Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

3.5 ⭐️


Nathaniel “Natty” Dresden, a veteran of the Iraq War who experiences PTSD over what he did & what happened to him there, has returned to the US unwilling/unable to connect with his father, a defense attorney who didn’t approve of his choice to enlist in the first place.

After his father’s murdered in the midst of a case involving suing the FBI, Natty learns more about his life than he probably wanted to. Natty wants to figure out what happened to his dad, & why, & a certain important person in his life begins to look more & more suspicious.

Also investigating the case is Detective Lourdes Robles who has something to prove after she was recently sidelined for a former partner’s behavior. She wants this win.

Peter Blauner’s Proving Ground offers a solid mystery told in an intriguing voice. My favorite moments are the character-driven ones, when Blauner shares the secrets & memories each holds close behind their respective defensive armor.

While I enjoyed this read, I found myself disappointed by the end, which feels somewhat odd to me. After everything that Natty shares, everything he’s been through, I didn’t understand why he responded to the final events the way he did, & there’s one storyline throughout that I just didn’t 100% get.

Proving Ground is an interesting thriller & I was glad to uncover the mysteries at the heart of it but I also have some quibbles.

Minotaur Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Proving Ground. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Nathaniel Dresden has spent his life trying to be different from his father, by joining the military instead of becoming a civil rights lawyer. When his father is found murdered, Natty must deal with the unresolved issues with his father and the PTSD that threatens to derail him completely. When he becomes a target of the investigation by NYPD Detective Lourdes Robles, a Latina cop with a checkered history, will Natty's search for clues yield the truth? Will his father's last case be Natty's best chance for redemption?

Proving Ground had a lot of good elements, such as a thrilling pace and interesting characters, but it never got off the ground for me. Lourdes is supposed to be the main focus of the story, but Nathaniel Dresden took center stage for me. The detective's character is not fully developed and I never really felt like I got to know both the professional and personal sides of her. There were too many side plots, which takes the reader out of the action and muddies the story. Proving Ground goes from one crime to another, but does not really satisfyingly come to a conclusion at the end. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend the novel to other readers.

Having witnessed and maybe participated in the atrocities of war time prisoner interrogations has caught up to Natty, short for Nathaniel. Suffering panic attacks, blackouts, and mixed feelings about issues on the home front leads to his involvement in issues his lawyer father was litigating and possibly murdered for. Enter an over eager local Latina police officer and at the same time enter the ever-eager FBI against whom the lawsuit was filed. An array of characters appear at various intervals as witnesses seem to die before trial, seemingly orchestrated by Natty’s deceased father’s law partner. A story that seems to meander at times as Natty gets lost in mental ruminations, caught up in the “what ifs” of his past and present. An ending that leaves some unanswered questions also leaves an unsatisfied reader.

Great beach read! Will recommend to my customers looking for a thrill ride!

RATING: 2 STARS
(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY0

(Review Not on Blog)

I called it...a DNF at 55%. At 55% there still did not seem to be action...a lot of talk but no show. I stopped because the snail pace was killing me and the characters were not engaging enough to care where they ended up. Moving onto to something else.

PROVING GROUND by Peter Blauner, author of Casino Moon, and several other books, begins with Nathaniel Dresden aka “Natty Dread” a soldier in Iraq who is skilled in interrogation. Natty is the son of a well known defense attorney named David Dresden, and was given his nickname by his father David, a Bob Marley fan and a liberal in every sense of the word.

Natty is on the team sent to locate Ahmar, the reported one responsible for the death of a man known to Natty as ‘Borat’, an informant with a resemblance to the character portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen in the comedy with the same name as the title, and is well like by the American soldiers. Borat has been recently beheaded in front of his family, and the soldiers are out for revenge which leads them to the home of an Iraqi family that a man has said much might be harboring Ahmar.
Tragedy results from their raid on the family's home with Natty responsible for the outcome creating an unshakable image that affects him for the duration of the book.

Later, the story picks up with Natty in jail after putting a probationary fire fighter in NYC in the hospital after a bar brawl the previous night, and we learn Natty was drunk and violent in the wake of his father’s murder.

Natty stays with his mother while going through court ordered therapy for PTSD to avoid jail time, and we learn that Natty has been a prosecutor in Florida before coming back home following his father’s death.

David, Natty’s father had been involved in the high-profile case known as ‘The Mailman Case’ involving the FBI along with David's partner Ben who has in the past been a mentor to Natty.

Lourdes Robles, a young female detective assigned to her first case since disciplinary action for her previous partner’s behavior, is assigned to the case along with a long-time veteran named Sullivan.

Natty finds himself a suspect in his own father's murder, which only adds to his already heavy load he's been dealing with as he tries to adapt to civilian life while battling PTSD that comes with suicidal thoughts, and flashbacks to his time in Iraq.

Peter Blauner has written a very good full length novel about a subject that has probably been overdone recently by other authors and screenwriters, yet has done so in a way that makes it not seem clichéd and builds interest as the book progresses detailing Natty’s past and filling in holes that explain the relationship between him and his mother, father, and Ben.

I'd recommend this book to anyone pulling for someone coming from a difficult situation wanting to come to grips with it and move on, as well as anyone who has an interest in the struggles of a veteran returning to civilian life back home, and this book was even more touching to read over the recent holiday where we honor those who have served, and those who have given their lives for country.
5 stars.

The author does a beautiful job of making the characters real, and making you feel for the characters. It has been way too long since we've heard from this author!

Proving Ground is Mr Blauner's first novel in more than a decade but still showcases the author's ability to keep his readers glued to the pages. Nathaniel Dresden has served two tours of duty in Iraq and returned home with symptoms of PTSD; his mind loaded with the horrific memories of combat. Returning to civilian life he is quickly hit with the murder of his father near Prospect Park in the Borough of Brooklyn. Natty's prime reason for joining the army was an act of rebellion against his father and he feels the guilt of not knowing his dad.
Lourdes Robles, a recently newly minted detective with the New York Police Department harbors some suspicion that Nathaniel might have something to do with the murder. His father was a partner in a law firm that was handling a case against the FBI that would be very lucrative when settled. His father's partner: Ben asks Natty to step into the firm in his father's place and work the case. Since he was a member of the Bar prior to entering the army Nathaniel is qualified to try the case, and Ben offers him all the help he needs to do so.
Peter Blauner brings to bear a graphic description of New York City while working through Natty and Lourdes' investigations. In addition the desire of members of the NY police force and FBI would not be adverse to the complete whitewash of the murder for their own reasons. Lourdes figures in other books by Blauner, but basically does not play the central role expected for a central character. She does receive enough of a personality description for the reader to become familiar with her.

Peter Blauner delves into the essence a young man, Nathaniel Dresden, who is suffering from his time in the military. He seems to have PTSD and is resistant in pursuing help. At the same time, he loses his father to a murder that opens the novel - a gruesome killing in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Nathaniel is different than his mother and father. They were extremely liberal all their lives and Nathaniel (called Natty) never fit into their life style. He joined the military after 9/11 but he did complete a law degree and relocated in Miami, working as a prosecutor.

Corruption is at the core of this narrative arc - from lawyers to cops. Natty is trying to do the best he can for his mother and in the process, trying to get through the hell that is his mind. PB writes an excellent mystery with serious moral issues at stake for all the players.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Minotaur Books (May 2nd 2017).

Suspense full and action filled, what more can ask for over winter. Great book, will read more by this author