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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
A short story, 6.5 in the Will Trent thriller series (and a prequel to Slaughter's Unseen), revolving around Special Agent Will Trent in Forest Park, Georgia.
My Take
Crack. Me. Up. I know just how Will feels. Why can't we just beam ourselves to the grocery store...oops, I mean, Will is so annoyed that he can't get that real-time update on his app for a frozen Coke... Whatever is the world coming to, lol.
Jeez, when you put it that way, Clayton County does sound like a place you should bypass. Although most of the characters in "Busted" fit right in. Lyin', cheatin', stealin'...
The Story
If it weren't for that Coke ICEE, Will would've been down the road instead of compromising his cover.
Will simply can't ignore an armed robbery, especially when innocents are involved.
The Characters
Special Agent Will Trent is undercover as big bad biker Bill Black who rides an Indian Chief Dark Horse. Unfortunately, he still needs his Coke ICEE.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is...
...the state equivalent of the FBI. The local office is the Panthersville Road HQ. Amanda Wagner is the deputy director with a chip on her shoulder and is based in Atlanta. Special Agent Faith Mitchell is Will's partner. Special Agent Nick Shelton works in the field.
Officer Pete McClendon walked into the Lil' Dixie Gas-n-Go, sweet on Billie. He also teaches CPR at Spivey Senior High. Officer Mixon doesn't need to shave more'n twice a week.
Lil' Dixie Gas-n-Go
Samantha "Maw-Maw" Lewis is the owner's racist "mother-in-law" who claims she works there three days a week when not volunteering at the church. Billie Eugenia Lam is the clerk on duty. Gilbert Caldwell is the owner who likes his fishing trips.
Wayne Michael Walker drove the truck and is a high school counselor with a master's in social work who was recently fired. Wayne has a twenty-year-old daughter, Terri, in Afghanistan. Doug-Ray Pierce taught math at Spivey Senior High and coached girls' softball — and was teacher of the year. Arthur Pierce, a mailman, was his daddy.
Gloria Pringle works the night shift at O'Kelley's, a parts supplier. She has a nineteen-year-old daughter and a twenty-year-old son, Connor, who broke up with Terri. The son's girlfriend, Sheila, is also nineteen.
The Cover and Title
The background of the cover is abstract with those round green drops plopping into that rippling circle of greens, blues, purples, and black. At the top is an info blurb in white. The author's name is in a muted orange while the title spans the ripples in white in the lower half. A huge thorn spears out from the bottom right in an orange to yellow gradient. In the lower left is pale lime telling us this is a novella.
The title overtly refers to the weekly newspaper, "Busted", local mugshots taken by the cops, and covertly clues us in to the ending.
My Take
Crack. Me. Up. I know just how Will feels. Why can't we just beam ourselves to the grocery store...oops, I mean, Will is so annoyed that he can't get that real-time update on his app for a frozen Coke... Whatever is the world coming to, lol.
Jeez, when you put it that way, Clayton County does sound like a place you should bypass. Although most of the characters in "Busted" fit right in. Lyin', cheatin', stealin'...
"This is America. We have a constitutional right to make unhealthy choices."There are more twists and turns that corkscrew all over the place while we read from third person point-of-view from Will's perspective. It did leave a few issues unresolved, but the primary conflict was convoluted enough that I simply didn't care. 'Cause, I gotta tell ya, it took a couple times through that ending before I really got what Slaughter was layin' down. Then another time so I could LMAO. Talk about justice!!
The Story
If it weren't for that Coke ICEE, Will would've been down the road instead of compromising his cover.
Will simply can't ignore an armed robbery, especially when innocents are involved.
The Characters
Special Agent Will Trent is undercover as big bad biker Bill Black who rides an Indian Chief Dark Horse. Unfortunately, he still needs his Coke ICEE.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is...
...the state equivalent of the FBI. The local office is the Panthersville Road HQ. Amanda Wagner is the deputy director with a chip on her shoulder and is based in Atlanta. Special Agent Faith Mitchell is Will's partner. Special Agent Nick Shelton works in the field.
Officer Pete McClendon walked into the Lil' Dixie Gas-n-Go, sweet on Billie. He also teaches CPR at Spivey Senior High. Officer Mixon doesn't need to shave more'n twice a week.
Lil' Dixie Gas-n-Go
Samantha "Maw-Maw" Lewis is the owner's racist "mother-in-law" who claims she works there three days a week when not volunteering at the church. Billie Eugenia Lam is the clerk on duty. Gilbert Caldwell is the owner who likes his fishing trips.
Wayne Michael Walker drove the truck and is a high school counselor with a master's in social work who was recently fired. Wayne has a twenty-year-old daughter, Terri, in Afghanistan. Doug-Ray Pierce taught math at Spivey Senior High and coached girls' softball — and was teacher of the year. Arthur Pierce, a mailman, was his daddy.
Gloria Pringle works the night shift at O'Kelley's, a parts supplier. She has a nineteen-year-old daughter and a twenty-year-old son, Connor, who broke up with Terri. The son's girlfriend, Sheila, is also nineteen.
The Cover and Title
The background of the cover is abstract with those round green drops plopping into that rippling circle of greens, blues, purples, and black. At the top is an info blurb in white. The author's name is in a muted orange while the title spans the ripples in white in the lower half. A huge thorn spears out from the bottom right in an orange to yellow gradient. In the lower left is pale lime telling us this is a novella.
The title overtly refers to the weekly newspaper, "Busted", local mugshots taken by the cops, and covertly clues us in to the ending.
canadianbookworm's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2024/04/busted.html
suvata's review against another edition
4.0
#StoryGraph: fiction crime mystery short story thriller southern
68 pages • first pub 2013 • 4 Stars
Series: Will Trent 6.5
While waiting to buy a frozen coke on his way to an undercover job in Macon, Will, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agent, unexpectedly gets involved in a situation that attracts town, county and state police as well as bringing down upon him the wrath of his boss Amanda.
68 pages • first pub 2013 • 4 Stars
Series: Will Trent 6.5
While waiting to buy a frozen coke on his way to an undercover job in Macon, Will, a Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agent, unexpectedly gets involved in a situation that attracts town, county and state police as well as bringing down upon him the wrath of his boss Amanda.
mseil24's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
becki_c's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve never given a novella four stars….
But the last line that Will said made me snicker out loud and I couldn’t resist. Can’t wait for another Will Trent novel
But the last line that Will said made me snicker out loud and I couldn’t resist. Can’t wait for another Will Trent novel
marieintheraw's review against another edition
3.0
I'm left wanting to buy Will Trent a coke icee after this one.
kitkat2712's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lefttorread's review against another edition
3.0
This short story wasn't as enjoyable as Snatched but I always enjoy being with Will Trent.