It's sad when someone who obviously knows how to write, feels the need to use three times as many words as necessary. And then tries to copy 3rd class action movies with lots of tactical nonsense. If you need to waste some time, read this book.

"Strong as Steel" follows "Strong to the Bone" as the tenth in Jon Land's improbable but extremely entertaining series starring titanium tough, gun-toting Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong.

This time, Caitlin and crew (with a surprising addition) face off against sinister fanatics aiming to unleash mass destruction.

I love Texas Rangers, and I love Caitlin Strong. She's smart, strong and not to be trifled with. And with diabolical murders to be solved? Well, she's unstoppable. I thoroughly enjoyed the dialog, the pace and the intelligent plot. This is my first book by Land, but it won't be my last. The novel is well-written and not condescending to the reader, pulling you in for a virtual wild ride. Loved it.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this arc.

If you like a pulse pounding, heart racing action-adventure read, then this is for you. If you like a good old shoot-'em-up read, then this is for you. If you like international conspiracies , Mexican/South American cartel wars and religious crusades, the this is for you. If you like the resolution of cold case mysteries, then this is for you. I usually enjoy these types of escapist reads, but I found this to be a ginormous Texas sized snarled web of all of the above. The plot lines just completely overwhelmed to story for me. There was the usual cast of 1,000s.... good guys, bad guys, bad guys turned good, good guys getting bad, yadda yadda yadda. All pretty stereotypical roles found in this type of book, but NONE of these characters resonated enough for me to be very interested in their outcomes. Not good, not really bad. The story just got lost.

The past, the present, local, national, and even international conspiracies all come together in a perfect storm—Hurricane Caitlin, as in Caitlin Strong, Texas Ranger. Familiar characters from previous installments can be found, and relationships play an important role as a cold case gets hot. Although this is the tenth book in the series, it can easily be a starting point for the new reader.