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judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
Erik Storey returns following his debut hit, Nothing Short of Dying (2016)—where the talented new author introduced readers and new fans to the unlikely hero, Clyde Barr.
In this highly anticipated follow-up, A PROMISE TO KILL, Barr returns, better than ever!
An action-packed, intense, adventure where life is anything but simple for Barr. Trouble seems to find Barr no matter how many times life attempts to pull him down. He comes up swinging.
Storey has created an edgy tough main character with strong morals and honor . . . and a heart of gold.
Men and women readers alike will be drawn to the setting and this strong and intriguing character. I actually like him better than Lee Child’s Jack Reacher.
As we pick up from the last book (can be read as a standalone); however, would recommend reading the first book to get the proper intro into this complex character. However, we do learn a bit more about Clyde in this installment.
Traveling across Utah, with a new mare and a reluctant mule named Bob, Barr spots an old man’s truck in the ditch. He of course stops to assist. His heart. His cell is dead. He needs to get him to a hospital.
He hops into the truck and takes him to the hospital. An old Ute from the nearby Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. They connect. Heart problems. Myocardial infarction. He would be dead without Clyde Barr.
Lawana and her son. The three of them – grandfather, daughter, Lawana and grandson, fifteen-year-old- Taylor all lived at the family ranch. They needed Barr’s help. He offered.
He had worked on a lot of ranches and he, of course, did not tell them all the work and places he had been. Clyde likes this woman and family.
Barr settles into a routine on the ranch. . . until the Reapers. An outlaw bikers club. All white.
These men were full of menace. The Reapers called him a "bumpkin" and told him to go play with the Indians. He was threatened and warned. Thousands of lives were at risk.
Taylor’s dad had died in Afghanistan, as an army captain. He was going to help run the ranch while his mom ran the local clinic. He died trying to save his men. Soon Taylor had confidence in him. He looked up to Barr. However, Barr had some proving to do to earn his mother’s trust.
He wants to protect the reservation and fight for those he cares about.
Barr soon learns that the family name was a corruption of the name of their great war chief ancestor, Nicaagat. He’d let his warriors in one of the last actions against the US government, right before his people were forced out of the mountains of Colorado and into the alkali desert of Utah.
The memories surface. His rough childhood, the wars he had fought in the third world, and his time behind bars because of a mix-up between the Mexican government and the cartels, and the people he loved and lost along the way. One who was especially important.
He thought he had left all the chaos behind when he came back to the States more than a year ago. But apparently, he was mistaken.
Whatever tranquility he had felt when he first entered town had entirely disappeared. This was the kind of thing Barr had tried to avoid since coming back, after being released from prison. However, his strong sense of protecting the underdog had a way of bringing him to the center of trouble.
Will Clyde ever go back to normal or will he be broken? Will the boy, the grandfather and the daughter want to him to stay around? Would he ever belong? He wasn’t Ute. He was an outsider.
Barr liked to live on the edge. He missed it. He loved it here. Like a wild animal. The most beautiful, smartest, and the toughest woman he had ever met. He liked this family. Was it time for him to move on?
. . . Does Lawana deserve more than he can offer? Does Barr need to be out there in the wilderness?
. . . “Somewhere along the way, the empty spaces became part of who I am. It’s where I’m at my best.”
WOW, a powerful story. Well written with in-depth research, Storey knows the great outdoors and the wilderness, reflective throughout the novel. His style strongly reminds me of [a:Charles Martin|67487|Charles Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1446644894p2/67487.jpg] (another favorite author), [b:The Mountain Between Us|7173336|The Mountain Between Us|Charles Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320406451s/7173336.jpg|7604881] and [b:Water from My Heart|23197553|Water from My Heart|Charles Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422811618s/23197553.jpg|42742491]. Martin (not a crime writer); however, both talented authors possess their own unique individual style; however, they both write stories about the rugged great outdoors and strong tough characters (men) who connect with equally strong dynamic women and children.
There is always a memorable story which creates a nice balance. A fated encounter, strong bonds, connection, a tug and pull, heartstrings, choices, and consequences.
Also for fans of John Hart (another favorite), C.J. Box, Lee Child, Ace Atkins, David Joy, William Kent Krueger, and Craig Johnson.
Highly recommend this gripping and suspenseful series and this gifted newfound master storyteller. Can’t wait to see what’s next for Clyde.
A special thank you to Scribner, NetGalley and the author for an early reading copy. I also purchased the audiobook, narrated by Pete Simonelli for an entertaining performance. Move A PROMISE TO KILL to the top of your list. Movie-worthy!
JDCMustReadBooks
Interview with the Author
In this highly anticipated follow-up, A PROMISE TO KILL, Barr returns, better than ever!
An action-packed, intense, adventure where life is anything but simple for Barr. Trouble seems to find Barr no matter how many times life attempts to pull him down. He comes up swinging.
Storey has created an edgy tough main character with strong morals and honor . . . and a heart of gold.
Men and women readers alike will be drawn to the setting and this strong and intriguing character. I actually like him better than Lee Child’s Jack Reacher.
As we pick up from the last book (can be read as a standalone); however, would recommend reading the first book to get the proper intro into this complex character. However, we do learn a bit more about Clyde in this installment.
Traveling across Utah, with a new mare and a reluctant mule named Bob, Barr spots an old man’s truck in the ditch. He of course stops to assist. His heart. His cell is dead. He needs to get him to a hospital.
He hops into the truck and takes him to the hospital. An old Ute from the nearby Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. They connect. Heart problems. Myocardial infarction. He would be dead without Clyde Barr.
Lawana and her son. The three of them – grandfather, daughter, Lawana and grandson, fifteen-year-old- Taylor all lived at the family ranch. They needed Barr’s help. He offered.
He had worked on a lot of ranches and he, of course, did not tell them all the work and places he had been. Clyde likes this woman and family.
Barr settles into a routine on the ranch. . . until the Reapers. An outlaw bikers club. All white.
These men were full of menace. The Reapers called him a "bumpkin" and told him to go play with the Indians. He was threatened and warned. Thousands of lives were at risk.
Taylor’s dad had died in Afghanistan, as an army captain. He was going to help run the ranch while his mom ran the local clinic. He died trying to save his men. Soon Taylor had confidence in him. He looked up to Barr. However, Barr had some proving to do to earn his mother’s trust.
He wants to protect the reservation and fight for those he cares about.
Barr soon learns that the family name was a corruption of the name of their great war chief ancestor, Nicaagat. He’d let his warriors in one of the last actions against the US government, right before his people were forced out of the mountains of Colorado and into the alkali desert of Utah.
The memories surface. His rough childhood, the wars he had fought in the third world, and his time behind bars because of a mix-up between the Mexican government and the cartels, and the people he loved and lost along the way. One who was especially important.
He thought he had left all the chaos behind when he came back to the States more than a year ago. But apparently, he was mistaken.
Whatever tranquility he had felt when he first entered town had entirely disappeared. This was the kind of thing Barr had tried to avoid since coming back, after being released from prison. However, his strong sense of protecting the underdog had a way of bringing him to the center of trouble.
Will Clyde ever go back to normal or will he be broken? Will the boy, the grandfather and the daughter want to him to stay around? Would he ever belong? He wasn’t Ute. He was an outsider.
Barr liked to live on the edge. He missed it. He loved it here. Like a wild animal. The most beautiful, smartest, and the toughest woman he had ever met. He liked this family. Was it time for him to move on?
. . . Does Lawana deserve more than he can offer? Does Barr need to be out there in the wilderness?
. . . “Somewhere along the way, the empty spaces became part of who I am. It’s where I’m at my best.”
WOW, a powerful story. Well written with in-depth research, Storey knows the great outdoors and the wilderness, reflective throughout the novel. His style strongly reminds me of [a:Charles Martin|67487|Charles Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1446644894p2/67487.jpg] (another favorite author), [b:The Mountain Between Us|7173336|The Mountain Between Us|Charles Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320406451s/7173336.jpg|7604881] and [b:Water from My Heart|23197553|Water from My Heart|Charles Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422811618s/23197553.jpg|42742491]. Martin (not a crime writer); however, both talented authors possess their own unique individual style; however, they both write stories about the rugged great outdoors and strong tough characters (men) who connect with equally strong dynamic women and children.
There is always a memorable story which creates a nice balance. A fated encounter, strong bonds, connection, a tug and pull, heartstrings, choices, and consequences.
Also for fans of John Hart (another favorite), C.J. Box, Lee Child, Ace Atkins, David Joy, William Kent Krueger, and Craig Johnson.
Highly recommend this gripping and suspenseful series and this gifted newfound master storyteller. Can’t wait to see what’s next for Clyde.
A special thank you to Scribner, NetGalley and the author for an early reading copy. I also purchased the audiobook, narrated by Pete Simonelli for an entertaining performance. Move A PROMISE TO KILL to the top of your list. Movie-worthy!
JDCMustReadBooks
Interview with the Author
eleellis's review against another edition
4.0
This is the second novel by Erik Storey involving the Nomadic character Clyde Barr. Barr has roamed westward and finds himself coming across a fallen ill, elderly Ute Native. the new adventure starts as Barr tries to do the right thing and get the elderly man to medical help. Trouble soon starts when Barr encounters the Reapers, a violent motorcycle gang that has seemed to take over the area for a yet unknown reason.
To find the help the man needs, Barr postpones a confrontation with the Reapers and moves along, soon to meet the family of the Ute native. Barr then agrees to help the family while the man recuperates and slowly erodes their skepticism over Barr's good nature.
Barr further gains the attention of the Reapers after interceding when a Native youth becomes one of their victims. This then starts Barr's journey toward confrontation while trying to find out why a motorcycle gang would settle down in a barren land of few resources and even less law and order.
Storey has created a good series for summer reading peppered with interesting characters and story lines.
To find the help the man needs, Barr postpones a confrontation with the Reapers and moves along, soon to meet the family of the Ute native. Barr then agrees to help the family while the man recuperates and slowly erodes their skepticism over Barr's good nature.
Barr further gains the attention of the Reapers after interceding when a Native youth becomes one of their victims. This then starts Barr's journey toward confrontation while trying to find out why a motorcycle gang would settle down in a barren land of few resources and even less law and order.
Storey has created a good series for summer reading peppered with interesting characters and story lines.
drakedw's review against another edition
4.0
This thriller was unique to me. Different setting and characters then I would normally pick up, but did after referral by The Real Book Spy.
The story is set in a small village of Utes who's town is overrun by a biker gang known as the Reapers. Trouble ensues, and The Protagonist Clyde Barr finds himself in the thick of the trouble even though he was just riding through town, after saving a Rancher from a heart attack.
Clyde seems to thrive on trouble and likes the action and fighting, but that's not what The Utes want, they just want the Reapers to leave.
As the story unfolds, another threat shows its hands that explains the presence of bikers in this remote village.
This was a very faced paced and action packed thriller that I was able finish in only 3 days. Even though Clyde Barr is a new character for me, I am intrigued enough to go find the first novel in this series and give it a go.
The story is set in a small village of Utes who's town is overrun by a biker gang known as the Reapers. Trouble ensues, and The Protagonist Clyde Barr finds himself in the thick of the trouble even though he was just riding through town, after saving a Rancher from a heart attack.
Clyde seems to thrive on trouble and likes the action and fighting, but that's not what The Utes want, they just want the Reapers to leave.
As the story unfolds, another threat shows its hands that explains the presence of bikers in this remote village.
This was a very faced paced and action packed thriller that I was able finish in only 3 days. Even though Clyde Barr is a new character for me, I am intrigued enough to go find the first novel in this series and give it a go.
arthur_of_camelot's review against another edition
3.0
This was OK. I liked the main female character and I'm glad she didn't die this time but it was overall just kind of OK. Maybe would have given 3 1/2 stars if we had a half star rating.
leethepea's review against another edition
4.0
Good story, fast paced. Very like Jack Reacher books, possibly too much so, but worth a read if you're a Reacher fan.
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