What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this book.

Alibi and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Savage Rising. I voluntarily chose to review this book and my opinion freely given.

Deputy Dani Savage, of Baptist Flats, Tennessee, has returned to dispense more justice to the deserved. When the search of a dead man in a horse stall yields an ID for a missing ATF agent, will Dani's investigation lead to more puzzling results? Teaming up with two strangers, will the search for the truth lead the trio directly into danger?

The author leads the book to an expected place, which led to me rapidly losing interest. The story goes back and forth between two groups, constantly taking the reader out of the main plot. The writing was sluggish and this affected the pacing. Overall, the main character was not strong enough to drive the plot and the setting was not developed enough to keep my interest. For these reasons, I would not recommend Savage Rising to other readers.

Dani's tough- she has to be- and she's the law in this rural noir procedural. It's got a good plot and characters and is well written- will keep you turning the pages.

This is the second book in the Backwoods Justice series. Dani Savage (aka the “little deputy”) is a deputy in Baptist Flats, Tennessee. She may be physically small, but she makes up for her size with grit and determination to do the best job possible. A body is found in a horse stall with his pants around his ankles. He was killed by a kick in the head from the horse but what is slightly more unusual (if you can believe that) is that he has the badge of an ATF agent in his pocket, a missing ATF agent. The search is on for the missing female agent. Her boss wants the case closed, the horse killed him and that’s it. But, that is not it for Dani who pursues the case on her own. This begins a complex mystery with many twists and turns, but Mr. Caldwell weaves the story in such a way that you are never lost. The characters are so interesting, filled with down home witty dialog and mysterious agendas of their own. Dani is a wonderfully strong female lead and determined to solve the mystery and protect her town. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to give an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

This is the second book in the Backwoods series. I didn't catch the first one, but I'm drawn to anything with a little murder, Appalachia and comparison to Justified, so I let it slide that I was starting on book 2. And this book delivered.

I doubt I'm the only one out there, but I think when you get used to reading books written by women, you can tell when you come across one that is written by a man. I don't do much research before reading books. If it sounds good when I skim the summary on Netgalley, I'm in. Shortly after I started this one, I took a break and looked up the author. When I saw it was a man, I said, "Oh, makes sense!"

I loved the characters in this book. The first few pages are hysterical. I would definitely consider reading more of this series.

After reading this author's previous book featuring these characters Savage Reckoning, I had high hopes for this one.
Once I started reading it though I realized that it just wasn't the same. I almost had to call it quits when at around 40% nothing really had happened.


Then my two favorite characters showed up and things started to get better.


Kenny and Step. The Close Out Kings. *sighs*

I probably should talk about the book some instead of rambling. It's the middle of the night here so don't expect much.
Dani is being a pest to her uncle the sheriff again, by actually wanting to look into some clues that pop up. Those clues pop up in one of the best opening chapters ever. (Involves a dead man that got that way by trying to have some relations with a horse-*pure gold*)

Dani does it anyways because that's what she does. She then realizes that there is a new guy in town that is following her around and poking his nose into the very same thing that she is looking at. He tells her so many different stories about who he is that she knows if he is breathing that he is lying. He is way over-skilled too.
*I had a totally smexy gif of Jason Statham for here but it won't dang load*

THEN on top of that you have another new stranger in town. (For a little piss ant town this place is getting lots of action) She is a tall, black, former marine that is also following Dani.

I can see where the author wanted to add in some new characters and I like them. I just wanted the whole thing to move faster...and then there is this side my book reading self that needed appeased also.


Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

This is the second part of a the series, however you can read it as a standalone you will not be lost, the writer gives you enough information that you can follow along. Even though the subject was supposed to be serious, you could not help but to laugh at times, or maybe it was my warped sense of humor. So it begins with a death of Parnell Carson found in horse stall with his pants around his ankles and the ID of a missing ATF agent, and it looks as if he was doing something interesting with the animals..yeah So while Dani, is called to investigate, 2 mysterious individuals appear, and inject themselves into the investigation. We have Jack Spivey, and does really give much information about his background. And then we have a woman who gets involve in the investigate too, who are they, and what do they want? Never the less, Dani does team up with them, and they start discover a conspiracy, there a lot of suspense. This is my first book, but it will not be my last.. enjoy!

Savage is the ultimate female hero. Her size doesn't keep her from having a big impact on the world around her. The writing supports increasing interest as the plot twists and danger threatens. The writing captures the feeling of the mountain folk and the backwoods environment. A quick and entertaining read.

Holy cow this book! There was several times as I was reading that I thought OMG what is going to happen next??!! And that is the point of reading. To escape to another world and get caught up in the lives of characters. What a great book. This is one I can highly recommend to everyone to read. Thank you for the opportunity.

C. Hoyt Caldwell has told a masterful story about a small town female deputy that is an amazingly strong woman!
It kept me entertained and enthralled from beginning to end.

This is the second Savage novel I've read. They are set in backwoods Tennessee and the characters are, in their words, hickbillys. The plot deals with the Pike family, a militia and Dani Savage's efforts to stop them all. Many of the supporting characters are even more colorful then Dani. The language is coarse and the action nonstop. All in all, great reading. I'm looking forward to the next segment. Thanks to Net Galley and Alibi for an ARC for an honest review.

Savage Rising

A Backwoods Justice Novel



by C. Hoyt Caldwell

Random House Publishing Group - Alibi

Alibi



General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers

Pub Date 06 Jun 2017

I am reviewing Savage Rising through Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley:

Dani Savage is a female ATF agent trying to prove herself to the folks of Baptist Flatts Tennessee, when she is called to investigate the murder of a man who was murdered, and found with his pants down his ankles, at first they think it's an accident but it grows more complicated when the mans victim ID shows an atf agent, a female atf agent.

To make matters worse Jack Spivey comes to town, asking questions about the missing ATF agent. After a Marine shows up Dani has no choice but to team up with the shadowy figures.

I give Savage Rising four out of five stars.

Savage Rising is book number two in in the Backwoods Justice novels by C. Hoyt Caldwell. Savage Rising is a nice continuation of Savage Reckoning but mostly a stand alone story. Some edge of the seat moments with some humor thrown in. I'm hoping there will be a third book. I was given a copy to review.

Loved it!! Dani Savage and the closeout kings are back in this action filled read. Highly entertaining book that I enjoyed to the fullest. I can't wait until the next book comes out. Please let there be more books. Definitely recommended.

3.75 out of 5

I decided to give this author and series a second chance since the first one left me questioning if it was the author's writing style or the story itself. This story starts off with a laugh out loud murder but soon slows down quickly introducing several different characters as well as ones from the first. This time around I found the story to flow better but it would get bogged down with backwoods lingo and the author explaining it instead of the readers being able to understand the reference.
The story has a little dark humor that will have readers wondering if they should laugh or not. Laugh because its pretty funny.
This book reminds me of the TV series Justified. With Dani trying hard to follow the rules but finds it hard when she thinks she see injustice not to mention following her own code of ethics from time to time.
The author catches readers up quickly in the first few chapters so readers will not be lost on what happened in the first book.
The story at times would become choppy and slow taking the reader out of the story. The basic story has great potential as the author continues to write Dani and her cast of characters.
Thank you for the Advance Copy from Netgalley.

Hated it. The attempt to write like a good ole boy falls flat.

The way author C. Hoyt Caldwell sees it, his work features sex, violence, humor and heart, and is “tasteless and gritty.” His novel, “Savage Rising,” certainly showcases that sort of content and if you don’t like it, read something else. Caldwell doesn’t really care because he knows some people out there enjoy that sort of fun and will pony up the bucks to read it.

“Savage Rising” starts with the discovery of a dead scoundrel who was kicked in the head by a horse named Cherry Pie while enjoying carnal relations with the lovely equine. Federal law enforcement identification of ATF agent Patricia McElhenney is found on his body and thus begins a long, involved story.

The reader will meet a feisty little sheriff’s deputy, a federal agent who may or may not have good intentions, a backwoods family of haters, a couple of hit men trying to do good, a goofy half lawyer-half minister, and many other assorted characters, none of whom amount to a pinch of manure. One might make an exception for Deputy Dani Savage who, despite her tiny stature, can cuss with the best of them and still win two rounds out of three when fisticuffs arise.

The story continues with an assemblage of religious weirdoes who are conjuring up a terrorist attack that, according to the leaders, will outdo the Rapture. Many threats, beatings, murders, kidnappings and other bad things evolve as the final event gets assembled.

I enjoyed the disjointed arrangements and the mixed up goings-on, while not believing any of the story. It was all nuts but still grabbed me, in spite of my doubt. The author is a crazy man who writes well and enjoys making his readers squirm with enjoyment at his imaginary antics.

If you’d like to water down your reading habits that have gotten too hoity-toity lately, this novel is entertaining and will likely raise your eyebrows in places. If you have a dainty streak, skip it.

The Gray Rise militia gains power in the hickbilly area around Baptist Flats, Tennessee

This is the second book in the Backwoods Justice series following SAVAGE RECKONING. I enjoyed this tale as much as the first. The original characters are in this offering (including Deputy Dani Savage and my favorites, the closeout kings) plus there's a few new people along for the ride.

The Pike family are backwoods royalty in the Baptist Flats vicinity, involved in all the unsavory and illegal activities in the area. After a top down shakeup that happened in the prior story, Harley Pike is the new head of the backwoods crime network and he's pouring all his efforts into forming the Gray Rise militia.

Cryptic messages, dead bodies, dark humor and a real talent for getting his readers involved in the story make this one hickbilly (I love this new word from the book) adventure you don't want to miss.

I loved the characters, the backwoods atmosphere, the exciting storyline and I am a sucker for this author's dark humor scattered throughout the book. I just bought author Caldwell's other novel BAD WAY OUT and I'm starting on it next.

I received this book from Alibi - Random House through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

This book made me laugh out loud numerous times thanks to the colorful language and the author's turn of phrase. Even so there are some serious threads running through it. It's like the show Justified in book form. I liked Dani Savage a lot, as well as her crew.

Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.