Strong Rain Falling

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A simple trip to scout colleges goes awry for Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong when she guns down four thugs at a Rhode Island tourist spot while protecting the son of former outlaw Cort Wesley Masters. Now, Caitlin’s accustomed to people shooting at her, but when a similar attack is launched against Cort and his younger son, Caitlin and Cort realize they’re not the targets… Cort’s sons are.

Caitlin’s investigation reveals a tangled web going back a hundred years and several generations, tying the threat against Cort’s boys back to their birth mother, an opium smuggling operation, and a tumultuous showdown between the Texas Rangers, Zapata supporters, and government power players on both sides of the border. And the attacks on the Masters boys are just part of a plot that endangers so much more.

Strong Rain Falling is the fifth Caitlin Strong book, but my first introduction to the character and her world. And let me just say, it’s an impressive one. The book starts with a bang and doesn’t let up for a moment. Even the quieter scenes are laced with tension, adding a beautiful sharpness to the dialogue and character interactions. Land incorporates plenty of backstory unobtrusively, giving the reader just enough to fill in the gaps without hampering the plot’s development in the slightest.

And this book has greater depth than your average crime thriller. Channeling the combative history of Texas and Mexico adds tremendous gravitas to the book’s events, and in a novel about long memories, old grudges, and how the past affects the future, it’s the perfect seasoning to enhance the story. Its generational perspective and deft hand at exploring the cultural differences between the U.S. and Mexico are reminiscent of the best of Paco Ignacio Taibo’s non-detective works.

While I preferred the more personal developments to the expanding scope of the antagonist’s plot, this is nonetheless a terrific book, and I can’t wait to hunt down the rest of the series.


Reviewed By:

Author
Star Count 5/5
Format Hard
Page Count 352 pages
Publisher Forge Books
Publish Date 13-Aug-2013
ISBN 9780765331502
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue September 2013
Category Mystery, Crime, Thriller
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