An early morning call by Border Patrol sends Sheriff Nicole Cobain out onto the lake to retrieve a dead man in ice, and it’s a slippery slope downhill from there. Illegal crossing into Canada, drugs, corruption in Border Patrol, who to trust, can she trust the people in her own department?
I have not read the first book, but I definitely adding to my books to read. I have been pleased to find the Sheriff to be a strong female character that doesn’t hesitate to make bold decisions and staying sensitive to those around her.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Back from the Brink by Emery Hayes, the second book featuring Sheriff Nicole Cobain of Blue Mesa, Montana. A formidable woman in a “man’s job” battling other agencies including the Border Patrol and FBI over drug trafficking and missing money. And she is also facing a growing attraction to the Medical Examiner. If you like action thrillers with a female protagonist this is the book for you. A great exciting read. Hopefully there will be sequels.

Fab book with a gripping storyline and more twists and turns than a corkscrew. Sharply drawn characters and a dark mystery involving people trafficking absorbs you from the start. More than once I thought I'd figured out events only to find I was wrong. Very absorbing read which I just couldn't put down. Will look forward to reading more by this author.

An engaging setting, characters with depth, a stirring premise and heart pounding scenes. This book, these characters, this setting would make a great television series. I'm going to watch for more works from this author. Big on action, light on romance (although still there), just a good story and thoroughly fun read.

This second book of the Nicole Cobain series hits a trifecta: excitement, intrigue, and romance. Her life as Sheriff of Toole County (Montana) is never dull for Nicole. With the proximity to the Canadian border, her county deals with all of the usual crimes while also encountering the dangers of illegal border crossings by immigrants and by drug dealers. When a border patrol agent calls Nicole out to a body found in frozen lake, but when she and her partner arrive, the patrol boat is empty. Meanwhile, a young woman runs from her would be attackers and gives birth in the woods around the lake and a man is found dead in another location. Are all of these things related and how? Nicole and her team attempt to answer this question. As her life is threatened, Nicole realizes that life is too short, and she wants to spend the rest of hers with her son and her boyfriend, MacAulay. The book keeps you guessing until the end.

Emery Hayes' Back from the Brink re-introduces readers to Sheriff Nicole Cobain - with enough back story that the reader doesn't feel lost if he/she hasn't read the first book (I had not, but I certainly will now!). Nicole receives a late-night call from a border patrol agent she knows and trusts. However, when they arrive at the lake, Monte and his partner are nowhere in sight (and it's hard to see). Nicole expertly commands the scene all the while the back hairs on her neck are prickling as she knows something is not right. This simple call thrusts Nicole and her team (everyone needs a Lars in their life) to work with both the Border Patrol and other investigators... all the while trying to figure out who they can trust. This book is a fantastic read! I can't wait to read the next installment of this Series.

Back from the Brink by Emery Hayes is a fast-paced, riveting mystery. It's the second in a series featuring Nicole Cobain, the Sheriff of Blue Mesa, Montana--a small town near the Canadian border. Nicole, an elected official, is the center of the mystery that includes murder, drugs, lots of money, bad cops and corrupt border patrol agents, and as an added twist to the plot, Syrian refugees. Nicole needs to figure out who is on her side and who is just pretending to be, and the compelling plot of this mystery can keep you reading well into the night. In spite of a complex plot, many disparate characters, and Nicole's own developing personal story, this book has a clearly described and incisive plot that is not always the case in the hands of a less skillful writer. The plot of this mystery is also carefully balanced and integrated with some personal stories that temper the violence of the bad guys. If you like mysteries, this one comes highly recommended.

This book was interesting to say the least.
It has an edge to it.
It was a quick fun book. But it lacked some where. Not quite sure. The writing was good. I think it needed a little more detail.
Overall not bad.

I have not read the first book in the Nicole Cobain series but that did not end up mattering. This was a very good book filled with suspense, twiists and turns. I found myself occasionally getting lost amongst all the characters but overall it was a great read! The mystery kept me very engaged right up to the final page. I will be looking for the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is the second book in the Nicole Cobain series. Even though I didn't read the first book, I thought I would read this and see how it goes. I had difficulty reading the book with all the acroynms. It did not flow easily for me. I am not from this area and it took me a long time to realise BP stood for Border Patrol. The book is riddled with all these abbreviations. Also how many times do you have to say vic instead of victim?

The story itself was a bit far fetched (I hope) but that did not detract from the enjoyment. It could have been a great book, but I can only give it 3 stars. If some of the abbreviations were written out initially and/or nowhere near as many, I would have given it a 4 star rating. If you don't mind spending time to work out what all the abbreviations mean it will be a great read for you.

I wanted to read a crime/ mystery with a strong female character and this one seems to fit the bill. I ended up not really liking it, but also not hating it.

Nicole is a sheriff in a small Montana town that has to deal with drug smugglers, and people trying to cross into Canada. When she gets a call in the middle of the night about a body in the lake, this only spells trouble. When they discover a border patrol agent might be involved in the crime spree and the many bodies turning up now , Nicole has no idea who to trust and who to turn to for help.

I was tempted to just not finish this book, I’ve put it down several times, but something pulled me back to finish it. I think the story is pretty good, but the writing is just slightly off for me. I can’t really explain it, but I had to read several passages twice to understand what was going on. It’s not like the author uses difficult language or anything, it’s just general flow I guess. Also I never got around to liking Nicole or any of the other mains, that certainly doesn’t help.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Sheriff Nicole Cobain has more than she can handle in her small Montana town. When she is called to the scene early one morning she can't believe what she finds. She realizes someone in a position of authority may be corrupt. Who can she trust? This book kept me on the edge of my seat.