I was really taken with the first of Jodi Luna's story. She is a very cool character with a complex backstory and a strong sense of family and family obligations. I love how she was a professor and became a game warden. All this, and she's badass. The first novel was very well written and developed. This novel, the 2nd in the series, was also very well written and developed, but it had a bit of a hard time getting going. The whole concept was a little far-fetched, but this is not a concern of mine, it is a detective novel and there are a lot of moral ambiguities sprinkled throughout the book. My biggest issue was the pacing. I love the character (she may be my new Kate Burkholder), but getting to the point where all the action took place was a bit of a struggle, for me.

Now, once we got to the story's action, well, I was all in and it was great. The twist was a little bit on the nose, but it was a nice development and I appreciated how things were told. I love how awesome Jodi's daughter is. Basically, this book is a super real winner and I loved it. The beginning just needed to be a little faster-paced. Also, the ending was great. Dealing with more of that morality and the issues therein... builds a compelling next installment, that's for sure.

Having only been serving as game warden in the rural Rio Trucas County, New Mexico for six months, officer Jodi Luna is still trying to navigate the ins and outs of her new position, so when her boss tasks her with overseeing a hunting trip for the influential Evans family, she does so begrudgingly, but knows it may be her only shot to prover herself. Plus, it gives her the chance to spend some time with her daughter, that is, if she isn't sneaking off with her boyfriend, who happens to be the youngest member of the Evans clan. Jodi is one tough cookie and can handle the abrasive attitudes of the Evans men, their seemingly crazy and armed neighbor, and even a few bears if she has too, but getting trapped in the mountains with two dead bodies? That might just bring her to the edge.

This is a gripping thriller right from the opening scene. The author does a wonderful job throughout the book of building suspense while also creating vivid and immersive backdrops and expertly detailed characters. This reads like an episode of your favorite crime drama, and it left me wanting to tune into more! It became evident a short way into the book that there was a book prior to this one, with certain scenes referencing a past incident. These nods were woven in nicely and made this easily readable as a stand-alone novel. If anything, these scenes have me wanting to go back and read the first book as the incident that is harkened back to sounds just as gripping as the events of this novel.

I think anyone who likes suspenseful crime novels will enjoy this book. I look forward to seeing more from this series and will definitely be adding Hollow Beasts (Book #1) to my TBR,.

Blood Mountain by A.L. Valdes, published by Thomas & Mercer, is the second book in the Jodi Luna Series.
Every book , while interconnected can be read as a stand-alone. The previous book is Hollow Beasts.
Jodi Luna is still adjusting to her new life as game warden. The former professor keeps people at a distance when the brother-in-law of a friend goes missing.
She ventures into the wild and soon she learns that there is more to investigate than a simple case of getting lost.
A mystery thriller of its finest, a wonderful read, 5 stars.

Wow that was definitely a bit different from what I normally read! But great book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, serial killer, mystery, revenge, a great who done it, and some crazy twists and turns! I loved the characters they were all very interesting! The storyline was very interesting also and kept me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

This is the second book in the series but I had no trouble jumping in. I found the story to be engaging and I read it in a day. There were a lot of characters and a few times I got confused about who was who. I will definitely read more books from this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Thomas & Mercer.