WHEN THE LONESOME DOG BARKS by Trey R. Barker is the 3rd book in the “Jace Salome Series” featuring the young female corrections officer and investigator with a difficult past.

Jace is assigned to an investigation after witnessing something being passed amongst prisoners during an altercation between prisoners and guards after a fight breaks out.

Struggling against the difficulties of being discriminated as a female officer constantly being confronted by coworkers and prisoners alike, Jace also tries to battle against anger issues related to PTSD from an earlier incident after quickly resorting to violence in stressful situations all too often of late.

Investigation confirms Jace’s observations and suspicions, and she received praise and permission to go further with the investigation, but in doing so prisoners are at risk by talking to her, as are coworkers, and family simply by being associated with her as several events take place that confirm this.

Should Jace back off of the investigation to protect herself and others against harm, or should she go forward knowing the risks involved?

Interesting story here that combines the lead character being a correctional officer dealing with prisoner issues, yet also working as a hard nosed investigator with hopes of advancing her career to eventually be promoted to a position outside of the prison walls.

4 stars.

I don't know if I found "When The Lonesome Dog Barks" wasn't aligned with my tastes or if it was something else. However, I did find the dialog to be a bit too long and, at times, unreal. And some of the descriptions were too much telling and not enough showing.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Trey R. Barker and Down & Out Books in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for sharing your hard work with me.

This is the third(?) Deputy Jailer Jace Salome novel, and it's packed with lots of action. A fast read and stand alone, this police procedural takes place in the western panhandle of Texas. Jace is still feeling her way into her job, second guessing herself because the job has interfered with her relationship with her Grandmother, and at times she is unsure of her ability to honor this job. And this is a case that is going to take a lot of perseverance and skill to see it to it's final solution. By the end, Jace will know if she wants to join her friend 'on the road', stay at the county jail, or start over in something her Grandmother will find more appealing.

A new police procedural and western mystery novel from Trey R. Barker and Down and Out Books due to be released 20th November. This is the third novel featuring Deputy Sheriff Jace Salome but my first introduction into the series and it works well as a standalone book.

The book is set in rural Texas. Jace, who is assigned to security at the local prison is imperfectly dealing with psychological fallout from traumatic events and violence in her past, and trying to figure out if her job is right for her and whether she can move forward to doing detective work.

The secondary cast of characters is large, but well developed and contribute to the story. The banter and occasional rawness and sarcasm of people who are forced to work closely together in a stressful situation that could erupt violently at any moment is masterfully written and it's no surprise to find the author has a history in law enforcement.

The writing style itself is often jarring and difficult to follow. There are places where the dialogue isn't clearly marked between characters, so it's not easy to see who said what. I received an early ARC, so the wrinkles will almost certainly be ironed out with final editing, but there were also several typos and misspellings; 'then' instead of 'than' for example. They didn't prevent enjoying the narrative, so it's probably a non-issue for most readers.

The plotting is well paced and taut. I enjoyed the story and especially enjoyed the dichotomy of her stress and tightly wound work persona contrasted with her unusual but loving mismatched family.

Definitely worth a look, especially for fans of gritty western mysteries.

Three and a half stars.

Thank you Netgalley.

Another Superwoman book. How many licks / kicks/ punches / knocks on the head can a body take and still keep ticking / retaining normal brain function????

I also found the overuse of slang / jail lingo to be somewhat distracting and slowed down the story. I did not realize this was the 4th book in a series and perhaps if I had read the first 3, I wouldn't have also been slowed puzzling out the various relationships between the characters.

There was lots of action in the story and overall I found it to be compelling enough to finish reading to find out what happened to who rather than a chore to get through