit more of a team player. The novel is written in the first person so Dave looms large and the other characters remain largely characterless.

At the centre of the novel is the disappearance, possible murder of a fellow detective, a woman who Dave once dated and still loves. However, this isn’t introduced until the second part of the book and prior to that there is a lot of information about Dave’s earlier exploits and his issues with authority. I felt this could have been more condensed, and the murder mystery introduced earlier so that the reader can understand that this is the main focus of the novel. There also wasn’t much of an introduction to Dave’s role as ‘bone detective’ which seems to be dropped in abruptly. Focussing on this and describing an earlier solved case or cases would have paved the way nicely to the main story. Nevertheless, overall the novel and the murder mystery is intense and it’s certainly lively packed with anecdotes as well as fast paced action with some unexpected outcomes.

A slow detective read with a twist I didn’t expect. Characters were well developed and I really enjoyed the story!

A Lonesome blood red sun gave us Dave, a bad boy cop with reckless attitude issues. Although he always seem problematic with rules and birocracy, but he actually struggles with his personal family troubles. He also had good heart and strong bond with his traumatic cop partner.

The book was fast pace since the early pages. It filled readers with high tension adrenaline and classic police procedural action scenes. Kinda slowdown when the love interest and family being exposed. The writing style is really good and engaging. It is fluid, thrilling and enjoyable. I almost can imagine this book alive as movie.

The time jump kinda jagged and surprising. At this part we will get significant changes from the main character's behavior and emotional vibes. Such an entertaining book.  People said this is part of the series but I perfectly fine when enjoyed as standalone.

Thank you Netgalley and  Level Best Books for provided my ecopy of this book. My thoughts and opinions always become my own.

Great character development and tension in the story. Putnam is a master of police procedure and his experience adds authenticity to the stories. Exciting page turning read.

Dave Beckett book #2

With a tone of a cop on the beat this second book continues the day to day life of officer not like any others. He acts and thinks in ways no one can predict and by doing so gets himself in trouble with his superior Lieutenant Cordova whom he loves to call Lieutenant Cordoba to annoy him. Taken from his life experiences the author does marvel in creating scenes and doesn’t hold back. Through the eyes and voice of Beckett we are treated with the perspective of a patrol officer. The first person narrative works perfectly here.

This novel is split in two parts: one is set in 1984 when Beckett was a patrol officer and the second part in 1988 when he was promoted to bone detective. For those hating dual time this story is easy to follow.

The plot is slow moving and it takes a while before action sets in but when the upper crust takes revenge and assign Beckett on “bone cases” way out in the dessert it is the just punishment they take pleasure in giving him....but when the bone found turnout to be one of their own...Beckett goes to no end to find the killer. Then the action picks up and this mystery turns out to be an exiting ride till the end.

What a gritty police adventure this novel turned out to be. I enjoyed the writing style although it took awhile to get used to it but at the end my mind was tuned in and I enjoyed the unpredictable drama this “whodunit” mystery provided. Well-done.

Loved it couldn’t put it down,I struggled at first to get into but once it took off I couldn’t stop,it has a mix of fiction but true life events well done

Well-paced throw-back police story with well-defined characters. The plot isn’t as exciting as some of the author’s other works, but nevertheless is a solid work.

Whilst I found this to be an “ok” read, it wasn’t fast paced or engaging, which was a let down.
Overall there was something lacking in the storyline, and the protagonist that kept me from devouring it quickly or pleasurably.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second Dave Beckket book in the series which I didn’t realise. Don’t know if it matters or not. Seems an awful long prologue for a second book and a weird (to me) time skip of 3 years in the middle.
I sorta like Dave but all the police acronyms drove me crazy and the Jack Reacher vibes it gave off at the beginning just didn’t come to me.

Thank you NetGalley & David Putnam for an advanced copy of this book.

This book was riveting. Lots of action and fast paced. This is first book I have read by this author but will be tracking down more of his books. Thanks to NetGalley for early read.

I really enjoyed this book for many reasons. One being I grew up in the area and knew where they were when the author was mentioning places. Second the characters but really the main one Dave Beckett who is always in trouble but gets the job done. He is now what is called the bone detective so when any bones are discovered he is called out and one day he goes out and it turns out to be the missing deputy from two years ago and they had history. This part of the story will lead you to the end which has some twists but that was his character throughout the book wanting to make sure everything was just right at the last moment I’s dotted T’s cross. All of the characters are good and the story is fantastic very much worth the read.