I so enjoyed this read. The first novel in Borgos’ Porter Beck series was great, but I think his second installment was even better. Shades of Mercy has everything from exploding cows to computer hackers, from drug cartels to governmental cover ups, all sewn together seamlessly with non-stop action. I couldn’t read it fast enough, but then I was disappointed when it was over. I want more Porter Beck!

If you enjoy Craig Johnson’s Longmire series or C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett novels, you need to check out Bruce Borgos. Porter Beck will be one of those characters you want to hang out with. And I can’t wait to find out what his next adventure will be. I highly recommend Shades of Mercy. 4.5 out of 5 stars for me!

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the digital copy of this novel for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own.

I enjoy modern-day Western detective novels like Craig Johnson’s “Longmire” series and C.J. Box’s “Joe Pickett” books. I warmly remember the sadly short-lived T.V. series, “Cade’s County,” with Glenn Ford. So, I began reading Bruce Borgos’s “Shades of Mercy” with great anticipation, thinking I would get another dose of those aforementioned works, with the action moved to Nevada instead of Wyoming, Colorado, or Arizona. For most of the book, I got my wish. However, the author kept throwing in elaborate complications and espionage elements that seemed more at home in a Jack Ryan novel than in a Nevada desert. The result proved the adage; sometimes, less is more.

“Shades of Mercy” is the second novel in the author’s series featuring Porter Beck, the sheriff of Lincoln County, NV. The county lies due north of Las Vegas’s Clarke County and is home to 5,000 people. With plenty of mountains and desert and very few people, the county presents many opportunities for potential evildoers and equally many challenges for law enforcement officers like Beck. Here, he stumbles across a smuggling ring fronted by a former high school classmate who became a wealthy cattle rancher. Prime beef isn’t the rancher’s main source of income. Instead, it’s the guns smuggled to Mexico in cattle trucks destined for the rancher’s cartel partners and the drugs that come back.

Sheriff Beck’s efforts to stop the smuggling ring might have made for an entertaining novel. However, the author has far grander ideas, starting with a cast of supporting characters who seem like the creations of Tom Clancy. First, there’s the teenage super hacker named Mercy (hence, the novel’s name), whose abilities expand as “Shades of Mercy” continues. She commandeers a drone in the book’s first chapter and uses it to blast the rancher’s prized breeding bull to bits (cattle fare even worse in this book than humans). That incident first brings the sheriff to the scene. Then, U.S. government black hats from shadowy agencies pop in and out of the story every few chapters and always know considerably more than they reveal to Beck. Finally, there’s the Chinese “tourist” and his later-arriving associates. He’s straight out of Central Casting from the days of “The Manchurian Candidate,” spouting often-cliched dialogue about the glories of the homeland.

Compared to some of the supporting cast, Porter Beck is a likable, well-developed character. His skill set seems much greater than you’d expect for a sheriff of a Podunk county in the middle of nowhere. But the author takes care to give him some weaknesses and limitations that play into the storyline later. He also has an adopted sister named Brinley, who is an expert on all sorts of firearms and the in-demand weapons master on film sets. (Brinley appeared in the author’s first Beck novel, so the character predates the recent tragedy on the “Rust” movie set. However, I couldn’t help thinking of that real-life shooting when she was first introduced in “Shades of Mercy.”) Beck also has an aging father with dementia and a four-legged deputy named Columbo. Beck’s carefully established character traits make him a likable personality instead of a cartoon action hero.

The author keeps the plot moving for most of the novel, successfully juggling these characters and their subplots. “Shades of Mercy” has plenty of action with various shootouts and characters hiding in a mining ghost town and an abandoned ranch. Mercy is a likable but sometimes confused 16-year-old, even though I had difficulty accepting her skill level. But then, about two-thirds of the way through the book, the storyline gets too convoluted. Readers’ understanding of the characters changes every five pages as someone reveals new information. The villains’ masterplan, in which Mercy plays a significant role, never wholly makes sense. Mercy also enters into some high-stakes negotiations with a cartel boss over a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, a scene that seems more appropriate for the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Fortunately, the author finishes the book on a solid note, with a major showdown featuring Beck, Brinley, and friends taking on assorted cartel members and Chinese agents as a forest fire rages around them.

I enjoyed “Shades of Mercy.” The novel has several solid action sequences and a core group of likable, charismatic characters who could anchor this series for a long time. Although the Nevada desert is a vast landscape, the book is, at heart, the story of a small-town sheriff. Hopefully, the author will show some mercy to his readers and rein in some of the more outlandish plot elements.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

Shades Of Mercy is the second book in the Porter Beck mystery series by Bruce Borgus. In the second book Porter gets a dog he names Colombo and he also gets called to his best friend cash’s house, who he finds dead of a fentanyl overdose. He and Cash grew up in the desert with their other best friend Jesse Roy who coincidentally is throwing his daughter a 17th birthday party when a hacker takes over a government drone and releases the bomb that was attached to it onto Jessies property. Porter is training Colombo or at least trying to to be a seeing eye dog due to his retina detachment getting worse when Special Agent Ed Maverick picks him up in his backyard in a helicopter. He wants porters help to find some thing he claims fell off a helicopter the night before. This is how he reunites with Jesse Roy after decades of not seeing him. It is also how Porter gets a glance at all the expensive toys Jesse has accumulated which is odd for a cattlemen in Nevada to have such a lavish and lucrative lifestyle. Once again sheriff Porter Beck gets wrapped up in a case that could have international repercussions it was started by a high school student. I really enjoyed the first book but I totally loved the second I found “mercy“ to be such a well put together character and one who definitely has the hell nerve the steel to go through with what she went through. I love Porter beck, his dad , his sister Brentley and his team. I think the author does a great job making like a ball and not so likable characters I love that his friends have the international flyer there’s just not anything not to like about this book. The mystery was a great one the tension was high and the fact that he had more than one bad guy really added to WTF is going to happen next. #SaintMartinPress, #NetGalley, #BruceBorgus, #ShadesOfMercy, #PorterBeckMysteries,

A confluence of unlikely and eventually deadly events unfold in rural Nevada.

In the area around the town of Pioche in the high desert of Nevada, worrisome things are going on which weigh on Sheriff Porter Beck. There are multiple wildfires across the state for which his team is providing assistance in the efforts to control them, there is a planned festival whose participants want to penetrate nearby Area 51 (of UFO fame), and on top of that people are dying in increasing numbers of fentanyl-laced opioid overdoses/poisonings. As the book begins, Beck is called to a local hotel where the owners’ son Cash Conrad lies unresponsive, but even an injection of Narcan can not revive him and he becomes the latest casualty. Cash, Beck and a third classmate, Jesse Roy, had been inseparable in their childhood and teens. Cash was a standout football star in high school and had a brilliant future ahead of him until he was severely injured during a game, leaving him with chronic pain which ultimately led to an addiction to painkillers. Jesse ended up marrying Beck’s high school girlfriend and first love, and expanded his family’s cattle ranch to become quite wealthy. When Beck is called to Jesse’s ranch to investigate the killing of a valuable steer by a stray military missile it seems an odd coincidence to have his two old acquaintances involved in events requiring his professional assistance, but they don’t seem to have anything in common. Beck’s background, however, has made him suspicious of coincidences, and he finds that autonomous military devices are being hacked and controlled by an unknown party while gifted teenaged hacker Mercy Vaughn is currently ensconced in a nearby juvenile facility (where she has become friendly with Jesse’s teenaged daughter Shiloah). A military investigator, the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations SA Ed Maddox, turns up wanting answers that Beck doesn’t yet have. Beck is also struggling with deteriorating eyesight that leaves him with essentially no night time vision and is sharing caregiver duties for his father Joe who has Alzheimer’s. He will need to rely on help from his adopted sister Brinley (a weapons maven with a nightmarish past), Charlie Blue Horse (a detective from the Dept of Public Safety), and to a degree from Maddox as he tries to find out how Mexican drug cartels, unknown hackers, and the Chinese government tie in to the criminal acts in Pioche….and hopes to live to tell the tale.
This is the second appearance of Porter Beck, who was introduced in last year’s stellar thriller The Bitter Past, and this outing is every bit as good as the first. Beck is an intriguing character, a man who left his small town years earlier only to return when his father (the previous sheriff) is failing. He brought with him years of experience of a type not generally found in a small town sheriff, which leads many (especially those with connections to the military and federal intelligence groups) to underestimate him as an opponent. His sister Brinley adds interesting dimensions, as do the people whom Beck has assembled as his law enforcement team. Plenty of strong female characters populate each of the Beck books….this is no lone alpha man scenario….and things are seldom as they appear on the surface in the crimes that make their way to Beck’s door. Expect a vivid sense of place, plenty of twists, a well-plotted story told with nuance and rich with detail. The Bitter Past made a huge impression on me when it was released, and I was thrilled to be allowed early access to this equally brilliant sequel….now I just have to wait (not so) patiently for the next in the series. Shades of Mercy is not to be missed for anyone who enjoys well-written thrillers and procedurals, particularly for fans of authors like John Sandford, Craig Johnson and C. J. Box (to name just a few). Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books….and kudos to author Bruce Burgos for another addictive read!

Sheriff Porter Beck is called to the drug death of a dear friend and is determine to track down where the drugs are coming from. Another of his friends has an attack on his farm by an experimental plane that is remote controlled by a hacker who targets the farm. Strange happenings in his town have Beck going in different directions.
I was hooked, this book grabbed me from the first page to the last. I really enjoyed it. This is a book for people who like page turners with plenty of action. Thanks Netgalley , Storm Publishing and the author for an ARC of this book. I will definitely be on the look out for this author.

Shades of Mercy is the 2nd book in the Porter Beck series, I enjoyed the first book in the series and I certainly enjoyed this book also. I found it to be action packed crime thriller that also contains police procedurals. Beck is the sheriff of Lincoln County, Nevada which is in the high desert and very sparsely populated. I found this to be very well written, and one that kept me constantly turning the pages. I would recommend this book to others.

I received and ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for free, and I am leaving my review voluntarily.

An exciting thriller!
I love the desert setting and all the fast action. There is really no slowing down as the chief investigator tries to track down the culprit.
It also has a lot of savvy technology and resonates with important themes in modern society.
There are sad elements to the story but it does have an upbeat ending.

I love the fast paced action in the Porter Beck series. It keeps me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next thrill, twist or shock. This installment was no exception. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this one because I needed to know how it was resolved. The descriptions of the desert and fire had me right in the middle of the action, smelling the smoke and seeing tumbleweeds rolling across the road. I love that Mr. Borgos' writing can make me feel like that!

I had recently read (listened to) the audiobook of the first Porter Beck novel, Bitter Past. I enjoyed the heck out of it. The book was easy to read, fast past, always was interesting. When I saw there was a sequel, I requested an advanced readers copy of Shades of Mercy, which I read in about 4 days. The book did not disappoint. It was also fast paced, had an interesting plot, and enabled the author to continue to develop his characters. This is not high level literature, but an action-packed read which is just enjoyable, and when it ends, you are ready for another book in the series. I hope that happens.

I really enjoyed this book! Sheriff Beck and his family, friends and staff are some of the most talented, amazing, and passionate individuals that you could ever imagine and you couldn’t ever ask for a better group of people to help you if you are in trouble. One of the most dangerous cartels from Mexico is running drugs through the area and have caused problems for one of the sheriff’s old friends and causes the death of another of his friends due to the drugs so they have no idea of the justice that they are about to receive. Add to that the appearance of the federal government because of the “alleged” problem of a computer hacker that the Chinese government is after and the annual influx of believers to Area 51 and an out-of-control wildfire and the area is pure chaos. There is no better solution to all these problems than Sheriff Beck and all his friends and colleagues. Highly recommend this book!!!

Sheriff Potter Beck knows something is amiss in his town. When a teenage hacker (Mercy), who has recently been accused of a crime that she could not have committed, he realizes the problem is worse than he realized. Then Mercy disappears. His fears are realized. You can rest assured that Potter Beck will not stand for any nonsense in his town. He will get to the bottom of it, one way or the other.

This is a complex mystery with many moving parts. The characters are well-developed, engaging and easy to get to know from the pages of the book. The story is intense and twisty. However, the author knows how to sprinkle a little humor into an otherwise serious plotline. I look forward to more great stories about Potter Beck.

Thank you to St. Martins' Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is the 2nd in this series and we are back in Nevada with Sheriff Beck. Sheriff Beck is investigating the death of his longtime childhood friend from a drug overdose. He is wanting to find out about the Fentanyl problem and get it quelched. In the meantime he runs into a young computer protege and he is not sure he can trust her. In this book you have it all the drug problems, overdoses and the use of drones. I can’t wait to read the next book!

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This second book in the Porter Beck series and we get to see how Beck's time in the Army comes into play as he deals not only with Maddox but other characters. In the beginning, the question is are a bull being blown up and drug overdose related? And there are no quick or easy answers. Especially as more characters come into play.

As the story progresses, things are not always as they seem to be on the surface and there are plenty of twists to keep you guessing as to what will happen next. You will definitely be rooting for Beck to come out on top as he struggles at times with his night blindness.

While I realize this story is fiction, there was one item that doesn't appear to be correct. A person isn't allowed to bring firearms and ammunition into Mexico, and especially not having them hidden. I assume this was stated in the story in order to advance the storyline.

Shades of Mercy by Bruce Burgos is a police thriller featuring Sheriff Porter Beck, head of a tiny contingent in a small town in Nevada. The thing about Beck is that he’s going blind. He can see fine during the day, but once he is in the dark, he can see almost nothing. That makes everything more challenging. He lives with his father, ex-sheriff Joe Beck and Joe’s caretaker. His childhood friend, Cash has just succumbed to opioids laced with fentanyl. He had been called to the scene and tried CPR and other means, but the man was dead. Porter was sad, but angry. At the same time, another of their childhood friends, Jesse Roy, is throwing a birthday party for his 17-year-old daughter, Shiloah, complete with fireworks. They live on a ranch far into the country, one that had been Jesse’s father’s. In the middle of the fireworks there was a massive ball of light. Everyone thought it was part of the show. Jesse knew better, but didn’t know what it was. The next day Porter and a government agent appeared at the ranch to see where the falling piece of a plane had hit. Thus began what would be several days of an intense standoff between the cartel, Chinese and American agents, and Porter Beck’s friends and family.

This was a terrific thriller, masterfully plotted, with no discernible holes. It was very violent and took the crew out into the near-wilderness in the middle of a forest fire. Much of it revolved around a young orphan who, as it turned out, was a computer genius. The characters were crisp and interesting, all with their own skill sets. Those who knew Porter were beyond loyal. The crew was clever and engaged a variety of skills that belied the fact they lived out in the middle of nowhere. It was an engaging book, hard to put down. The ending was satisfying, with nearly all the bad guys dead, by various means. Well worth the read. Thanks, Bruce Burgos!

I was invited to read Shades of Mercy by St Martin’s Press. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #BruceBurgos #ShadesOfMercy

3.5 stars. First read by this author and I enjoyed it, but nothing truly knocked my socks off. This story starts off with a bang, quite literally and as the story progressed I did find the middle of the book to be a bit of a slow burn. The book was interesting enough that I wanted to finish it, but not enough for me to devour it in a short amount of time. I did enjoy the characters, especially Beck and Mercy. Their dynamic between each other was interesting to say the least. Overall, it was a good book with action and a mystery component to it.

Porter Beck, Sheriff, ex military intelligence, all about family, friends, tenacious facing challenges with an aging father and his own physical limitations. I want this man to be real. I read this in one setting, it took me on a twisty ride with surprises, loss, family and oh so much more. I was intrigued with this town, this family, with Brin (Porters adopted sister). The mystery slowly unravels. You figure you know all the players and what will happen Bruce Borgos pops a little twist. Shades of Mercy sucked me in page 1 and kept me till the end. I am counting the days and months, or year till Porter Beck 3. Thank you for the opportunity to read and share my own thoughts and opinions. #ShadesofMercy #PorterBeck #BruceBorgos #StMartinsPress #MinotaurBooks #NetGalley

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Sheriff Porter has just discovered one of his childhood friends dead from an overdose. Another childhood friend was targeted by a high jacked military drone. Porter is wondering what the devil is going on in his county!

As Porter is investigating, he comes across a young, computer hacker named Mercy. She is only 16 years old but, she is old beyond her years. Porter knows she is lying, but he cannot figure out why. Porter soon discovers there is more to this case than he ever expected.

Because Mercy is so young, I found myself, mad, furious and wanting to cry all at the same time. She definitely had herself in a mess. But you talk about confident and smart. Mercy is all of the above. She is also a character I will not soon forget. Add in Porter Beck and his sister…and y’all! I want a Netflix show!

I, at first, had this as a 4 star read. But as I was writing this review, I changed it. The emotions this author created and the fast movement of this story…I am changing my rating to 5 stars.

This novel is constantly on the move. And I had no idea where it was going to end up! Fabulous characters and intensity…do not miss this one!

I read the first Porter Beck novel, The Bitter Past. I enjoyed that book as well. It is not necessary that you read it prior to this novel.

Need a thriller that will have your emotions all over the place…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Shades of Mercy is the second Sheriff Porter Beck western mystery by Bruce Borgos. Due out 16th July 2024 from Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 352 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a very well written action driven procedural set in a desert town in Nevada. Sheriff Beck is juggling a spate of fentanyl overdoses, hacking, and drone attacks on a local rancher, in what *should* have been a quiet small town existence. He and his team follow the disparate threads which entwine closer and closer to a satisfying climax and denouement.

The author excels at his setting descriptions and the Nevada high desert gets a starring role.

It's not derivative, but fans of C.J. Box, Craig Johnson, Nevada Barr, and even Tony Hillerman will likely find a lot to enjoy in this series. It's the second book in the series but works well as a standalone.

Four stars. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition, binge/buddy read. More graphic language and violence than a cozy mystery, but nothing egregious. Standard language and descriptions for a procedural.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

In Book 2 of the Porter Beck series, Sheriff Beck is having a busier time than he normally does, out in the Nevada desert. There have been a string of opioid deaths that have claimed the lives of several in their county, one being his best friend. Now, a successful rancher is being targeted, first by a hacked military drone, and then by other means also involving hacking. Beck's investigation leads him to the teen detention center, to a teenage hacking genius by the name of Mercy Vaughn. When Mercy disappears, he knows he is close to getting answers, and races to find her before it is too late.

This was the first book I had read by this author, but it definitely won't be the last. I was on the edge of my seat for almost the entire book. The characters were enjoyable, the stakes were high, the tension was palpable, and there was non-stop action. This is perfect for fans of David Baldacci, Harlan Coben, and Linwood Barclay. I highly recommend it!

This is the second book in the Porter Beck series, but it functions very well as a standalone. Porter Beck is a former Army intelligence officer who is now a small town sheriff. The skills he honed while serving in the Army have served him well in his investigations as sheriff. This book is filled with an interesting cast of characters and the storyline, though somewhat complex and multifaceted, holds your interest. There’s plenty of action, Chinese spies, a Mexican cartel, drug smuggling, gun running, computer hacking and so much more. An interesting read!