Wow. I love Lane's witty, sarcastic humor within his action packed plots, and Naked We Came does not disappoint. With a familiar cast of characters, Lane takes you through the events of the story by the hand, until he ultimately flings you into the climax and you are left shaking your head and saying "oh my God!" Excellent writing, fabulous and interesting story, do not miss this one!

I think this book is a stronger book in this series, at least from what I've read of this series. The guy they think killed Jake's sister, 30 years ago, well he just washed up on shore, dead of course. Now we have a conflict, he is dead, why is he dead? If this is solved, will it solve his sister's disappearance too? There are some large twists to this tale and an emotional roller coaster for Jake. It does have one, or two discrepancies, which leave me wondering, but overall packs a wham with the twists.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

I give this book 4 out of 5 Thrilling Stars! I really enjoyed this murder mystery and there were a lot of twists and turns that we all know we love so much. This was an edge of your seat thriller that was filled with cover ups and mystery. This can easily be read as a standalone and has a great plot. I really enjoyed the characters especially the supporting ones. I felt that this book dragged out a little longer than it had to and was just a tad slow at times. Overall, I highly recommend this book and think this would make a great film.

Naked We Came
By Robert Lane

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from Netgalley and the publisher.

Jake Travis is a haunted man. When he was seven years old his sister was abducted while on a family vacation. This life changing event was compounded by the reality that her body was never found and the person that committed this heinous act has never been brought to justice. It is no surprise that this shaped him into the man he is today. He only allows people to see what he wants them to, never getting close enough to find the truth of the guilt he has harbored since he was a child.

When the man Jake suspects of her death washes up close to his dock, Jake is immediately under suspicion for the death. Jake realizes that person who was trying to frame him for this murder must be involved in the death of his sister. Jake will stop at nothing to get the answers he has waited twenty years to hear, but he must do so as he is wanted for questioning by the authorities. His decision puts friends old and new in jeopardy. But Jake is relentlessly pursuing the truth of what happened and will not stop at any cost.

Lane is a masterful writer. He paints descriptions pulling the reader into the scenes with his characters. Bits of literary beauty are tucked in this gritty mystery. Much like Dean Koontz, Lane adds quotes such as one from Picasso and words that enhance the reader’s experience and enjoyment. For instance, “gibbous moon” had me clicking the dictionary feature on my Kindle.

This is the fourth Jake Travis novel I have read. I love Lane’s style of writing as well as the depth and growth of his characters. The plotline of Naked We Came explains so much of how Jake reacts in the previous novels when confronting criminals. He is relentless – undoubtedly he sees his sister’s abductor in them. Like the previous novels in this series, Naked We Came is a fast-paced, complexly interesting mystery. I highly recommend this series.

Copyright © 2017 Laura Hartman

I was intrigued by the blurb for this book – I mean, who wouldn’t want to solve a thirty year old disappearance? Especially when it’s your sister who’s been missing?

After the man who confessed to abducting and murdering Jake’s sister washes up on a Florida beach, Jake Travis is determined to learn the truth after he is arrested for murdering the man. He follows a strange and convoluted trail, heavy with cover-ups, that leads him to several prominent people with Russian ties. Side note – in the book, one of the Russians admitted to tampering with the 2016 Presidential election.

I wanted to like this book, I really did, but it fell flat for me. Jake seemed to keep going over the same things, with witty quips and pop culture references from an earlier time (The Wallendas? And yes, I know who they are), and I felt that the story went nowhere quickly enough to keep my interest. Maybe my viewpoint would be different had I not jumped into the series at Book 5, or maybe I would have stopped after Book 1. I don’t know. Though this genre is one of my favorites, this book wasn’t a hit.

A real edge of you seat thriller.the characters are well developed and the plot moves along nicely

I usually love these but didn’t enjoy this one that much and really, really, REALLY hated the ending. The book didn’t really even capture my attention and a lot of it seemed to drag on more than it needed to. Ending was so disappointing I almost regret reading this.

Naked We Came was my first Robert Lane novel and the 5th in his Jake Travis series. I received this free from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review, and thank them and the author for this opportunity.
I thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery. There were several ways that this author sets himself apart from many in his genre.
Twists and turns are typical for suspense mysteries, but Lane's plot did more than just lead the reader down dead-ends and false leads. Instead of the usual linear sequence of potential suspects that a reader is convinced is the perpetrator, only to learn different and throw that character away for the next, Lane has the reader circling back and forth--alternating strong convictions of the innocence or guilt of several characters. I particularly enjoyed the surprising revelations of the contributions of a few minor characters to the holding of secrets due to their own selfishness.
I was also pleasantly entertained by the occasional addition of the main character's philosophical musings:
"Who is to judge how heavy someone else's invisible suitcase is?"
"There are no more answers found abstaining from alcohol than there are from indulging in it."
Or his struggles with his past:
"The past was like the rudder of the boat: always behind you but directing where you go."
And later: "The past is like a dog trying to shake off water. You just keep shaking and shaking and shaking. Finally you lie down, still wet."...It just doesn't get better than that imagery!
Bottomline: Enjoyable, fun, thought-provoking, and entertaining....and for me, a fabulous diversion (Full disclosure: my house burned to the ground in the California Wildfires while I was reading this novel...Loved the diversion!).

I really liked this book. The characters were interesting and well developed.
The plot had a lot of twists and turns that kept your attention. I particularly liked the ending. I would recommend this book to everyone.

Haunted by his sister’s disappearance years ago, Jake Travis faces challenges as he tries to discover the truth about what happened to her. The psychological aspects of his behavior and how he copes with the information as it is revealed are at the heart of the story. A unique and well developed character. Although the story’s premise and plot kept me reading, the pace was slow at times, making it feel even longer than its 350 pages.

Interesting thriller set in Florida with a twisty plot. Early on, Jake Travis, our protagonist, is annoying with a slick line of patter, for patter's sake, But somewhere around page 50, the plot kicks in with a vengeance. Jake is looking for answers to his 14 year old sister's disappearance. And everyone has a story to tell Jake, but how to figure out what is the truth or If there is truth. You have seedy lawyers, planted evidence, Russians and the CIA. Well worth persevering. Recommended.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review.

Great example of the private detective genre. Characters are interesting and complicated. The plot grabs you immediately and provides a satisfactory resolution. The novel functions well as stand alone story even though it is part of a series. Overall an enjoyable read.

Another winner in the Jake Travis series. Each book can be a stand-alone, but each one is enjoyable, so don't miss out on any of them. The characters are developed and interesting and the plot is compelling. In this book, we begin to get the details of what drives Jake in his need to resolve the loss of his sister. Jake has to untangle the mystery of who wants him to shut down the search for his sister's abductor. Their means of 'convincing' him are nothing less than perilous.

This novel has a real mixture of interesting characters and elements and a good basic story line, but I found myself more interested in the supporting characters than in the main character. In the same way the basic story was ok but it has too many 'coincidences' that seemed to be added in 'conveniently' rather than believably. In the end, I found myself wishing for the other characters developed and their exerting greater influence on the central character. Clearly the author has a good imagination and can create an effective story, maybe next time he will let the characters influence one another more and have those interactions affect the outcome of the story.

Several times I tried to read this book but I just could not get into it. I’m not saying this is a “bad” book; it’s just not for me. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Naked We Came is the story of a man's search for his sister's murderer, and his personal struggles with life, love, and the gamut of emotion. Robert Lane's exceptional writing leads his readers into the mind of a man with a mission, confused as he may be as to where his mission will lead him. Russia is a major "player" in this book, and because of America's interest in Russia's involvement in our recent election, the story hit close to home.

The story is slightly too long and about three quarters of the way through, I was wishing Lane would just wrap it up. I would recommend this book to you if you have a chance to read a significant portion of it on consecutive days. I didn't get a chance to read it as quickly as I wanted, and needed to go back and review in order to follow the events properly.

Princess Fuzzypants here:
When Jake was a boy, his sister was abducted and murdered, an event that has impacted every part of his life since then. He is a pretty hard boiled guy who knows his way around but even his Special Forces training did not help him for 30 years in finding her body or her killer. That is until now. Jake seeks closure and closure would be confronting the murderer and killing him. Finally, after so long, he is close.
But as he peels back layer after layer of the coverup he finds there are powerful people with more powerful friends who are willing to do anything to keep the secret of that day. He travels far and wide with his friends assisting him in his quest. When the final pieces fall into place, the outcome is something he never imagined.
Jake is a compelling anti-hero. He is a guy who despite the things he has done still has a heart. It can get in the way of his investigation but it is something that draws the reader and holds them. There are some truly wonderful supporting characters both his intimate associates and the people he meets. Some of decent and some are vile. But all are characters that get under your skin as you take the journey of the story. It reads like an old style thriller/mystery with lots of suspense and just the right amount of humour.
I give the book five purrs and two paws up.

I’ve never read this series before nor have I read this author before, but I have to say it wasn’t my cup of tea.  Jake Travis has been searching for his sister’s killer for over 30 years and it was pretty evident that he’d stop at nothing to get to the truth of the matter.  The suspect that was accused of killing his sister has wound up dead, and the police seem to think the case was closed but was it?

Aah, no, not according to Jake.  Too many circumstances pointed toward the dead suspect, but Jake didn’t believe this was his man.  As the reader continues to plug along with the story, a very clear and direct picture begins to take shape.  I don’t know what to say about this story.  It was missing something for me.  Perhaps not missing is the correct thing to say.  What bothered me about the story was Jake and the over detailing of every single thing happening in the story.  One of my pet-peeves is when an author provides so much detail, to the point, the reader has nothing left to imagine for himself. 

There were times I’d be engaged in the story, especially when the characters were speaking and then there would be tons and tons of detail in between the conversation that I’d forget who was speaking and what it was about.  Detail can be a writer’s best friend or worse nightmare depending on how it’s used and for me, it was entirely too much detail going on and that spoiled the story for me.  From a technical standpoint, Naked We Came was well written.  Lane proved he has a verse vocabulary, but again, I think the detail went a little overboard.  This wasn’t a bad read and I’m positive there are many readers who would enjoy this book, but it just didn’t satisfy my tastes. 

Mello and June give Naked We Came three dressed up stars.  This is Book 5 in the series.  Perhaps had we read the series from the beginning, we’d understand the protagonist a bit better and the flow may have made more sense.  Until next time, Intellectual Minds, keep on reading.

What Happened To Brittany Travis?

Nate Travis has been haunted by the memory of the day his sister disappeared. He blames himself in a way, but the dream of garnering revenge for her and punishing her abductor has haunted him for 30 years. When the person he originally thought was the culprit turns up dead on the beach near his home, his search is brought to the surface again. This time he refuses to quit until justice is served. A brilliantly written novel with a less than heroic lead character, you are at once drawn to Nate as he works his way through each obstacle he encounters with a bit of humor and a bit of ruthlessness. You’ll meet some interesting characters along the way, some cold-blooded, some endearing, and they will all lead you to the amazing ending.

Naked We Came haunted me. Every time I opened my NetGalley homepage, it would be on my recommended books. By the time I got the email from NetGalley that said it was a read now book, I decided that I would download it. I felt that it stalked me to the point where I had to read it. I read the blurb and felt that Naked We Came was a book that I would like. I am glad that I decided to download it because I did enjoy reading it.

Now, this is the 5th book in the Jake Travis series. I was a little leery about reading this book because it was a book 5. I know that I have mentioned in other reviews that I do not like picking books up mid-series. Nope, not at all. Because when I do that, I find that there are references to the other books that I do not understand. Now, with Naked We Came, there were instances where I wished I had read the other books. But other than that, Naked We Came can be read as a stand-alone book.

The book starts off with a body washing up on a beach by Jake’s house. This wasn’t an ordinary body. It was the body of the man who was suspected of kidnapping and killing Jake’s older sister. The only reason he wasn’t arrested was that her body wasn’t found. Jake thinks that he might have been set up. Actually, he was certain about it. So he opens his sister’s cold case with the determination to find her killer. Instead, he is lead into a mystery that involves the CIA, the State Department, and Russia. The more he digs into her disappearance, the more things don’t add up. And what he finds at the end of this quest might be the biggest shock of them all.

I actually felt bad for Jake. He carried the burden of his sister’s disappearance for years. He blamed himself for her disappearing and unfortunately, his parents somewhat did too. I did think that Jake was perfect for investigating Brittany’s disappearance. He had a bulldog mentality about the case and it got him further than the police did. I also liked that his BS meter was almost always right on. The only time I saw that he was wrong was with David. But even I didn’t see that coming.

I also liked that Jake was human. He had his issues but he refused to let them control him. His drinking was a big one, as was his love for the ladies. He was also one of the toughest fictional characters that I have read to date. I mean, he was able to take a beating and keep on going. It impressed me. I was actually comparing him to Jason Stratham in my mind.

The end of the book threw me for a loop. I loved twists and oh boy, was this a huge one. I actually put down my Kindle, shook my head, rubbed my eyes, went “No effing way” and picked the book back up. To say that I was not ready for the ending is an understatement. I am actually pretty excited to see where the book goes from there. I also excited to see how this ending will affect any forthcoming books in the series.

Naked We Came was a gripping action thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I could not put my Kindle down, that is how engrossed in the book I got. From the explosive beginning to the explosive ending, I was not disappointed. The characters were well written and the plot was fantastic.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language, violence, and sex.

I would like to thank Robert Lane, Mason Alley Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Naked We Came.

All opinions stated in this review of Naked We Came are mine

I received no compensation for this review

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**