Nothing Short of Dying

All the elements of a good crime novel are here - and then some - flawed central figure looking for a wayward sister in a dysfunctional family. - she's fallen in with a tough family dealing in drugs and got herself a habit too - the tough ambient is perhaps cliched (and I had a sense of things being contrived a bit throughout - pushing the right buttons - but the dialogue is cracking good - from a bar girl with attitude, to a family unable to reconcile themselves to each other - very professional and satisfying.

I thank you for granting me the pleasure of reviewing this book. As a new author that I just discovered I will be buying more of you books.. The story flowed along without getting too descriptive. I associated with some of the characters and I felt the pain that they were going through. You have gained a fan. Looking into buying more of your books.

Fast moving and captivating. While it may have been a little to violent in parts it was still very readable . An enjoyable read that kept my interest and had been keen to keep reading! Believable characters. Looking forward to more in this series.
Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Scribnerfor an ebook copy to read and review.

‘Sometimes the universe has other plans.’

Clyde Barr has seen a lot in his life. He left his home in Colorado at a young age, and he’s been away for sixteen years. Clyde has spent time as an adventurer, a hunter, and as a soldier of fortune. He’s also spent some time in jail. Right now, he’s happy to spend time in the mountains. He knows how to survive. As the novel opens, Clyde is sitting by a campfire. His ‘phone rings. It is Jen, the youngest of his three sisters, making a frantic call for Clyde’s help. Jen has been abducted and her life is in danger, she tells Clyde. And then the ‘phone goes dead. Clyde had sworn to protect Jen when they were both children: there’s no way he’s not going to search for her.

‘All he knows is that nothing short of dying will stop him from saving her.’

This is the beginning of an action-packed story, as Clyde tries to find Jen. How do you find someone with so little information? Early on Clyde is joined on his mission by a young woman called Allie. Allie, a bartender, has her own reasons for joining Clyde. To try to find Jen, Clyde needs to go back into his own past. He knows it won’t be safe. Clyde and Allie make a good team, and as they travel together we learn more about each of them. And, as Clyde tries to find out where Jen is and who has kidnapped her, he’s going to need all of the help he can get. It’s not always easy to differentiate friend from foe.

I enjoyed this novel, kept reading to find out what would happen next. Would Allie and Clyde find Jen in time? Just why was Jen kidnapped? There’s a struggle going on to control aspects of the drug trade, and Clyde and Allie find themselves caught up in this.

This is Mr Storey’s first novel, and while a couple of aspects didn’t work well for me, overall the story held my attention. Clyde Barr is an interesting character, and Allie complements him perfectly. I’ll be interested in reading Mr Storey’s next novel (a series is planned) to see how Clyde develops.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

C.J. Box and William Kent Krueger are two of my absolute favorite crime writers. So, with their blurbs of support, I came to this first in the Clyde Barr series with a great deal of anticipation. While the story didn't quite live up to my expectations, there is enough here that will be of interest to die-hard crime fans. Barr is a tough hombre with moments of deep introspection and thought. He is classically flawed and working to fight his demons. And, like Jack Reacher, he is a sucker for the little man in a fight. I think Reacher would win by a landslide if the two somehow crossed paths, but I'm not counting Barr out as he matures in future books. One to watch.

Action, adventure, intrege from being to end.

Clyde Barr prefers to keep to himself away from everything and everyone when he receives a distress call from his sister for help. Clyde knows he will help her because when they were kids they formed a bond based on their father’s abuse. His other sister will not help him so he starts to try and find her on his own. Along the way he inadvertently becomes involved with a young woman named Allie whom loses her job after her boss suspects her of helping him. As he tries to find his sister he and Allie get into a lot of trouble. Good read. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.

A great new character in Clyde Barr. A very compelling and well told story in this new series. Action packed for lovers of thrillers. I really enjoyed this read and would recommend this book. Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads.

Action? Check. Adventure? Check. Storey brings it in spades with his detailed descriptions and dangerous scenarios throughout this labyrinth of danger and suspense.
The characters are original, unique, and at times horrendous, which provides an interesting layer to the story. Even though you find yourself appalled at some of their behaviors, you become invested in their plight and ultimately find yourself cheering them on.
Highly recommend for the adventure lover in all of us, this one will be hard to put down!

Such a great debut! Storey got it all right with believable characters, despicable bad guys, and an enticing mix of brutal action, smart strategy, gripping family back story, and a gutsy romance. Lee Child praised this, and he wasn't wrong.

Running from the past has led Clyde Barr to places that give him nightmares from the things he has seen and done. Now that he is out of prison, the great outdoors and remote locations is where he is heading to feel safe.

Clyde’s sister Jen is being held hostage by drug empire head Lance Alvis and Clyde is on the hunt to save her when he teams up with bartender Allie Martin.

Calling in favors from former drug runner friends and former prison cellmates, the violence escalates with each attempt to find Alvis and get Jen back.

There is hope at the end as Clyde decides to take Allie’s advice to stay in the moment and accept each situation as it comes.

Hopefully Clyde Barr’s inner quest to be free to wander and to do something that needs to be done can give us a new series with a very Jack Reacher like character once the violence is toned down.

I received a copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Great book! Perfect for readers of Lee Child. Fast paced, exciting. Great hand sell!

I received a free, electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Erik Storey and Scribner in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

This is an excellent, edge of your seat action novel, with a gritty, gold-hearted hero and strong female characters. Only the bad guys are without a saving grace. I look forward to more from Mr. Storey. He is an author I will follow.

What a amazing first novel! Grabs you from the beginning holds you until the end. The overused cliché "this book would make a great movie!" Applies here. The encounters Clyde Barr has while searching for his sister are written in a very graphic way! Mostly in blood!
For the fans of gritty, action novels this is your new author!

What a book. It's 100 mph all the way through. The relationship between Barr, Jen and Allie is beautifully written. It keeps you intrigued from start to finish. I could not put it down. Very intense and beautifully written. Great descriptions throughout, which gives you a great visual and sense of being there whilst you read.

Nothing Short of Dying is part of a series about a character named Clyde Barr. I finished this book a long time ago, but had to wait a while to review it because the publisher requested that reviews not be posted until within 2 weeks before the release date. I hadn't read any Clyde Barr books before this, but I think I will.

This book is similar to the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child or the Lucas Davenport books by Jon Sanford. I couldn't help but like Clyde. Clyde had a troubled childhood, but he doesn't let that be an excuse. In fact, he doesn't really like excuses. Clyde keeps his promises and is willing to do pretty much whatever it takes to come through for the people he cares about.

In this book, he receives a call from his sister asking for help and he later learns that his sister has been involved with some drug dealers. Outnumbered and with low chances of survival, Clyde has to use his wit and make the best of his resources to save his sister.

I guess I favor books where the underdog who is trying to do the right thing wins in the end ... sort of. I liked reading about the predicaments he found himself in and how he overcame them. I loved the survival in the wilderness bits.

This was a fun adventure/action story. I would recommend it to Jack Reacher and Lucas Davenport fans.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary preview e-copy of this book from the publisher for review from NetGalley.

I was given an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Are you a fan of Jack Reacher? Do you like the wild settings of Joe Pickett's world? Then you'll definitely like this book. Clyde Barr is in his mid-30s and since his teenage years, he has spent his life in some of the world's biggest hell holes. But now he's back to civilization and his sister needs his help. He only has a week to find her before very bad things will begin to happen. Good thing he has many connections he's made along the way. Erik Storey has created a diverse and interesting cast of characters to inhabit Clyde Barr's world. Some owe him favors, others are owed favors, but the common thread is that they can't say no to danger and action and helping out a friend in need.

This is the first book in a promising series featuring Clyde Barr. It reads much like Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, so fans of those books, or other drifter characters, will enjoy this one. Barr has a troubled past that continues on into adulthood, as he drifts around and finds odd jobs and trouble around every corner. The author provides good back story and character development for the main characters, painting a clear picture of the kind of man that Clyde Barr is. Barr and his sister Jen had a very troubled and abusive childhood. As the story unfolds we are given small glimpses into the horror he and Jen experienced when they were younger. This helps us see the unbreubond that exists between them, even when they became more distant. There are lots of detailed action scenes in this book, and his sidekick Allie that joins along the way really adds a lot to the story. The possibilities for sequels are endless given the life experiences that Barr has had. I would recommend this book to fans of thrillers and drifter novels. I received this as a free ARC from Scribner in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t think I have ever been so excited to try out a book from an author I have never read before, than I was when I first saw Nothing Short of Dying. As I have said many times before, I am a huge Jack Reacher fan and I am always looking for a new series to fill the gaps. Having read the book now, I had every right to be as excited as I was because it was such a great read.

Nothing Short of Dying is Erik Storey’s first mystery thriller novel featuring drifter Clyde Barr. Clyde Barr is enjoying the quiet life in the Colorado wilderness after being released from prison, when he receives a frantic phone call from his sister Jen, who is being held hostage. Barr has no idea who has Jen and where they are, but he knows that it is up to him to find her, bring her home and protect her from danger.

It would be an understatement to say that this book is fast-paced and action-packed. It is literally non-stop action from start to finish with a good story weaved in, just the way I like it. There is so much fighting and stuff going on throughout the book that it is a miracle that anyone is still able to stand at the end, but it is written so well that not once did I think that any of it was over the top. Erik Storey has the perfect writing style for the genre because he is efficient with his words but he is still able to get me to engage with the story and characters.

Like pretty much every other book in the genre, the plot is pretty straightforward. It’s got a little bit of mystery, but the real hero of the book is the action and the characters. The one thing that does set this book apart from the others in the genre is the use of the wilderness and the Western feel to it, which I thought was really cool and well done, especially as I am not overly interested in Westerns.

I think one of the best parts of the book is the characters. Barr is a great lead character because he is flawed, but he is still a good guy and he can kick ass when he needs to as well. He has such an intriguing back story that really shapes his character and I could tell that this book only scratched the surface of it, so I am really interested to see how that progresses. The other great character was Allie. I normally don’t find the secondary characters to anywhere near as good as the leads, but Allie was right up there with Barr. I found her to be the most relatable of all the characters in the book, so that is a real bonus.

To sum it up, I was super excited when I first picked up the book and I was even more excited when I put it down at the end. I definitely feel that I have found a new author to add to my must-read pile. I am always looking out for ways to get my Jack Reacher fix and Nothing Short of Dying is written in a similar style, but is still different enough to not be a clone. It would be an understatement to say I am excited to see what happens to Barr next!

Is it worth a read? If you like action-packed mystery thrillers with strong characters and a simple, but effective story, then Nothing Short of Dying is definitely worth a read. The best way to describe it is that Clyde Barr is what Jack Reacher would have been if he was a cowboy instead of a military policeman.

I'm not really sure which luck follows this Clyde character the most, good or bad. This was a very entertaining and thrilling read. There was humor, lots of fights, some romance (totally implied), car chases, mountain scenery, horses, and more humor. There was one really bad and perverse dude who gave me cooties just reading about him. I may need to be tested for an STD, his character was written so well. I'm shuddering writing about him. Thankfully he wasn't throughout the whole book.

I really did Clyde though although he is a gallant idiot. Ha!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and was glad I had the chance to do so.

Thanks Simon and Schuster and Net Galley for the free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

An action packed first novel!

I love getting sucked into a new thriller and I found this to be a real page turner! Erik Storey has certainly come up with an action packed debut novel.

His hero, Clyde Barr is an extremely strong character who has certainly experienced many hardships whilst growing up. Consequently, his struggles have taken him into adulthood. He is a drifter with a shady past even though he has a good heart, who engages in a race against time to find one of his sisters who has been abducted.

Even though Barr travels through the peaceful Colorado countryside, he encounters many gritty, deadly characters so it becomes a race against time! On his travels he meets an intriguing girl who, for reasons of her own, decides to be Barr's travelling companion, so adding a further interest in the plot.

I felt that the characters were well drawn and believable, so we'll done Mr. Storey, I’ll look out for you in the future!


Galadriel

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

A special thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With this exceptional entry, Erik Storey, a natural born storyteller, solidifies his place at the upper end of the literary crime thriller "rural noir" fiction genre, NOTHING SHORT OF DYING —Tenacious Clyde Barr dirt-under-your fingernails, kind of raw, is a character you want on your side; rugged, a tough-as-nails hero we can count on.

The gritty novel begins with a phone call in the Utah wilderness about a week after Clyde Barr had been released from prison. He had hoped for a storybook homecoming; however, in reality, this was not a dream life. He likes the wilderness and living off the grid, with no technology or frills.

Jen, his sister called with a desperate SOS- she needed for him to come and get her. Throughout their childhood they had been through nights of their mom and dad fighting, mom’s boyfriends, drunks, loss of control, fighting, and abuse. Mostly hiding out to ride out the storm. The two of them against the world. They have secrets.

Jen explained in a whispered voice, for Clyde to hurry, he was going to kill her. She was to help, and then he would kill her. She reminded him he owed her. Before she could tell him where she was, Barr heard a male voice and the line went dead.

He was her flesh and blood. She had a knack for finding the wrong people, times, and places. He had left her to fend for herself, because he had been selfish. Now he owed her. This was his chance to make up for his mistakes; however, he needed a track to follow, a direction. Barr knows that nothing short of dying will stop him from saving her.

After their dad left, and their mom died, he did something stupid which almost got him killed. Jen did something worse that saved his life. If anyone ever found out what they had done, they would be serving life sentences. Jen kept quiet and he was free. They had been to hell and back. He would do whatever she asked.

Clyde begins his journey for his sister. She was in trouble again and most likely mixed up with somebody very dangerous. From Colorado, outdoorsman, Clyde Barr returns to the states after serving as a gun for hire in Africa and South American. After leaving Juarez prison, Clyde is camping and receives the phone call. He has no clue where she could be. He has had no contact with his family in years.

On his journey, he meets Allie Martin, a bartender. They both are equally stubborn. Soon a relationship develops as they travel deeper into the remote Colorado’s high country. From drug-ring politics, meth houses, and violence. However, despite the challenges, nothing will stop Barr from reaching his sister, and his strong loyalty to family and blood.

What he was dealing with, he had underestimated. In a matter of days, he was dealing with drug dealer gangs, feds, and a girl who started to mean something. So much, for the quiet life. Shortly thereafter, an intense race against time.

Storey, introduces strong female characters, in addition to Barr, for women readers; Allie and Jen, which proves riveting heroes in their own right. Jen is no poor victim. A gal who can handle herself. With a rich cast of characters, an action-packed tale of grit, emotion, desperation, and the resilience of family. From good to evil, the author explores both extremes.

New fans will anxiously be awaiting the next installment of pulp-action hero, Clyde Barr. Stark and gripping, with a strong sense of place in rural rich areas, and bold nuanced characterization reminiscent, of Ace Atkins, Lee Child (Jack Reacher), Craig Johnson, and CJ Box.

As the author mentions in an interview, “The book isn’t a cup of tea at all; it’s whiskey on the rocks.”

Indeed, it is like sipping and savoring the spirit. So grab a glass, pour yourself some whiskey, kick back in your leather man (or woman) chair, and do some taste testing and follow Clyde Bar on his adventure. Feel like kickin’ it old school? Have your whiskey in a tin cup in the great outdoors, a perfect side-kick for Nothing Short of Dying.

I am always fascinated with the inspiration behind books and authors. Thoroughly enjoyed the Interview with Erik Storey.

“I wanted to show off this side of the state,” he continues. “It’s not as visited as Denver. Western Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Idaho — they’re kind of forgotten. People will fly into the cities, but because the population density is so small, they overlook the rest of the region. To a lot of people, the West is kind of an obscure concept. I want to promote this area with my books.

As Clyde’s quest takes him from small town to small town throughout Colorado — Riverside, Clifton, Palisade, De Beque, Rifle, Meeker, Mack, Leadville, Steamboat Springs — he unearths both the grandeur and grit of life in the high country and on the Western Slope.

What does define Clyde’s character, besides his tenacity and honor, is a deep distrust of cell phones, apps, computers and every other innovation that distracts from the simplicity of humanity’s bond with the land.


In addition to the advanced reading copy, also purchased the audio version, narrated by Jeremy Bobb (sexy, edgy, gritty), a perfect match for Storey’s smashing debut, for a full throttle performance ride.

Worthy of the hype, Nothing Short of Dying, equal parts rural country noir and contemporary Western, with a tough hero to stand up and cheer for, and not to be messed with. A rugged guy, the kind you would want to be alone in the wilderness with, for more than one reason.

Storey is an author to follow with many epic-adventures to follow. Sounds like we will visit Clyde next, as he wanders onto a Native American reservation, which mysteriously seems to have been taken over by an outlaw biker gang – while on the TV there’s report of terrorist activity in the area.

Can’t wait. Movie worthy. Awesome cover. Bring it on!

NOTHING SHORT OF DYING
Erik Storey
Scribner
ISBN 978-5011-2414-3
Hardcover
Thriller

NOTHING SHORT OF DYING has received a bundle of pre-publication publicity, word-of-mouth, prodding, you-name-it, some of it from very popular people in the book publishing world and probably including at least one your favorite authors. It would be enough to make debut author Erik Storey (could he be anything but an author with that name) somewhat nervous about living up to all of that. If he is, he needn’t be. NOTHING SHORT OF DYING injects just the right amount of adrenaline into the doldrums of the closing days of summer and gives thriller fans everywhere a new protagonist to follow.

Clyde Barr is the first person narrator of NOTHING SHORT OF DYING, a scarred but still upright former soldier on just the right side of middle age with a skill set that moves him toward rather than away from trouble. Storey doesn’t waste much time getting Barr into the thick of things in this inaugural volume. All it takes is a call from Barr’s sister, Jen, indicating that she is in trouble and needing to be rescued. Barr has no idea where she is called from or what has occurred, and he is, shall we say, technologically challenged to the extent that he doesn’t know what is potentially available out there to aid him in his quest, let alone how to activate it. What he does have, however, is friends and associates, most of them shady, all of them capable in a rough and dangerous sort of way, and soon enough he following a tenuous lead here and hint there while leaving a trail of bruised, battered, and yes, deceased bodies in his wake. As Barr moves from Point A to Point B and beyond he reminisces about his past, going back to his rough childhood and the bond which formed between his sister and himself when it was basically the two of them against the world, and the dangerous vignettes which occurred in prisons, battlefields, and urban alleys along the way. In the early days of NOTHING SHORT OF DYING Barr also picks up a travelling companion and aide-de-camp in the person of Allie Martin, a former bartender who has her own score to settle with the lowlife who has kidnapped Jen. Said lowlife, a dangerous drug lord named Lance Alvis, is every bit as ruthless and driven as Barr, who faces seemingly insurmountable odds, even as he gets ever closer to finding where Jen is located. The question that echoes throughout NOTHING SHORT OF DYING, however, is whether finding her will be enough. Rescuing her may well be something else entirely.

Comparisons between Barr and a certain fictional MP are inevitable, but while both are very capable and wandering loners Barr is certainly unique in his presentation. While much remains to be told of Barr’s past, much is revealed in the first book of what is expected to be a long-running series. Storey seeds his debut novel with plenty of potential story material for future books. Barr made a lot of enemies before the events in NOTHING SHORT OF DYING, and incidentally makes a few more during the course of the book. Storey is not reticent to create intriguing, potentially popular characters on one page and take them off the board on another, either, a practice which makes it easy to assume that anything can and will happen in future volumes. Jump on the Barr train now; you’ll have less catching up to do later. Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2016, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

A reader could easily think this book was written by Lee Child. With its Reacher-type main character and non-stop action, one can't help but make the comparison. Good writing, vivid descriptions, and excellent character development put this narrative right up there with Child. And did I mention the non-stop action?! Sure to be a popular series.

I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Published by Scribner on August 16, 2016

Clyde Barr is A tough guy. After his release from a Mexican prison, he’s trying to lose himself in the Colorado woods when his sister, Jen, calls to tell him that she needs help. Since she’s the only family member with whom Clyde is still on good terms, Clyde feels obliged to respond, but the call is cut off before Clyde can learn where she is. Fortunately, Clyde is resourceful.

Clyde hooks up with a bartender named Allie who knows something about a drug dealing thug named Lance who was Jen’s last known contact. After that, Clyde runs around doing tough guy stuff or reminiscing about all the tough guy stuff he’s done in the past. Clyde also reminisces about his abusive family life as a child, which is too over-the-top to generate the kind of sympathy that must have been intended. Occasionally, he says something like “Damn. Another pointless death that was entirely my fault.” I guess that makes him a tough guy with a conscience.

To prove his manliness, Clyde orders big rare steaks while making fun of Allie’s tofu noodle bowls. Is it even possible to order both of those at the same restaurant? Then, following the tradition of tough guy novels, he gets into bar fights to prove to the reader that he’s the toughest guy in the bar, and maybe the world. When he meets his old prison buddy, they beat each other up for fun because, yes, they are both tough guys. He rides a motorcycle 100 mph in the rain because he’s a fearless tough guy. All of that is such standard fare that it’s just tiresome, not to mention pointless.

Near the end of the novel, Clyde had managed to endanger all of his relatives, but he tells them not to call the police because the police don’t know anything about catching criminals. Only a heavily armed tough guy like Clyde can solve the problem. The most realistic part of the novel is that most of Clyde’s family, for good reason, want nothing to do with him. Of course, he feels bad about that because he’s a tough guy with a heart. The heart also accounts for a surprisingly sappy ending.

Having gotten out of my system all the things about Nothing Short of Dying that annoy me, I need to make clear that the book isn’t all bad. Erik Storey is a capable writer who keeps the plot moving. He tells the story in observant prose. He gives Clyde at least a modest degree of depth, although it’s overshadowed by his tough guy persona. Apart from Clyde’s unerring aim, action scenes are credible and the story doesn’t overreach, which is more than I can say about most modern thrillers. The book is smarter than many tough guy novels and it avoids politics, which I count as plus, since so many fictional tough guys love to pontificate about their tough guy political philosophies.

I've enjoyed many tough guy novels, beginning with Don Pendleton's Executioner books that I devoured when I was a kid. Those novels had elements that this one lacked. On the scale by which I judge books, I fall somewhere between being indifferent to and liking Nothing Short of Dying. I can only recommend it to readers who are willing to tolerate its problems -- in other words, readers who crave tough guy personas and are willing to let other aspects of the novel slide.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

This is a really good start to what I am sure will be a series of books with Clyde Barr as the hero and central character.

The novel was definitely a page turner and the ending left me wanting to read more about this strong character.

I would definitely recommend the book.