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A review by tasmanian_bibliophile
Nothing Short of Dying by Erik Storey
3.0
Nothing Short of Dying by Erik Storey (July 2016) On NetGalley, publish on Amazon on 16/8/2016)
‘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
‘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