The third (and final, I think, maybe? But I'm hoping not) volume of an extraordinary series by Russell Johnson. We return to the realm of West Virginia County Sheriff Mary Beth Cain. In the earlier books, she has managed to rid the county of the local mafia, and was hoping that things would slow down. But, as nature abhors a vacuum, the enemy she removed was replaced by an even worse, violent, and dangerous group out of Detroit. As befits her nature, there is no backing down to the new threat, and she takes the fight to them, legal or not.
This is a very fast moving book, full of action. The main characters, who we got to know previously, are back, and their personas get even more fleshed out. I really hope that this isn't the end of the series, I feel like I have really gotten to know them. The ending comes up very fast, I couldn't believe that I had read the entire book so quickly. It seems all is well, for the moment, or is it? I guess we will just have to wait and see.
Great book, fantastic story, fantastic characters, great action, and fast moving. I highly recommend this book!

I finished “The Miner's Myth” by Russel W. Johnson. This is the third part of the "Mountieneers Mysteries” series. This time, I got the ebook from Netgalley.
Sheriff Mary-Beth expelled the McCray County Mafia, which is led by her mother, from her district. Her district was enlarged by the unification of two counties.
Unfortunately, the power vacuum regarding drug trafficking and distribution was filled by the Motor City Mob, which acts brutally against informants and witnesses. They vanish, eyes are cut out, and sent to Mary-Beth, a priest is crucified. Even the family of Mary Beth is in danger. The boss of those mobsters, Leonard Velino, is strangely well informed. Leonard Velino is an absolutely abysmal evil stereotype of a mafia captain.
He even proudly shows his scar around his neck from an assassination by a garrotte.
In contrast to the famous mafia hunter Giovanni Falcone, the sheriff isn't willing to play by the rules and takes the law into her own hands once again. Of course, a lot of schemes go south. The relationships between Patrick and Mary-Beth as lovers and Sam as son to his parents also play an important part.
A grand jury shall decide if Mary-Beth will be indicted because of murder. The story is told in flashbacks during the interrogation of her. She is interrogated by Pomfried, who is her well-known nemesis, who also loves to call her Sugar. Mary-Beth is, of course, therefore pissed off.
Once she is asked about the sources of drugs in her county, and instantly she refers to Big Pharma regarding the Sackler complex. She is interrupted and asked only to report sources for illegal drugs. This example shows how smart the writer criticizes, embedded in his story, the circumstances.
The heroine of this novel is more anti-heroine, who perceives successively that she more and more becomes like her own enemies. The novel sparkles with local color and it is possible to understand this without staying in this state, because there are many disused mines with high unemployment, family bonds, crime, drug consumption, and hills all over the world. Humor is an important aspect in this novel but isn't belied about the gritty character of this novel. I read the second half in one go during a longer train trip, and I was never bored. The novel was very compelling.

Solid Conclusion With One Significant Flaw. As a conclusion of a trilogy, this story works *extremely* well. We get a contained story here that is on par with the other books, yet we also get closure for each of our main characters and answers about the overall mythos established in the earlier books as well. Yes, for fans of books having every possible plot thread tied into a nice little bow before "THE END"... this trilogy is "officially" for you.

Which means that by its very nature, this book was always going to be rather explosive, and it absolutely lives up to that. Johnson, a lawyer before becoming a published author, manages to bring us into a courtroom... well, like a seasoned lawyer should be able to. ;) But seriously, he actually exposes what the process of a Grand Jury can be like, particularly through the viewpoint of someone testifying about charges the prosecutor is trying to level against the person testifying. This drives a significant part of the book, and is done quite well... mostly.

The significant flaw here is that interspersed with the Grand Jury testimony, we get flashbacks to the events at hand. Rather than staying in the courtroom, we flash back and see the events as they actually unfold. Which is awesome, to a degree - show me, don't tell me, right? Yet even with my Autistic brain (some may argue *because of* my Autistic brain if they don't notice this issue ;) ), the actual manner in which we go between courtroom and flashback is a bit jarring and at times even fairly difficult to ascertain which timeline we're currently in. Yes, there are a few clues, but with the way the testimony is written... at certain points it could truly feel like you're in either one.

And yet the story overall really is richly layered, really on par with the movie version of For Love Of The Game, wherein there also we get a "real time" event and glimpses of what led to that moment as the moment plays out. (Except that doesn't actually happen in the book form of that tale, btw. This is absolutely one case where the movie form of the tale is *so* much stronger.) Indeed, it is this rich layering that makes the Grand Jury scenes pop as much as they do, as well really begin to see how Mary Beth thinks in ways we didnt get even in the first couple of books here.

All of this noted... with this trilogy, each book really does build on the one before it, so go pick up Moonshine Messiah, book 1, first. Then work your way up through this book. If you like kick ass action and cops who aren't afraid to at least test the boundaries... you're going to love this entire series.

When you read it, make sure you leave a review wherever you see this one. It doesn't have to be anywhere near as long as this one, it doesn't even actually have to be as long as this sentence. But no matter how verbose or brief you may be and no matter your opinion of the book, it will help the book sell. Even if you absolutely *hate* the book and think Johnson is a complete idiot, some will agree with you... and some (to be clear, I'll tell you right now I'll be in this camp ;) ) will think you're the idiot and buy the book to spite your "negative" review. Thus, either way, reviews help sell books. So please, write one, no matter your thoughts on the book. If the trilogy sells well, maybe we'll get another series from Johnson. Which would be awesome, based on how good a storyteller he proved to be in this trilogy.

Very much recommended.

I enjoy running across a crime drama with some pretty good twists and turns along the way. The setting of Appalachia is also a great place to build mystery and intrigue in a small town rife with crime and drug lords from Detroit. Though I believe this is intended to be modern day, there is something about the Appalachia setting which always feels a rural and behind the times. I enjoy how it feels time stands still in a region of moonshiners and mafia bosses. I also didn't realize I was diving into book 3 of a series, but the story stands alone well enough that I do not think it is vital to read the others unless you want more about her brother Sawyer and the events around him (book 1 Moonshine Messiah) and another about the cold case of a family friend ( book 2 The Mountain Magic)

The story starts with Sheriff Mary Beth Cain on administrative leave and trial due to an incident which happened before the book opens. I am not certain if any of the incident is references in a previous book but this one starts in a courthouse where the "facts" of the case are being laid out by the prosecutor against Sheriff Cain. I honestly really enjoyed the way police procedure was described and the fact it wasn't a cozy murder mystery like some I've been reading. Don't get me wrong, I love a good cozy mystery, but when the main characters are people in charge of solving a case and know the difference between law and justice, I am always excited to see where the author is going to go.

I definitely plan on adding the others of the series to my TBR list so I can dive into the other cases which were referenced. I would love to know more of the backstory and events which may have lead to this situation.

DNF at around 40% but it wasn't cause it was bad in any way just was definitely not for me.
But would recommend to someone who'd like it.
I usually give DNF's a one star but this definitely deserves some love I'm just not the person for it sadly.
But thank you so much to netgalley for this arc I think it has a lot of potential for being enjoyed and loved by many out there!!!

Thank you Shotgun Honey and Net Galley for this ARC. The Miner’s Myth was a fast-paced crime drama I was able to devour two days! I enjoyed the plot twists and the consequences of taking justice into your own hands. How far can you bend the rules before they break!? I loved the Sheriff and her gruff, take no crap attitude as well as McCray County Mafia leader “Mamie.” The author did an excellent job writing characters you grow to love and those you loathe. This book will keep you entertained from page one and I enjoyed the ride.