REVIEWED by Alexander

TITLE: Crash & Burn

SERIES:  Cut & Run

AUTHOR:  Abigail Roux

PUBLISHER:  Riptide Publishing

LENGTH: 10 hours 44 minutes

NARRATOR: J.F. Harding

BLURB:

It’s been five years since Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett first worked together to solve the Tri-State murders, and time has been both harsh and kind. Engaged now, they face the challenge of planning a deeply uncertain future together.

Zane is at the pinnacle of his career with one last mystery to solve while Ty is at sea in a world where he’s no longer the tip of a spear. There’s just one more hurdle in the way of their happy ever after: a traitor from their inner circle who threatens to burn their world to the ground. Squeezed between the Vega cartel, an unknown mole, and too many alphabet agencies to count, Ty and

Zane must gather all their strength and resources to beat the longest odds they’ve ever faced. To make it out alive, they’ll need help from every friend they’ve got. Even the friends who might betray their trust.

REVIEW:

Crash & Burn is the ninth book in the Cut & Run series and the story builds on situations from the previous books. As such, reading any of the stories out of order is not recommended, this one included, simply due to the continuously evolving relationships and situations.

So I have a confession to make.  I bought the paperback of Crash & Burn when it was first released and could not get into it, just could not get into the story that I had been eagerly awaiting since reading Ball & Chain.  Fast forward to this past week when I started the audiobook and I was hooked from the get-go.  I have no idea what changed, but as I have found with other books, sometimes the audio just works better for me, and boy am I glad!

What to say about the story but OMFG!  What a wild ride that kept me listening even when I should have been doing other things.  The plot was fast-paced and fun, and occasionally violent and disturbing.  I really enjoyed watching the characters further evolve, and honestly, only Ty, Zane, Sidewinder, and their “friends” could make the chaos and craziness almost seem normal.

One of the highlights of the book were Zane and his mother’s reunion, which happens two days after Ty’s family arrives at the Carter Garrett ranch.  The two families together were a real treat, and Chester showed himself to be a force to be reckoned with yet again.  There is an event that leads to Ty’s mom getting pretty bent out of shape, which I won’t come out and tell you, but needless to say Mara Grady is one scary woman when pissed off.  What made me knock half a star off the story rating happened near the end of the book.  One moment all hell has broken loose, the next we are in a completely different setting, the endgame has played out, and the survivors  must now move on.  It is the lack of a transition that I found disconcerting, especially when the rest of the book was awesome.

Harding just got better and better as the series progressed, providing us with consistent character voices, including realistic accents for Liam Bell and Julian Cross.  I have become a big fan of Harding’s work, liking how he approached the world that I love so dearly, and improving on what I have always considered one of my favorite series (yes, even taking into account that I had not read this book yet).

STORY RATING:

AUDIO RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Audible

Amazon