This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S SHADES OF MERCY ABOUT?
Sheriff Porter Beck's life intersects with a couple of high school buddies for the first time in many years. And both situations should make anyone else from high school leery of running into him.

We open with Beck coming across one of those friends after they'd overdosed. Soon after, a federal investigator recruits Beck to go visit the other one. Jesse Roy has recently moved back to the area, and is renovating his father's ranch into something that Beck can't comprehend—it's just too large, too gaudy, for this area. Cattle ranching is going really well for Jesse (too well?). The night before, something had gone wrong with a test vehicle with the Air Force, and something had fallen on Roy's prize bull, destroying it. The investigator is here to negotiate a settlement—and it's not a little one.

But something about the whole deal sets Beck's B.S.-meter off. He forces the investigator to come clean—someone had hacked an Air Force drone and launched a missile at the cow. It was a targeted hit—but why?

Beck knows if he doesn't help for the search for this hacker (and they know they're local, somehow) and get to the root of the problems soon, his county will be overrun by Intelligence officers from all sorts of government agencies.

Oh, and there are wildfires threatening the county on several sides, and a large group assembling to storm Area 51. Just in case it didn't seem like he had enough going on.

The investigation quickly points at a teenage girl who is serving some time at a teen facility nearby. As hard as it might be to believe. And before he knows it—Beck finds himself dealing with so much more than a hacker.

COMPARING SHADES OF MERCY TO THE BITTER PAST
So, the first book used dual timelines to tell the story—and I was afraid Borgos would try to pull that trick again. I think it could've worked, but eventually, his county is going to run out of people who were doing interesting things several decades ago. This time it's all one timeline (with a little backtracking every now and then, but not much. But we do bounce between a few perspectives, so we still get the advantage of multiple POVs. So he's able to maintain some of the same feel there.

His deputies are back, but some of them aren't really seen due to the fires. There've been some changes since the last book and it's good to see that everything isn't stagnant with this series. We don't get as much time with them all this time, and that's a disappointment. Other characters return, too, most of them made me happy and one was a pleasant surprise. I had a more specific sentence there, but decided to remove the names...

The big change is the focus—The Bitter Past is all about the past—what it does in the present, how it can change so much about your life when you learn new things about your own past. Also, the weapons and conflicts of the past.

This one is very present and future-focused. It's also good to see that Borgos isn't stuck in one frame of mind.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT SHADES OF MERCY?
I'm having a hard time talking about this book without saying too much about the content.

In what—I think—was a very nice bit of story-telling is that there were a few things that should make the attentive reader pause and wonder if Borgos is being sloppy. I'm going to try to be vague here, but I'm thinking of some parts of the timelines before the novel started—and some things that happened during the novel that we don't see first-hand, but see the effects of. I was too invested in the stories to spend time on these myself—I basically shrugged and moved on (not that I noticed everything I should've, either). I'm going to give you credit for being perceptive and thoughtful enough to catch these things—then I'm going to reassure you: trust Borgos. Everything gets tied up, everything makes sense, I can't tell you how often in the last pages I said "Oh, sure—that makes sense," (I also said "I probably should've caught that" about most of those items). It's really a nice and tidy book.

I'm worried that my last paragraph makes the whole thing seem like a mess. Au contraire. This is a tight thriller—it's only on a few points that it I was mistaken that he'd left things dangling. The rest of the book is as tightly written as you could hope (which I should've realized described the rest, too). There's a little slowness for a chapter or two, just to bring us back into this world, reintroduce the character, and catch us up on Beck's life—then we're off to the races from the moment that Beck is brought to his old friend's ranch.

The conclusion was just great—exactly what this book (and character) needed.

This book bodes well for the rest of the series that follows—yes, I'd like a "smaller" crime. One that didn't involve multiple state and federal agencies, for one. Just a matter of Beck and his guys analyzing a crime scene and then figuring out who in their small community could've done it. It'd just be more believable than all the federal and military types wanding around all the time. But the way Borgos is dealing with the latter, I'm not sure I care.

There's enough humor and heart here to take the edge off of things—the tension gets cut, the characters are made more endearing, and the reader can catch their breath before diving into more tension and action.

I wasn't as wow-ed with this book as I was the first—but I was still impressed, and this book makes me more sure what the following books will be like than I was with The Bitter Past. And it promises to be a very good series. I'm repeating myself, so it's time to wrap this up. Either with Shades of Mercy or The Bitter Past, you want to get on board this series here at the beginning.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley—thanks to both for this.

I loved this book. The characters were solid with backstories that added to the overall plot. The plot was clever and full of technology that kept me on my toes. The writing was tight and propelled the story forward page after page; no filler, which I love. I honestly can’t rave about this book enough. It was excellent.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

Love, love, love this! I read Bruce's first Porter Beck book last year and said it reminded of Longmire and should be a TV series. Now that I've read this second book, Porter has left Longmire in the dust and I would still love a TV series, but I've moved on to a Porter Beck franchise with each book being made into a major motion picture. I think that might be the only way to do these books and characters justice! Porter is an awesome and smart character, but what makes these books so great are of course the stories, with murder and intrigue, but all of the other characters too. They are all full of life with very different personalities that shine through that just makes these books - (chef's kiss). And Bruce - if a movie or series happens, please retain as much creative control as possible because it's your writing that makes these books great & I'd like for them to be as faithful to the books as possible.

Thank you to St Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This second Beck thriller’s setting and the onset of Beck’s night blindness are once again stand-out features. I enjoyed details like the amount of land owned by the government, the coding of a wildfire map, and the existence of Alien Independence Day. Hacking drones, unmanned vehicles and other cyber crimes are a current topic. The nonstop action includes plenty of violence including graphic cattle carnage. The bad guys are identified early on, so it’s a matter of how long it will take Beck to put together the evidence.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the 2nd book in a new series that I recently discovered. The first book dealt mainly with an incident in the past and repercussions in the present. This story deals with incidents in the present that could have long-lasting effects on the future. Porter Beck is Sheriff in Lincoln County, Nevada. He has recently been plagued with a few deadly drug overdoses, and then a mysterious drone attack on a prize bull. With the intrusion of government agencies, Porter finds himself in the middle of a computer hacker search. Is there any connection with the juvenile delinquent computer whiz housed at the Youth Center. What's with the mysterious email he recently received? Porter needs all his available resources to nail down the who, what and why of recent events, while coping hopelessly with his increasingly handicap condition of night blindness. This was an action packed story, filled with lots of potential events happening in the computer, dark web and political worlds of today. Hope there are more Porter Beck stories in the future. Disclosure: I am voluntarily reviewing this book received through NetGalley and all opinions are strictly my own

Porter Beck is the sheriff in the high desert of Nevada, doing the same lawman's job his father once did. His twelve person department covers a large area that is usually very quiet, but not of late. One childhood friend succumbs to a new wave of particularly strong illegal opioids, another childhood friend is targeted by a military drone, hacked and commandeered by an unknown source. The hacker is apparently local—local enough to call out Beck by name—and that means they are Beck's problem. Beck's investigation leads him to Mercy Vaughn, the one known hacker in the area. The problem is that she's a teenager, locked up with no computer access at the secure juvenile detention center. Still, there's something about Mercy that doesn't sit quite right with Beck. But when Mercy disappears, Beck understands that she's in danger and time is running out for all of them.

This is the second, and final, book in the Porter Beck series (#2 of 2). The author develops Beck and his deputies characters more from the first book, The Bitter Past. A very contemporary subect, hacking, leads the reader through the subject at a very understandable pace. I really enjoyed this book and wished that there could have been more as I grew to love the characters and wanted to see what happened to them. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an outstanding book. I recommend reading the first book first, but think you could read the second by itself as there is enough backstory given to understand. I, however, am glad that I read both in order.

A sheriff in Nevada finds himself involved a high-tech situation that involves a 16-year-old hacker and a person from his past. Well things look like the young hacker is involved, Beck isn’t quite so sure as the young girl didn’t have access to computers. And when Mercy goes missing, Beck knows there’s more to the story that it seems.

Can save Mercy and the rancher under siege and get to the center of the problem? Or is the past coming back to not only taunt him, but put an end to Beck once and for all?

I enjoyed this book far more than I originally thought I would. The story continues at a good pace with lots of action, red herrings, and even tugs out a few hearts showing along the way. I’ll definitely read more from this author in the future.

After a career in Army intelligence, Porter Beck has returned to Nevada to take over as sheriff from his father, who is beginning a decline into dementia. On July 4th, a strange light appears in the sky over his county and hits a prize bull, worth upwards of $80,000. A quiet man from the government shows up to write a check to the rancher, who was a good friend on Porter's when they were growing up. Meanwhile, fake fentanyl is killing people in Porter's county, including another good friend of his. Porter is very suspicious of men from the government, especially when they start sticking their noses into county business. A brilliant young girl is being held at a local juvenile detention center, but she disappears while working trash pickup along the highway. Soon, another drone is hijacked, just like the previous one that killed the bull. Porter begins to suspect there is more than coincidence going on. More bodies drop and Porter is moving fast from one crime scene to another. This sophomore effort is just as good as the first one. Recommended for Michael McGarrity fans.

Looking for a mystery/thriller that will keep you on edge?

Shades of Mercy will have you racing through the pages!

This story has it all:

-Engaging writing style
-Characters you love, and characters you love to hate
-A strong sense of setting and atmosphere
-A multilayered plot that builds in intensity
-Little details sprinkled throughout that add depth and realism

This is the second Porter Beck Mystery. Bruce Borgos does an excellent job of making it work perfectly as a stand alone. (Though I did read book 1, The Bitter Past, and recommend it!)

I was waiting excitedly for the second book in the Porter Beck series, and it did not disappoint.

Porter Beck is ex Military Intelligence, now a sheriff in the Nevada desert, dealing with his father’s continuing dementia, and his own night blindness. His adopted sister has returned to his life, he has a new partner – a failed police dog called Columbo - and his usually quiet beat is not so much recently. One old friend dies of a drug overdose, and another has his cattle ranch attacked by a drone that appears to have been taken over by a hacker.

As Porter investigates, he finds a young teenaged hacker, Mercy Vaughn, who is incarcerated at a secure juvenile detention center. But something about Mercy doesn’t seem right. Once she goes missing, the race is on to find her, and figure out what is happening.

There is a lot going on in this novel, with Mexican drug cartels, Chinese government spies, US government ‘men in black’, and various characters – many of which have very questionable motives. Its hard to determine who the ‘good’ guys and ‘bad’ guys are in the twisty and complex plot. Lots of action in multiple locations keeps all of this going along at a fast pace.

With the first novel in this series, I commented that it seemed to cross genres, and I found this one similar. Police procedural and action thriller. But these novels work!

I love the characters, particularly the intelligent Porter, and the desert descriptions.

The ending was very satisfying. I look forward to the next in the series.

Thank you St. Martin's press and Netgalley for this ARC.

This was my first book by Bruce Borgos and I loved it. The story was fast paced and filled with action and suspense.

If you love action movies you will love this book. Filled with military intelligence, mystery, cartel, helicopters, friendships (old and new), suspense and computer hacking.

Another great action filled read. Beck, the Nevada Sheriff, with a small cohesive team, is dealing with wildfires, a friend from his childhood who seems to have gone rogue, a Mexican drug cartel, the selling of black market weapons, Chinese spies, and best of all, Mercy, a 16 year old blonde haired and green eyed Chinese (it is explained quite thoroughly) hacker with extraordinary abilities. Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur Books for an ARC for an honest review.

4.5 stars, rounded up. Another great entry in this series about Nevada sheriff Porter Beck. I was a little nervous for the first 5% of the book, as the prose was verging on purplish, but fortunately Borgos seemed to shake that off fairly quickly. Soon, I was swept up in the adrenaline-fueled plot involving guns, drugs, and computer hacking. Beck is a really likable character who is just the right balance of bad-ass and flawed. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for a digital review copy.

Shades of Mercy takes on the opioid/fentanyl crisis, opening with the death of one of Porter Beck’s best friends from childhood. Like many people addicted to opioids, his friend was seriously hurt and traditional pain management failed him so he turned to trafficked opioids. Finding the source became even more urgent with another death the next day.

Meanwhile, someone took control of a remote missile drone and fired a missile that killed a prize bull belonging to a local rancher, the third in Beck’s high school best friend trio. Beck is astonished by the conspicuous wealth his friend has amassed and his suspicions are raised that he might be involved with the cartels smuggling drugs into his county.

The government enlists his local knowledge in trying to identify who might have been behind the hacking of that missile. These disparate threads come together with a big assortment of bad guys, over-zealous federal agents, and more than enough jeopardy to go around.

I preferred Shades of Mercy to the first novel in the series. The story moved faster. There were still a few improbable characters.The hacker is preternaturally clever, not just in hacking but in reading people. Beck now not only speaks Russian, but Korean and Chinese. The story would be stronger with more investigating and less just knowing.

Too much of Porter Beck feels like wish fulfillment. I know he has a disability, a eye disease. That impediment seems like an effort to make him less than perfect, but simply not knowing every thing would be more interesting.

I received an e-galley of Shades of Mercy from the publisher through NetGalley

Shades of Mercy at St. Martin’s Press | Macmillan
Bruce Borgos author site
My review of The Bitter Past

Having not read any prior books by Bruce Borgos, which includes the first Porter Beck novel, I dove into “Shades of Mercy” not knowing what to expect. Right from the get-go, the story drew me in, capturing my attention from the very first page right up until the very last. Throughout the entirety of this book, I was constantly blown away by all of the intricate details in this highly clever, well-crafted crime thriller. It’s not a stretch to say that I loved everything about this book—from the intriguing characters to the unique storyline to the underlying mystery. And while “Shades of Mercy” can definitely be read as a standalone, I do plan to travel back in time to “The Bitter Past” to help fill in any missing gaps from Porter Beck’s background.

A Sheriff Versus Friend, Drug Smuggler and Chinese Spy

A military remotely piloted aircraft pilot discovers that his Vulture is no longer responding to his commands. He tries everything to regain control. A destruct signal doesn’t work either. Then, a message on the pilot’s screen tells him that this bird will return to you in a few minutes. The Vulture turns around and considerably drops in altitude. Then, the weapon system activation indicator starts to flash green. Hundreds of heat sources start to fill his screen. A target is identified, and a missile is fired. He wonders who was just blown up. At his ranch in Nevada, Jesse Roy is hosting his daughter's 17th birthday party. It is an excuse to have his business associates present for a meeting. Half of them are from south of the border. He arranged for a fireworks show when he introduces his daughter. It is spectacular. As it ends, everyone sees two streaks of light coming toward them. Only the fireworks team and Jesse Roy know they are not part of the show. He dives to cover his daughter. From this start, the novel only becomes better.

There are four threads in this novel. The first thread is the hijacking of the Vulture. Since hijacking and using its weapons is a national security threat, an Air Force officer asks Sheriff Beck to accompany him to the site of the attack. The missiles took out Beck’s friend’s prized breeding bull. While on the ranch, Beck notices a Mexican with his friend, who does not appear to be in the livestock business. This is when the second thread starts with Sheriff Beck looking into his old friend's recent activities. Beck narrates most of both threads, so the reader sees most of the story from his perspective. A covert Chinese secret agent narrates the third thread. The Chinese want the Vulture hacker. The fourth chapter is about the actions of that hacker. For most of the novel, two or more threads coexist in the same chapter. Beck is fighting a significant issue; he is going blind. He is fine during the day, but after sunset, he becomes essentially blind. The novel’s pace is fast. As Beck tries to determine what is happening, it leads to many twists, turns, and red herrings. Despite all that is happening, it was an easy and relatively quick read for me. My interest was locked in early.

Sheriff Beck is a well-developed character. His international intelligence experience is demonstrated in the Chinese thread. More personal information is provided in a B-storyline thread with Charlie Blue Horse. The rest is filled in with his relationships with his adopted sister and other deputies. He has an interesting relationship with his newest deputy, who is introduced at the start of the second chapter. This aspect of the novel enhanced my enjoyment of reading it.

Reading this novel should be fine for most readers. There are not any intimate scenes. There is some vulgar and rude language, but not at a level that made me notice. There is some impious language. Violence occurs in a more edgy way as it occurs, but it is not more than what is on TV police procedurals. Lastly, this is the second novel in the series, but I did not find any references to the previous novel that were not fully explained in this novel.

I found only one loose end that I was waiting to be explained. When I finished, I didn’t see it explained. I returned to my notes and discovered that the loose end had to occur, as revealed by a later twist in the plot. This novel does require a reader's attention throughout. This novel kept me up late at night as I could not put it down. This is the second novel by this author that I have read. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading both. I have categorized this author from Pending to Must-Read. I liked these two novels and want to read any subsequent novels by this author. If a police procedural with multinational aspects interests you, this novel may be for you. I rate it with five stars.

I received this novel's free prepublication e-book version through NetGalley from Minotaur Books. My review is based solely on my own reading experience of this book. Thank you, Minotaur Books, for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

This is a well written, fast paced police procedural with plenty of twists and turns, and just enough humor. Porter Beck is a smart like able main character and even the secondary characters are well developed. A strong second entry in what’s becoming one of my favorite new series.

Mr. Borgos knows his stuff; military units, intelligence, technology, dark web, guns and ammo. And it shows in this fast paced, constantly moving story about a county sheriff, a 16-year-old computer genius, US government secret services, Chinese operatives, the Mexican drug cartel and of course, a wildfire being battled by his friends in the Forest Service. Whoo boy. Your head will be spinning by the end, but in a very good way.

The intriguing and well drawn characters include Sheriff Beck (former Army Intelligence), his adopted sister Brinley, (a whiz with any type of gun and ammo who works as a movie set advisor), his wealthy childhood friend Jesse, (who married the Sheriff's teenage sweetheart), Jesse's daughter Shiloah, his feisty but loyal Deputies, and an enigmatic teenage hacker named Mercy, who may or may not have taken control of a government drone. Oh, and diverted millions in government funds. Let the thrill ride begin! And oh boy, it does.

From the opening chapter, where a government drone develops a mind of its own, to the grand finale, with bodies littered everywhere but a satisfying explanation for everything is forthcoming, this is a non-put-downable read. I am hoping for another tale soon in the saga of Sheriff Beck. After you read this, you will be too.

Shades of Mercy is a thriller with non-stop action, a marvelously complex plot, and a lot of heart! Porter Beck is a local sheriff, with fading vision, in a small Nevada town. He is in the midst of investigating mysterious opioid deaths, when the prize bull of a rancher and old friend is killed. Porter believes the missile was fired from an aircraft with a system that may have been hacked. His determined investigation soon leads him to Mercy Vaughn, a teenager incarcerated in a juvenile facility as a result of hacking a sophisticated financial system. Could she be behind the drone attack? Porter soon realizes that nothing is as it seems, and that Mercy may be in danger. He and his team soon find themselves in danger as well, from various criminal sources, as wildfires rage around them. Bruce Borgos has written an exciting, twisting mystery with memorable characters and surprises at every turn that kept me reading late into the night. Porter Beck is now one of my favorite fictional detectives! Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book. The opinions or the review are my own.

I enjoyed the first book about Nevada Sheriff Porter Beck last year, and this installment is another smart and entertaining mystery/procedural! There was a fair amount of initial world-building right at the start of this one due to the complexity of setting up the multiple competing adversary groups. Sheriff Beck, who has a background in military intelligence, must sort out some seemingly unrelated groups, shady government officials, a drug cartel, Chinese operatives, and a juvenile delinquent computer hacker who is more than she seems, to crack the case. However, once that is done, things become fast-paced, twisty, and action-packed, with intrigue and suspense.

Borgos is a really good storyteller who keeps you engaged and often on the edge of your seat. This is well-written, with scenes and characters that come to life. Beck's sister is among the most interesting characters to me, as is the seasoned deputy, who is very funny. These books have a good bit of humor to offset the intensity.

Porter Beck is a likable character who is unique and compelling. In addition to his high-stress job, he has some personal and family issues to attend to. He's intelligent, determined, and not above breaking some rules to get the job done. He's an underdog you root for and I cannot wait for his next adventure!

Thank you to Netgalley, and St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books for the free book!

*4.5 rounded up