Bruce Borgos follows up his debut with yet another zinger of a thriller that thrusts his protagonist into the world of cartels and automated weapons in the usually quiet high desert of Nevada. It’s fast-paced, twisty, and highly entertaining.
Sheriff Porter Beck, leading his small cadre of police department, is faced with terrible tragedies as a growing number of people, including a childhood friend, is afflicted by a new strain of strong illegal opioids in his town. At the same time, another one of his friends is targeted by a military drone hacked by a skilled individual. As Porter investigates the two cases, he’s led to a teenager who may have had a hand in the hacking of the military drone. Only issue is, she’s locked up in the juvenile detention center with no access to computers. Digging deeper into the incongruity of the situation, Porter soon realizes there’s more sinister things at play and that it all ties together like nothing he could have expected.
For those who’ve read Borgos’ debut, The Bitter Past, Shades of Mercy has high expectations riding on it, rightfully so given how excellent the debut was. I can confirm that the expectations are indeed met in this riveting thriller with plenty of gunfire to go around and a lot of intriguing twists that keep readers and characters on their toes. Porter along with his sheriff department and his gung-ho sister make for a terrific combo in this great mixture of cutting-edge techno thriller, small-town crime-solving mystery, and a contemporary depiction of the war on drugs that continue to rage today. Borgos takes his time in developing the characters with each decision and action his characters engage in, elevating the relatability of the characters and making them come to life through vivid sceneries and descriptions. The suspense is wonderfully woven into the tapestry of violence and threat of impending doom. Whatever you do, you’ll find your mind wandering to the narrative, just compelled to finally see how it all comes together.
Shades of Mercy serves as concrete evidence that Borgos is here to stay in the thrillerverse with awesome stories that vividly capture life in a desert town with cool new scenarios and dangerous threats to keep the good guys and gals busy with action and suspense.
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