This is book 2 in the Porter Beck series. I really enjoyed the first one and was eager to start this one. Thank you to @stmartinspress, @minotaurbooks and the author for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Porter Beck is the sheriff in the high desert of Nevada, doing the same lawman's job his father once did now that he's returned home after decades away. With his twelve person department, they cover a large area that is usually very quiet, but not of late. One childhood friend is the latest to succumb to a new wave of particularly strong illegal opioids, another childhood friend—now an enormously successful rancher—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.

Borgos once again drops you right into the action, starting with an airplane that was taken over causing an explosion right in the middle of a cattle ranch during a huge Fourth of July party celebrating the rancher's daughter's 16th birthday. I was immediately immersed in the story. The author creates such a cinematic read, you feel you are right there with the characters. It's a fast paced crime thriller and police procedural. I continue to be impressed with the character development. I really love Porter and his backstory, especially the addition of the degenerative retinal issue he has, as I work in the eye field and my nerdy eye side finds this so interesting. I also love his badass sister, Brinley. I am fully invested in this series now and cannot wait to see where the next one takes Porter!

In this second book in the 'Porter Beck' series, the Nevada sheriff deals with espionage and smuggling on his patch. The book works fine as a standalone.

*****

Sheriff Porter Beck and his twelve officers uphold the law in Lincoln County, Nevada. It's a difficult job for the small force, especially with 32,000 acres of woodland and high desert vegetation currently burning out of control. Several Lincoln County cops, including brawny twins called 'The Jolly Greens', are dedicated to assisting the firefighters, leaving a small core of officers for local calls. Sheriff Beck is further hampered by a degenerative eye disease that affects his vision. Beck can see in daylight, but his night vision is limited to a pinpoint, making it difficult to see and impossible to drive. To prepare for his ultimate loss of sight, Beck now has a canine named Columbo (Bo), who's being trained as a seeing-eye dog.

As the story opens, two serious incidents require Sheriff Beck's attention. First, a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) belonging to the military is hacked, and its missile is shot into the Double J Ranch, where a $100,000 breeding bull is killed. The ranch belongs to widower Jesse Roy, who's raising his spirited 17-year-old daughter Shiloah Roy alone.

In the second incident, a man called Cash Conrad dies from a drug overdose. Cash was a high school football player headed for college when a helmet hit broke his back. The lingering pain lasted for decades, leading to alcoholism and drug use. The pills that killed Cash are Mexican Blues, VERY powerful fentanyl tablets that are entering Lincoln County from Mexico.

As it happens, Beck knows both ranch owner Jesse and drug user Cash. The three men had been to elementary, middle, and high school together, and were inseparable until they embarked on different paths after graduation.

The day after the missile attack on the Double J Ranch, Special Agent Ed Maddox, from the Office of Special Investigations, shows up at Beck's house. Maddox relates a story about a fuel tank falling off an aircraft, and recruits the sheriff to accompany him to the Double J Ranch. There Maddox (literally) pays Jesse Roy for the dead bull. Beck takes the opportunity to tell Jesse about the death of their old friend Cash Conrad, and Jesse is concerned and sympathetic.

While at the Double J Ranch, Beck seizes the chance to look around, and is surprised by the changes since Jesse inherited the property from his father. The ranch now sports a locked security gate with a guard; a huge mansion; a major cattle operation; a private plane; an airstrip; and other new amenities. In addition, Jesse's right-hand man César seems like a shady character.

When it comes to the dead bull, Beck doesn't buy Agent Maddox's story about a fallen fuel tank. Beck was an intelligence specialist in the Army, and he KNOWS someone hacked the RPA. Beck hones in on a 16-year-old girl named Mercy Vaughn, a green-eyed blonde who appears to have Chinese ancestry. Mercy is in juvie for hacking a government site and stealing millions of dollars, so taking control of an RPA would be right up her alley. Moreover, Mercy is friends with Jesse Roy's daughter Shiloah, who has a rebellious streak.

From this point on, the story follows three threads.

► A Chinese sleeper agent named Dal Cho is planning to kidnap Mercy, for the benefit of the Chinese government;

► a Mexican cartel is smuggling weapons and drugs between Nevada and Mexico;

► and thousands of UFO enthusiasts are planning to break into Area 51, to expose the truth.

Sheriff Beck has to deal with all of the above, and he and his deputies receive help from a number of people, including:

► Beck's adopted sister Brinley, who's a weapons expert;

► Detective Charlotte (Charlie) Blue Horse, from the Department of Public Safety, who's in charge of Mercy's welfare;

► and District Manager Esther Ellingboe, from the Bureau of Land Management, who's helping deal with Nevada's wildfires.

All the story lines merge as the novel unfolds, and the tale is a page turner, full of death and destruction. I especially appreciate author Bruce Borgos's attention to the female characters, all of whom are fleshed out and integral to the story.

This is a well-written novel, recommended to fans of thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bruce Borgos, and Minotaur Books for a copy of the manuscript.

Love the characters both for their strengths and weaknesses! Recommended read for all. Mystery, thriller, adventure all wrapped in one. This is book two and I have enjoyed both so far and hope to read more from this author.

“Shades of Mercy” is a good old fashioned contemporary mystery thriller that keeps one turning the page to get to the next chapter….but not too quickly lest the story comes to an end too soon. This book is a worthy second story in Bruce Burgos’ Porter Beck series. If you want wayward government drones then you will like this book. If you are thrilled with evil Mexican cartels then this book is for you. And if you want a technology wunderkind then…well, you catch my drift. I can give you the framework of the plot but that would wreck some of the many surprises: so just fasten your seat belt, move your seat into the upright and locked position, and prepare for takeoff!
Thanks to Bruce Borgos for writing “Shades of Mercy” and for NetGalley for the ARC.

If you are a fan of police procedurals, then you will really enjoy this book!

This is not the first book in the series, but I feel like this book could be read as a standalone book. I found it really hard to put this book down in order to do housework, laundry or even sleep so that I can be refreshed for work the next morning.

I thought all of the characters were amazing, and there were a lot of twists and turn in the story that I didn't see coming. I was hooked in the book shortly after starting it. It was refreshing from all the romance books I have been reading lately. Just wish it didn't end so soon.
I am looking forward for more books to come out in this series.

Shades of Mercy: A Porter Beck Mystery by Bruce Borgos is the second in the series that began with The Bitter Past: A Novel. This one might be better than the first.

Among other things, wildfires are ripping through the Nevada countryside and adding to the long list of Sherriff Porter Beck’s worries. The government helicopter arriving to land near his house means even more trouble.

Aboard the helicopter is Special Agent Ed Maddox of the Office of Special Investigations. OSI is the equivalent of the Army’s Criminal Investigation Department. He wants Beck’s help in locating a piece that came off an aircraft last night. He has a general idea of where it went down and wants Beck to ride in the small unmarked chopper to go look.

Once onboard the helicopter, Maddox reveals the impact site is out at the Double J Ranch. Owned by a childhood friend who has moved back home, Beck coming along should help smooth the way. It might have if they were still close. They aren’t and a lot has changed at the ranch that has existed for decades.

It is also clear that the impact was not a piece of the aircraft. Maddox claim a fuel tank did it. There is no way. Beck is ex-military and knows missile debris when he sees it.

Maddox finally admits that they lost control of a Remotely Piloted Aircraft the night before. It was hijacked and flown way off course. It ultimately fired a missile at the prize bull at the ranch. Somebody targeted the bull of the owner who just happens to be a guy Beck grew up with a long time ago. Who would want Jesse Roy’s prize-winning bull exploded into pieces? What are they planning to do next? And the biggest question of all – how did they take control of the RPA?

Those three big questions and many others are answered in the incredibly entertaining, Shades of Mercy: A Porter Beck Mystery. This review only carefully scratches the surface as much is in play here and I am not going to spoil any of it for readers.
Additional character development, multiple complex story lines, and plenty of action make this second in the series a very good book.

My digital ARC reading copy came by way of the publisher, Minotaur Books, through NetGalley.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Sheriff Porter Beck has his hands full. Wild fires are raging throughout the county. Two people have died after taking illegal drugs. Beck's dad now has dementia and can no longer live alone. Beck's sister Brinley is in the area with a movie crew teaching them gun safety. A brilliant teen is causing computer chaos and downing government drones. The government agent is not who he says he is. A childhood friend has lost his mind and is trafficking drugs from a Mexican cartel. Chinese spies and Mexican cartel members are nosing around the county. But Beck hands are capable of taking care of each situation. This series has quickly become my favorite after only two books. I look forward to book three!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-galley.

This book was just ok for me. I expected a lot more from the description and the first few chapters. I’d still recommend to readers that enjoy police procedurals. I do thank NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC.

This was the best book that I have read in months. I have not read the first in the series but have purchased it now. Porter Beck is a sheriff in Nevada and he has a rich history that unfolds as the story progresses. The story was excellent and original, and I found myself not able to sleep for two nights straight until I finished this book. The protagonists are likeable, intelligent, and actually believable, which you don't always see, of course. They have flaws and human traits that made them all the more interesting and relatable. I feel lucky to have been provided this ARC and would encourage others who enjoy this genre to dive right in.

This is the second in a series about Porter Beck. I haven't read the first book but felt that this did fine as a stand alone. Beck is the sheriff in Lincoln County, Nevada. The book starts off fast with a military drone being hijacked and one of his friends dying from an overdose. Beck traces the hijacker to a youth center his sister, Brinley, volunteers at. Mix in a drug cartel, some Chinese spies and lots and lots of secrets.

I thought Porter was a great character. He served in the Army, had a knack for remembering things he has heard and is losing his sight. At this point he is pretty much blind at night but knows it will be getting worse. He has an adopted sister, Brinley, who he is quite close to. Some of her back story was touched upon so maybe that is what I missed from not reading the first book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.

🌟🌟🌟🌟
“Shades of Mercy” is the second installment in the Porter Beck series. I did not read the first book, but I will go back and read it. I still enjoyed it even without reading the first one.
This book deals with issues such as gun and drug trafficking. Sheriff Porter is a great main character and this book was a roller coaster of a ride. I am looking forward to the next book in this series. Many thanks to the author, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#ShadesOfMercy #BruceBorgos #NetGalley #StMartinsPress #BookSetInNevada #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks

If you enjoy smart, action-packed thrillers, then you need to read the Porter Beck series!
Sheriff Porter Beck's department covers Lincoln County, a large region of the high desert of Nevada close to Area 51. Like many sheriffs across the country, he is dealing with the opioid epidemic, which has recently claimed the lives of 2 people in his jurisdiction, one a childhood friend who had been fighting addiction for years. Another childhood friend, a rich and successful rancher, comes back onto Beck's radar after a hacked military drone targets his household. Beck's small department is stretched thin, looking for the source of the deadly opioids and the hacker, before either can strike again. Beck is intelligent and likable, and each of the supporting characters bring their own strengths to the case and the story. The plot is fast-paced, keeping the reader on their toes as Borgos blends topical themes, mystery, suspense and espionage into a thoroughly enjoyable thriller.
Shades of Mercy is book 2 in the series, and while I don't think you need to read the first one (The Bitter Past) to follow or enjoy Shades of Mercy, reading the second book first will give away some of the outcomes of book 1 so I recommend you read them in order.

I always worry about the second entry in a series, especially when the setting is a small or remote town. In this case, the setting is a remote county in Nevada so how much could happen there? We’ll, I’d that county encompasses Area 51 and other secret military installations, quite a bit can happen. I loved this book as Sheriff Jordan Beck deals with government agents, drug smugglers, a cyber hacker and his own failing vision. No spoilers here but rest assured the plot is action packed and the writing is crisp. I can’t wait for the next book, I’m hooked!

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Obviously, I enjoyed everything about this next in the Porter Beck series. The main point of view being a sheriff, with lots of military intelligence training, set in a small town with lots of natural beauty, are all positives. Shades of Mercy has both spies, from China, and drug cartel gangsters from Mexico causing problems in the sheriff's area.

The story begins with a drug overdose by one of Beck's school friends. Next, there is a takeover of a government drone which blows up a prime bull of one of his other high school friends. I can't go into details without spoiling too much but Beck is kept hopping and I don't think he hardly sleeps for a week.

Between hackers and drug overdoses, he has some tricky problems to solve. Then there's a missing teenager who is known for hacking. Beck does have an excellent team of his own, plus a state agent, and his sister is helping too. The federal agents are not so helpful. Beck doesn't trust them because they aren't sharing what they know.

The end is nearly a war with plenty of bad guys. I'm thrilled with the suspenseful action, and Beck's intelligence in figuring things out and staying alive. His choices are not always easy ones. He manages justice for everyone, not just the powerful. I love the fast paced story and well-developed characters and can't wait for more. Beck has personal challenges and it will be interesting to see how he manages them over time.

4.5+ ⭐️

A worthy addition to the author’s Porter Beck series, Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos is a thrilling novel!

Drug smugglers responsible for the supply of lethal fentanyl-laced drugs; a computer hacker who takes control of a military drone to wreak havoc on an affluent (and shady) rancher’s operations; a mysterious operative searching for Mercy Vaughn, a brilliant teenager with a criminal background who is being held in a juvenile detention facility, government agents with their own agendas and much more - Lincoln Country, Nevada Sheriff Porter Beck and his twelve member department have a lot on their plate. Though Porter is struggling with eyesight, he is determined not to let his limited night vision deter him from fulfilling his duties. He is joined in his efforts to protect Mercy by Detective Charlie Blue Horse from the Department of Public Safety. The narrative follows Porter, his team and Charlie as they try to unravel a complex web of crime, deception and secrets.

The plot is complex, but the author deftly weaves all the threads of the story together into a well-paced, suspenseful narrative that kept me hooked until the very last page. I enjoyed getting to know more about Porter and his family and loved that Brinley had a larger role to play in this installment. I hope future stories see the brother-sister duo teaming up again. Mercy Vaughn was a fascinating character and I’d love to see her pop up in future installments and of course, how can you not love Beck’s new partner, a fox-red English Lab named Frank Columbo, “Bo”? The intricate plot with plenty of twists and turns and a healthy dose of humor added to the mix, the vividly described setting and well-developed characters make for an absorbing read.

Overall, I found this to be a well-crafted crime thriller and I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

Though this is the second book in the series, it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Press for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I like reading about teenagers who can hack the system and do it for good. I am amazed at their talent, one I wish I had. Our sheriff, Porter Beck, believes in following the law, though he is starting to get held back a bit from his eye disease. Thank goodness he has someone who looks out for him a bit so he doesn't feel too much like a burden; a partner who has your back is one you have for life. He has an illegal drug trade, along with deaths happening in his town. What exactly is going on, and what is really happening on the ranch that seems to have mysterious people out there. Porter is in for a ride, especially when a teenager who is in jail seems to be able to hack into things. What is her role in all of this? I will say you are swept away right from the get-go with the action, and the characters are well done. There is a trigger with cows being harmed, so if you are worried or get upset over animal deaths, just bypass the section.

A sheriff in a small Nevada town discovers the threat of drugs among the residents and commits to fighting them. When one of his wealthy friends is the victim of a strange attack, the sheriff must figure out how to spread his police force while also battling his own personal challenges. Bruce Borgos brings back the charming, likable Porter Beck in the second winning book starring that character in Shades of Mercy.

Sheriff Porter Beck knows how to spread his team across their small Nevada town of Pioche, but a string of deaths from a new illegal opioid on the market along with wildfires burning in the desert are stretching them thin. Beck doesn’t know where the drugs are coming from, just that they’re killing people and hurting families he’s known for a long time. Then comes the news that the ranch of one of his close friends, Jesse, has been attacked by a drone of all things.

Beck starts investigating and learns the drone killed one of Jesse’s prize bulls—an animal worth thousands of dollars for his breeding capabilities. The federal agents who land in town tell Beck the drone is a military apparatus that was hijacked by a hacker, and the government has deduced the hacker must be somewhere close by. They put Beck on alert: find the hacker and turn them over to the government.

With nowhere else to turn for help on how hacking works or what it can do, Beck goes to a local youth center where troubled teens are housed. There he meets Mercy Vaughn, a 16-year-old girl living at the center as part of her punishment for hacking into the Federal Reserve. Beck consults with Mercy on the basic information on the case and senses she may be involved somehow.

Along with the hacking, Beck must still deal with the drug crisis that has hit the town. Soon enough, he starts to suspect that, unbelievable as it may seem, the hacking of the drone and the drugs may be linked somehow. Then Mercy goes missing, and Beck knows he’s got an even bigger problem on his hands.

Through all this, Beck continues to battle his degenerative eye condition in which his night vision is nearly nonexistent. Added to the mix is the Mexican drug cartel and a slowly increasing crowd of alien conspiracy theorists who are arriving for an annual event at Area 51. Beck knows if he doesn’t get the drug problem under control, the town of Pioche will lose more people. Yet something about Mercy’s disappearance and her involvement with the whole situation makes Beck pause, and he wonders where the lines of all of these seemingly unrelated cases will intersect.

Author Bruce Borgos brings back a more thoughtful Porter Beck. In the first book, The Bitter Past, Beck displayed a playfulness that made him likable if one to induce a few eyerolls now and then. Here Beck has settled down into a more introspective sheriff and person, one who cares deeply about the people under his purview as well as those who are close to him.

The plot of Shades of Mercy, on paper, seems a little lightweight at times, but Borgos more than makes up for it with his compelling characters and their complexity. Beck leads with a quiet confidence but isn’t afraid to lean on his officers with no trace of ego when the situation warrants. He treats women with a healthy respect and defers to their expertise in the appropriate moments while also maintaining his position as the sheriff of Pioche. He’s a gentleman and a bit of a romantic. In this book, in fact, author Borgos has found the pitch perfect tuning for his protagonist.

The intricacies of the hacking feel just the slightest bit silly at times, and the involvement of an aggressive Chinese government come across as predictable and occasionally muddies the plot. However, a movie-worthy climax and ending make up for any deficiencies in the book. Bruce Borgos offers readers a main character worth watching in what is, hopefully, the start of many Porter Beck books.

I was hooked the second I started reading this latest book in the Porter Beck mystery series set in Lincoln County Nevada. I was enthralled by the opening scenes of a hijacked military drone on the loose in Lincoln County and the unfortunate bovine victim.

I like this series for the tight, excellently plotted mystery and action scenes. There are also very human characters, like Mercy, the teenage hacker that needs Beck’s help. Sheriff Beck is also a fascinating character who can seemingly do everything from fighting federal agents to fighting fires. However, he has a crack in his armor in that his eyesight is failing from a degenerative disease, especially at night.

The first book in the series, The Bitter Past, had a few more romance scenes for our hero, lawman Porter Beck, but I didn’t miss them.

I highly recommend you give this compelling mystery series a try.

Wow, this is an action packed novel that gives new meaning to nearly continuous action, conspiracy ideas, double agents, and unforeseen twists. Beck is a tenacious lawman. I found him an engaging character. Rough and tough, he will battle any enemy to get the job done, even in the face of government interference. I like the new character, Mercy. What an intelligent and spirited young woman. The action in the book does not let up. There are a number of suspenseful scenes where it looks like Beck cannot survive.

The plot has some interesting aspects including hacking government vehicles and financial institutions. That means the government is pressuring Beck. Other aspects involve running drugs and arms. That means a powerful cartel is involved too. The setting is well constructed, taking us through the wilds of Nevada including old mining sites.

This is a great novel for readers who love suspense and are not bothered by a rising number of killed people.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Last year, I read and reviewed the first book in the Porter Beck police procedural series, The Bitter Past. I said in my review of that book that you could sign me up for any sequels, but the truth is that I’m suffering a bit lately from sequel fatigue (and there’s no real reason for it). However, the publicist for author Bruce Borgos sent me a copy of said sequel to my email inbox, so I decided to look. I’m glad I did because while The Bitter Past was a stellar read, its follow-up, Shades of Mercy, is even better. No lie. This novel fires on all cylinders and entertains in an adrenaline-fuelled way. This natural gas guzzler, a complete V8 engine, will have readers glued to the edge of their seats as they read on about the fantastic predicament Beck finds himself in. If anything, I have to wonder how in the hell Bruce Bogos will top this novel.

Shades of Mercy picks up nearly a half year after The Bitter Past left off. Sheriff Beck’s vision problems, as outlined in the first book, only continue to get worse, and 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. It may seem a silly and throwaway plot point; however, the Feds are involved and are muscling in on Beck’s territory as they assume that the hacker was using the region’s mountains to get a good signal to the satellite controlling the plane. If that weren’t enough, it would turn out that the whole hack job is tied to the Chinese government but was seemingly orchestrated 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 to do such a thing. So, what happened? That is for Beck and loyal readers to find out.

What I enjoyed most about this book is that The Bitter Past’s silly sexual tension and cheekiness are absent. There is little that is funny about Shades of Mercy, and this novel is all the better for it. While Beck’s father — who played a pivotal role in The Bitter Past — sits this one mostly out, Beck’s sister and fellow gun expert, Brinley, plays an even more significant role, and new allies are introduced. This is precisely the setup you want in a bigger and better sequel. How much better a book is Shades of Mercy? Think of The Bitter Past as akin to the original Mad Max movie and Shades of Mercy as being on par with The Road Warrior. I could go on and on about how Shades of Mercy is a vast improvement on the original. And let me remind you that the original wasn’t that bad! I must envy those who haven’t had a chance to read Shades of Mercy yet because they’re in for a superb treat. And I have to say that you can dive right in with this book — there are not too many references back to The Bitter Past, which means that that book isn’t spoiled by the more current novel. That’s an admirable feat.

So, are there any faults to be had here? Well, this is a book you can’t think about too much. Some of it — such as the killing of the bull mentioned earlier — is a bit unserious and eye-rolling. There’s a subplot about conspiracy nutjobs thinking of storming Area 51 for answers about the existence of alien life that goes nowhere (unless, of course, this is some metaphor for the Chinese being aliens in the U.S.) And the ending is quite chaotic, with the action amped up to a stunning climax. However, this is a giant quibble because I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I can’t wait to read Book 3 of this series and hope many more books of this ilk come down the pipeline.

I’d also like to see the movie adaptation of Shades of Mercy in the hands of George Miller. I’m sure he could give this book the knock-out visual touch. Ultimately, Shades of Mercy is a high-flying and explosive sequel —again, that rarity where the second book is even better than its predecessor. I probably could go on and on about how exciting and riveting this novel is, but why don’t you experience this for yourself? You need to go down to the nearest bookstore and buy this one. It more than delivers. It’s the book we need for those hot summer days at the beach. Shades of Mercy is strictly dynamite: an unrelenting, superb thriller that simmers until the boiling point is reached and all hell breaks loose. Escapism doesn’t come as good as this, so gobble this one down greedily as soon as possible!