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

Police procedural/spy thriller set in the West--3 of my favorite genres. The book has plenty of action and plot twists and good characters. My complaints about the first book in the series (portrayals of women) were not a problem here. This is the second in a series but could easily be read as a standalone.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

Second in the series, Porter Beck tries to track down a hacker targeting military drones only to end up in the middle of a complicated web involving an old friend. This one was enjoyable but the story tried to achieve too much and the character development was stifled a bit. Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read and review this book!

Shades of Mercy, the second book in Bruce Borgos’ thrilling thriller series about Nevada Sheriff Porter Beck, opens with a hacker taking over a military drone, disrupting a seventeenth-birthday party and killing a prize bull belonging to a wealthy rancher who is an old friend of Beck’s. As Beck pursues investigating this challenge, his efforts seem to be hampered as much as helped by federal agents from several organizations trying to figure out who has breached the drone’s cybersecurity and how they did it. Foreign elements are of special interest, but their investigations also include a sixteen-year-old girl who appears to have hacked into the Federal Reserve and stolen almost a billion dollars. This is only the opening round of the action, which is sneaky and exciting, but sometimes a bit violent for my taste. The story proceeds at a fast clip, with plenty of surprises and twists, including a BIG one at the end.
The over-the-top action and violence were mitigated for me by Borgos’ writing style. There is a nicely done supporting cast of characters, like Beck’s adopted sister Brinley, a firearms expert who fears nothing, and Beck’s newest officer, Frank Columbo, who happens to be a dog. Then there are touches of humor, which provoked a lot of smiles for me, and the genuine warmth most of the characters show. The background setting of rural Nevada is nicely evoked.
Readers who enjoyed the first book in this series are NOT going to be disappointed, and readers new to the series will find a lot to enjoy even before they read the equally compelling The Bitter Past.
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press.

Another excellent mystery thriller from Bruce Borgos. This is the second in the series and is as captivating as the first book. The author keeps the reader engaged with an exciting story plot and characters that draw you in.
With a military base in his county (Area 51) Sheriff Beck is on constant alert for any unusual occurrences. But when a drone attacks and kills a rancher's bull this sparks an explosive case that just continues to grow. On top of all this, there is a large wildfire that is threatening his county, and he has sent some of his staff to help with the fire.
As always, the author will keep you hanging on as he leads you through the twists and turns.: wildfires, military drones, special agents, computer nerds and more.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

This is a well-written, entertaining, fast paced, police procedural, mystery thriller. It has a likable and intelligent male protagonist, engaging secondary characters, a supportive canine, wit, a touch of humor, vividly described settings, murder, intrigue, suspense, secrets, action, twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion. This is the second entry in Mr. Borgos' outstanding Porter Beck series, and it can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.
Many thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, Mr. Bruce Borgos, and NetGalley, from whom I received an advanced reader copy of this fantastic novel. This is my honest opinion.

A captivating mystery thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly trying to piece together the puzzle until the final reveal. Borgos masterfully weaves a complex and suspenseful narrative that left me guessing until the very end.

I enjoyed this book. It is a good read mixing police procedural with a spy thriller. I enjoy the spy element of this series the most. There was some character development with Beck from the first book, which was nice. I would say this book felt more plot driven than character driven, unlike the first book.

Because this was plot driven, the narrator swung between close third person, and a more wide angle omniscient narrator. Unfortunately that often occured within one paragraph and the head-hopping made me dizzy at time. Character knew things in scenes that it was impossible for them to know (like Mercy knowing about Cordero's previous injuries). I found that detracted from the story. This is partly me, and my preference for a character-driven story. As a result, I wasn't as invested in Beck, or the outcome this time.

That said, I enjoyed it enough to read a future installment and hope it goes back to a closer storyline for Beck himself.

If you like Westerns and you like thrillers, this is your novel and Porter Beck is your man. Sheriff Porter Beck, I should say, ex-Army, hometown boy, son of the long-time previous Sheriff. The action in this Nevada-based novel begins with an $80,000 breeding bull being blown up by a missile from an unknown source. The Air Force claims it's an accident, but Sheriff Beck can't quite buy that.

There’s another mystery. Who’s selling drugs with Fentynol, the stuff that killed a friend and others? A team of spooks from multiple agencies is putting pressure on Beck about the missile incident and Beck intends to solve both mysteries, but without any agency’s help.

And then there’s the sixteen-year-old girl who could code faster than you could speak, and who had a bone to pick with the drug and gun runners. Everybody wants her, but she's slippery and smart. Too damn smart.

I am practically a pacifist, and in general I hate violence. But I loved this novel. I love to see bad guys taken down. Not going to tell you any more, because I don't want to spoil it. But this is an all-nighter. You're going to want to read it.

The action starts at the beginning which made me continue reading it. Didn't know that it was the 2nd book in the series but it was a great read. It had everything in a good mystery that I look for. Page turner for sure.

3.75 stars

This second Porter Beck mystery was an action-packed page turner. Beck has an interesting special ops background but is currently a sheriff in rural Nevada. Weird stuff is going on - computer hackers have seized some government secret equipment and used it to destroy a prize bull on a ranch. Then an "automated" semi truck goes rogue and causes even more damage.

Somehow Beck connects this with a 16 year old girl in detention for outrageous computer crimes. And somehow several other alphabet government agencies with their own enforcers get involved. And the Chinese government. And the state cops. And a Mexican cartel. You get the idea -- it's nonstop shenanigans with a lot of weapons and craziness.

Beck is an interesting character. He is juggling a lot - he has a rare condition that makes him unable to see at night, an obvious hindrance. And his father, the former sheriff, is sliding into dementia. The supporting cast is also good. No stereotypes here. You'll have to stop and catch your breath after you turn the last page. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos is a superbly written thriller that is part police procedural and part international spy novel, and the author keeps you anxiously turning the pages to the very end.
The characters are relatable and interesting, the dialogue realistic and organic, and the setting of the Nevada desert and the fire-plagued surrounding brushland comes to life in Borgos' deft hands. The book, the second in a series, stands well on its own, and I never felt that I was in the dark about something important that happened previously.
I will definitely look forward to more thrillers in this series! Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #ShadesofMercy.

Porter Beck is the sheriff of a remote desert area in Nevada. He became sheriff after a decades long stint in the US Army, returning to where he grew up and taking the sheriff job his father had held. Beck is dealing with the death of a childhood friend, and also the death of the wife of the local grocer, both by opioids. While investigating how they got the drugs, he finds a super computer hacker who is only sixteen years old and that the government is involved with. Before the investigation is closed several people from more countries than the U.S. are involved, and some are also dead.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the copy of Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos. I liked how the story started, and while I liked how the hacker was a teenage girl, I was less than thrilled about how Beck describes her physical looks. I think these books aren’t for me because some of the content of the first book and this one made me really dislike Beck. At least he didn’t flirt with his adopted sister this time. Maybe I’m just exhausted by a MMC who’s a superhero, and I can see how other readers might love him but I think this is where we part ways. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

The second Porter Beck thriller is packed with action and has a really twisty plot.

Porter Beck is a sheriff in Nevada, in a country with more cacti than people, but big city problems are creeping in. One of his childhood friends has just died of a fentanyl overdose and others are in danger from that drug.

Also, when a prize bull on another childhood friend's ranch is hit with a missile which was snatched from the Air Force's control by an unknown hacker, his county is invaded by the alphabets - FBI, NSA, etc. as they are searching for the hacker.

Beck has received an email from the hacker asking him to be alert because they might need some help from him. Beck comes to believe that the hacker is a sixteen-year-old girl who is being held at a camp for juvenile offenders after a variety of computer crimes including stealing $80 million from a Federal Bank.

Learning this the friend who lost his bull is also involved with Mexican drug cartels adds another group who want something or someone from his county. And a Chinese spy trying to recover his sleeper agent who has gone AWOL adds more complexity.

I really enjoyed this thriller. I couldn't put it down.