Book two did not disappoint!

Beck is working with another type of feds to solve a mystery while he is also trying to solve a drug problem in his state. He never thought that the two of them would be connected.

Mercy is a very smart girl, maybe too smart for her own good. She can hack into almost anything and that puts a target on her back. Beck is doing everything he can to help her, but when she mystically goes missing, the only place he can turn to is the computerized programs that Mercy is most likely hacking into.

This book was full of twists, right to the very end! There is a happy ending, but I really hope there will be more to this series. Beck is a smart cop with military background that seems to always have a knack for saying just the right thing to get the other Feds going.

A clever blend of suspense, intrigue, and emotional depth, and a great addition to the series. The writing is vivid and atmospheric with twists and turns that kept me guessing.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Bookish thoughts: This was the second installment in Bruce Borgos’s Porter Beck series. I enjoyed this one as it was a timely read about current technology and cyber attacks. The story was a fast paced suspense filled mystery that kept me turning the pages. I think I enjoyed this one slightly more than book one. Looking forward to reading more in the series!

I received an advanced electronic copy from publisher Minotaur books and Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book.

#smpinfluencer

The second book in the Porter Beck series, and I can easily say that I will continue to read these books as they come available.

Borgos has written another good police procedural, this time focusing on cyber-crime. Beck is working to outsmart the unknown perpetrators who can control top-secret military drones from the comfort of their laptop computers. How does a small-town sheriff beat the cyber-criminals? And how does he determine who is the good guy, when everyone around him seems to have some big secrets to hide?

I appreciate the banter that Borgos has given to Porter Beck. And the secondary characters help solidify this story and structure well. A strong addition to the series, and has set the stage for a whole series of books sure to please fans of small-town police drama.

Many thanks to Sara Beth Haring, St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books via NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this release, in exchange for my honest review.

Back in the desert with the sheriff Porter Beck and his small staff. The story opens with him still dealing with his father who once was the sheriff when Porter was growing up. Now in the middle of a birthday party out at a ranch a Drone that was on a training flight from a nearby Air Force Base has just released a missile that blew something up on the man's ranch. The Drone of course was hacked but whom? And what was the purpose? When the Air Force sends out an investigator that man cannot get anything over on Beck because he was an Army investigator for years. Now the story takes you to find the hacker, who is supplying the illegal opioids in the area and all of these questions will be answered at the end. I liked all of the characters from Beck on Down and the story is also a very good book.

This is the first I have read in the Porter Beck series and it was quite enjoyable. Nice to have a suspense/thriller set in Nevada. I plan on reading the next book as Shades of Mercy kept me entertained throughout the book.

4 out of 5 stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

A 17th birthday party of Shiloah Roy is disrupted by a fireball in the sky, the explosion of a remotely piloted aircraft 92,000 feet above the Double J Ranch. The bizarre accident momentarily distracts Shiloah’s father, Jesse, from his attention to his daughter. Meanwhile, Sheriff Porter Beck is responding to a distress call at the Pioneer Hotel. Though Lincoln County features ranches and wide-open spaces, its proximity to Las Vegas brings problems like the fatal drug overdose of Beck’s closest friend, Cash Conrad, at the Pioneer. Soon, Special Agent Ed Maddox of the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations arrives, seeking cooperation from Beck. The only casualty of the initial incident at the Double J is a bull, but later victims will include 30 dead steers. Because these crimes have a tech element, suspicion falls on Shiloah’s friend Mercy Vaughn, a brilliant 16-year-old hacker who’s currently in a juvenile detention facility. At the same time, he now has an opioid crisis on his hands. People are dying left and right from harmful, illegal drugs for pain that are being imported into his corner of Nevada. However, he also must figure out who had intercepted a remote-controlled aircraft being piloted by the U.S. government and shot a missile at a steer that his friend owned, which was worth a heck of a lot of money. the Feds are involved and are moving in on Beck’s territory as they assume that the hacker was using the mountains to get a good signal to the satellite controlling the plane. If that wasn’t enough, it would turn out that the whole hack job is tied to the Chinese government but was seemingly done by a young girl named Mercy. But how did she do it? She was serving time in a youth detention center in Beck’s jurisdiction, and there was no way she would have access to a computer. So, what happened? Will Beck find out? Mercy disappears while out working in a road crew. Where is Mercy? Will she be found?

The author has written a suspenseful and action-packed novel. It is the perfect blend of crime fiction and police procedural. I found myself engaged and attached to the characters in the novel. I can’t wait to read the next book.

This is book 2 of the Porter Beck series. Porter is now the Sheriff of the same small town his father was. Now, opioids have hit the small town and is causing a lot of deaths. A hacker has also managed to attack his childhood friend. Porter must try to stem the flow of drugs and find the hacker before more people die.

Porter Beck, sheriff in the high desert of Nevada, and his twelve person department cover a large area that's usually very quiet. Beck is 46 years old and losing his night vision from retinitis pigmentosa so he, and we, have to wonder how much longer he can do this job. A childhood friend—now an enormously successful rancher—is targeted by a military drone which has been hacked and commandeered by an unknown source. Beck's investigation leads him to teenager Mercy Vaughn and when Mercy disappears Beck understands that she's in danger and time is running out for all of them.

This is the second book in the Porter Beck series but I read it as a standalone and don't feel like I missed anything by not reading the first book. The characters are fleshed out and I especially loved Frank Columbo, Beck's dog, an English lab. The story is well written with much action and suspense. There are many plot lines to follow including some timely threads, like opiate overdoses, wildfires, computer hacking, etc., but there's also lots of violence and death (including a large number of cattle). The ending left lots to the imagination and many directions in which the series could go.

My thanks to Sara Beth Haring, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books via Netgalley for inviting me to read an advance copy of this excellent novel. I apologize for not getting it finished before the publication date. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: July 16, 2024

Wildly Divergent Storytelling From First Book In Series, Still Great. The Bitter Past, the first book in this series, was a dual timeline almost historical fiction/ spy thriller, and it worked beautifully - to summarize my review of that book. This time, we get a lot of solid character work and even more solid action pieces (particularly towards the end, but also an intriguing prologue to bring us into the tale), with plenty of "what the hell is going on here" in the middle. Whereas the first book looked to the past to tell its tale, this one actually reads as though it is bringing the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war into a tale set in rural Nevada. There's some innovative action sequences one would expect more in a Vin Diesel XXX movie or one of the GI Joe live action movies than in a tale of a small town Sheriff... even if this particular Sheriff *is* a highly trained former soldier. (And yes, this comes into play as well.) Borgos does well to show Beck's strengths *and* weaknesses, and it is the combination of both that make Beck feel like a fully "real" human rather than just another action hero.

Overall a solid tale more in the mystery/ action space than its predecessor, and yet it does its job of making the reader *need* the next book perfectly.

Very much recommended.

Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos is the second in the Porter Beck series set in the high desert of Nevada. With intriguing characters and a very twisty plot this book kept me up late to finish it! When people start dying of opioid poisoning and Porter seems targeted by someone hacking military drones and pointing them at him, he becomes involved with a teenaged hacker, supposedly locked up with no access to computers. I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

I loved The Bitter Past, which introduced Porter Beck, sheriff of Lincoln County, Nevada, so I was excited to see another book in this new series. beck is a great character - a former Army intelligence officer who speaks several languages, and son of the former sheriff, he is dealing with a gradual erosion of his eyesight. He’s okay for now during the day, but has pretty much lost his night vision (from retinitis pigmentosa). This is a huge challenge for someone in his line of work!

In Shades of Mercy, Beck is confronted with a number of deaths from illegal fentanyl pills, including an old friend. Then, there’s apparently a super-talented hacker who has commandeered a remotely piloted aircraft (drone) from the Air Force, whose secret testing facility is nearby. And there are wild fires. There’s a lot going on in this novel!

Beck’s newest “partner” is an adorable dog named Columbo (ha!). Columbo has flunked out of a couple of training programs, but is a great companion to Beck and proves his worth over the course of this book.

The story took a lot of twists and turns and kept me guessing the whole way. The side characters are wonderful too - from his adopted sister, Brinley, to a native American state police officer, to Beck’s other officers. The bad guys are definitely bad! Borgos writes beautifully, with a strong sense of place. His phrasing made me smile in a number of places: “Beck slept about as well as a deer during hunting season.” “…with the natural springs in the area drying up like good ideas in Congress.” “Her accent was midwestern, somewhere in the Bob Evans breakfast belt.” (All quotes are from a review copy and may not be exactly the same in the published book.)

You could definitely read this one as a standalone, but why not start with the first book, The Bitter Past?

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

4.5 Stars
Porter Beck, the sheriff of Lincoln County, Nevada has his hands full policing his large territory, even with the small population that resides there. His is a small department. Beck is called out when his high school friend, Cash, hooked on pain meds after an old football injury, overdoses on a nasty concoction of Fentanyl that’s been making its way through his county.

Also, the government arrives to retrieve a part of an aircraft that fell off in testing at Jesse James Roy’s Ranch, another high school friend of Beck’s. Beck hadn’t seen Jesse in years and is surprised to see how prosperous his ranch has become. It raises questions.

Beck’s investigations intersect and the government involvement adds an extra layer of difficulty as their motives are purposely unclear.

Shades of Mercy is the second installment in the Porter Beck mystery series and though it has a mystery that’s introduced and solved here, I recommend starting with the first book as it establishes Beck’s history. Also, because it’s sooo good!

This was another action-packed mystery with Beck coming head-to-head with some very bad people. I was on the edge of my seat in spots! Beck’s sharpshooter sister, Brinley, his police team and other allies were aiding along the way. Plus, Beck has a sweet new addition to his crew: Frank Columbo, a dog! Loved Frank and he was very helpful!

Porter Beck has taken over the same job his father once had now that he has returned to the deserts of Nevada. He's in charge of a twelve person department that covers a large area but the area usually doesn't have to many problems. Recently there has been an up tick in a very strong opiods. He also has a childhood friend that has been targeted by a drone that has been hacked. He needs to find out who the hacker is and why they have targeted his friend. He makes his way to the only hacker known in the town but when she later disappears he knows time is not on his side. Can he put all the clues together and figure out who is behind everything?

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, Bruce Borgos, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Shades of Mercy is the second book in the Porter Beck series. I do think you can read this book as a stand alone, though it might take a few chapters to get your bearings so to speak. I do think the first book is worth reading, both because it's a good read and because having read it makes this book more enjoyable as well! But feel free to start here!

Shades of Mercy is a really solid crime thriller. It has all the fast-paced action and twists & turns you could want to make this a book you won't want to put down! If you like mysteries or police procedurals this is absolutely a book you should consider checking out!

Sheriff Beck is a well-written character, one I appreciated getting to see more of in this book. He's not so relatable for me, but definitely a character who feels like a real person and I appreciate that in any story! I also personally loved the desert setting a lot!

Overall I really liked what Borgos has done with this installment in the Porter Beck series and I can't wait for more from him!

Holy hell, what a ride! There is a lot going on in this book. Once things started moving, there was no stopping. I was frantically turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. I loved the twists that were thrown in and felt they were perfectly placed. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝕊𝕙𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕪
𝗔 𝗣𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗠𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆
𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐬
Police Procedural/Mystery
352 pages

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs
A sheriff and his twelve-person department are in trouble as an old friend brings some serious problems to the town.

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs
Shades of Mercy is entertaining. It kept me turning pages well into the night. This spine-tingling story offers witty commentary, riveting action, and mysterious characters.
Although this was my first run with a Porter Beck story, I read it as a standalone without issue.

Porter Beck is a sheriff in Nevada’s desert. He is quite a fascinating character, braver than he should be at times. I felt a bit tense as he jumped into scary situations, mainly because he was so likable that I didn’t want him to be harmed.

As he removes the corruption from his town, he puts himself in danger more than once. I like seeing that he has flaws too. It makes him more believable.

💕Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing this ebook for me to read and review.

This was an exciting ride from start to finish! Great characters, fast paced and captivating! Beck is a great lead that keeps you hooked throughout. He’s relatable and you can’t help but root for him every step of the way.

The second in this series follows Porter Beck as he takes on an international mystery again. The book begins with a bang on the 4th of July and doesn't let up. There is a lot of violence, but the action doesn't stop. I will definitely read more of this series!

Despite his eyesight becoming ever more tenuous and his tenure as sheriff as well, Sheriff Porter Beck is still a keen observer of human nature, drawing on his experience in military intelligence to take on, what at first seem separate cases, the death of long-time friend, Cash, and the missile strike on another old friend’s very expensive bull. Along the way, he meets hacker Mercy Vaughn who is being held by the state. Of course, she couldn’t have hacked into the drone carrying the missile because she doesn’t have access to a computer, but Beck isn’t so sure. The whole situation is adding up wrong, and he’s determined to solve the mystery in Bruce Borgos’ exciting, Shades of Mercy.

Shades of Mercy, the second in the Porter Beck series, is a page turner with lots of curve balls thrown in with interesting old and new characters as well. The character of Mercy Vaughn is delightful in that way that Liz Salander is, albeit more charming and less morose. If Bruce Borgos wanted to write an entire series of books about her, I’d be there in an instant.

One thing I like about Shades of Mercy, as well as the first book in the series, The Bitter Past, is that these start out as seemingly simple mysteries that become layered as you turn pages. A murder mystery turns into a book about espionage and hackers and all kinds of secrets, and I love it.

Besides Mercy Vaughn, Shades of Mercy introduces Charlie Blue Horse (who Beck continuously calls Charlie Blue Horse because she has a really cool name (which the author has also named his dog, just to prove it’s really cool)), who is a native American police officer assigned to find Mercy Vaughn. I hope that she appears in future novels because she is the perfect blend of snarky and get-it-done and, of course, she has a great name.

What also has my curiosity piqued is how the future is going to work for Porter Beck, whose night vision is non-existent at this point. His dog is also a great character but not quite the perfect seeing-eye-dog type. Yet. Anyway, I’m excited to read further installments of this series for more quirky characters and revisiting my favorite genre, the twisty mystery.

If you’re looking for a new series, smart and different, you might want to give the Porter Beck series a try. I highly recommend.

Many thanks to Minotaur for sending me a copy.