After the killing of his wife and younger child by a reckless, drug-impaired driver, Tucker Snow takes time off from his job as a special ranger for livestock-related enforcement and moves to the outskirts of a small town with his teenage daughter, Chloe. Their grief is quickly disturbed by suspicious goings-on next door, where their neighbors live in a trailer that seems to get an awful lot of nighttime visitors who don't stay long. When Tucker and Chloe hear an apparent shootout there, Tucker goes to check it out and is given the feeblest of excuses; the local sheriff’s deputy doesn’t seem too inclined to pursue the matter. The good guys are easy root for here: Tucker, his retired lawman brother Harley, both weapons-savvy men of action who work perfectly as a team after many years in undercover drug enforcement; Chloe, bereaved but determined, smart, and capable; and Harley’s wife and rambunctious sons. This feels like an old Western in the sense that all we really need to know about the bad guys is that they are Very Bad in Every Way. Drugs, murder, wife-beating, and even sexual abuse are all in the mix. True to form, there’s corrupt law enforcement reminiscent of a lot of old TV shows, meaning it’s all up to our hero (and his various sidekicks) to save the day. This he does in fine thriller fashion, teaming up with his brother once again with nonstop drama, chases, and showdowns. There’s a great cameo by the ailing sheriff making a heroic last stand. The ending is dramatic and satisfying.

Thanks to Netagalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital advance review copy.

Great read. This one is an action packed page turner. Also worth noting that the cover art is stunning!

Hard Country by Reavis Z. Wortham
Tucker Snow #1

Small town life should be calm, serene, and easy…right? Not so much for Tucker and his daughter Chloe when they moved to Ganther Bluff and found themselves across the road from drug dealers that didn’t play nice. Great introduction to a new series!

What I liked:
* Tucker: widow, father to a teenage daughter, grieving, lost his wife and younger daughter to meth addled driver, trying to health while keeping his daughter safe
* Chloe: sixteen, not happy to have moved to the country, misses her mother and sister, grieving, goodhearted, kind, caring, strong – has a good future
* Harley: Tucker’s younger brother and partner for years undercover, married, has to young sons, a bit higher strung than Tucker, loves his family and brother, in synch with Tucker when working
* Tammy: Harley’s wife and aunt to Chloe, there for her family, strong and resilient
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* The way Tucker and Harley worked together
* That I knew who the bad guys were and was rooting for them to be dealt with
* The way family and community played a part – both good and bad families
* That there is another book to look forward to

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Knowing that there are evil people like the ones in this book and that they harm so many by doing what they do

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Tucker Snow has moved himself and his son to what he hopes is a quiet place after his wife is killed because of his job. After a run-in with his neighbor, it does not get quiet only gets worse as he notices all of the traffic at night. Having worked undercover in narcotics he knows what this means. With the help of his brother Harley, they have to work together to take down these people especially when he finds just how far up the line of corruption goes. A good fast fast-paced story with good characters, and plenty of good descriptions along the way.

I remember that I mainly read traditional or cozy mystery not long ago. Then something happend and I'm also loving this action packed and tense thrillers that keep me turning pages and reading till late in the night
This a good one, this huge Lansdale fan found something of him in this story, but also a solid, girpping, and well plotted thriller.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

One good book, this was, it was very interesting. This book was based on people who did meth in the rural counties outside of dallas. I'm just snowing moved there with his daughter. Because his wife and baby daughter was killed in an accident because of these people. Touched on a lot of different issues as well and I learned a lot about certain things in this book. It was like novel it always. Something was happening every minute. It's just snow, it's time to do right and help everybody. But things got really out of hand real quick look like.. His daughter Chloe was just trying to go through it on my emotions. And you try to be friends with a nut girl next door.. It was like a chasing in the movie as well. Because things just started to go around them. Including our friend were taken by these people. Chloe knew what to do because her father was S h e I e f This helped the girl survive there already. The book has a happy ending.

This is my favorite genre. I'm an avid reader so I'm always looking for a new to me author. When I find one, I tend to binge read their library. I just finished reading C J Box's Joe Pickett series set in Wyoming. Now I find Reavis Z Wortham writing the same excellent quality of books as Box. I have no idea how I reached this age and have never read any of his library. But now......

Hard Country has a definite "good vs bad" feeling with the good guys sometimes using alternate methods to rid the crime from their homes and families. Tucker Snow, with his brother Harley, have an extensive history of successfully solving crimes, no questions asked. (Shades of Pickett and Romanofski) But Tucker is trying to figure out how to survive in a world where he has lost his wife and son. He moves his teenage daughter to a place where he can better protect her, only to find that a peaceful place may not exist. This back story, a greiving man trying to protect his family, sets Tucker up to investigate his neighbors and along with help from his brother, again do what he does best. Book #1 in the Tucker Snow thriller has guaranteed that I'll be watching for more Reavis Z Wortham books. Or least after I binge the Red River series.....

Well, I thought it was good. Don't quite understand the harshly negative reviews here. The Snow brothers are a bit archetypal but as far as I am concerned, that's fun. We don't always need Cormac McCarthy.

Plenty of action and suspense along with fantastic characters and a well-written plot make this novel a must read for those who love thrillers. Tucker Snow and his daughter Chloe have recently relocated to Ganther Bluff, Texas from the Dallas area. Tucker’s wife Sara Beth and their four-year-old daughter Peyton died in a car wreck caused by someone on drugs.

Tucker and his brother Harley worked as uncover narcotics agents for the Texas Department of Public Safety for decades. However, Tucker had taken his dream job as a special ranger with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association before the accident. He’s now on leave.
However, Tucker and Chloe’s peace is shattered; first by arguing heard nearby, then by gunshots from two different guns. Tucker goes to the nearby trailer to make sure everyone is okay. This puts him on the radar of Jess Atchley who doesn’t like any type of law enforcement officer. On top of this, there are cars in and out of the trailer’s driveway day and night. As events escalate, Tucker goes back on active duty and calls Harley for help.

The characterization is well-done in this novel. Tucker is experiencing grief and loss. He is somewhat cautious, at least compared to Harley. Chloe is feeling lost and uprooted. However, she is trying to be understanding of her father’s feelings. The characters brimmed with personality. I am looking forward to the returning characters’ continued development in the next book in the series.
Many of the antagonists are known early in the book. However, it is the action-packed journey filled with suspense that kept me turning the pages. It was a wild ride with sudden moments of danger. The author also brings a strong sense of place to the events in the book. The writing is descriptive without slowing down the vivid and action-filled plot. I could easily visualize the town, the people, and the countryside. Themes include grief, murder, assault, drugs, family, friendship, corruption, and much more. At the end of the book is an author’s note that should be read. It includes his comment that he stretched legal boundaries in this book to make the story more interesting. There is also a reading group guide and a conversation with the author section.

Overall, this riveting story arc immediately grabbed my attention and kept me engaged throughout the book. This is book one in the Tucker Snow thrillers series. I can’t wait to read the next book. Those who like action-packed crime thrillers will likely enjoy this novel. I’ve only read one other book by this author and it was a historical fiction crime thriller that was also excellent: The Texas Job.

Poisoned Pen Press and Reavis Z. Wortham provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for August 02, 2023. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Tucker Snow thought he was buying a refuge for himself and his daughter Chloe but it turns out the meth heads and other bad guys are right next door to their Texas home, He recruits his brother Harlan (it doesn't take much) to get rid of them but things go sideways when the bad guys kidnap Chloe. This is fast paced, violent, and often over the top but that doesn't mean it's not a page turner. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, An interesting start to a new series,

So excited to discover a new-to-me wonderful author from my home state. This is set in one of the few areas I’m unfamiliar with, N. East Texas. I’ve traveled all over this massive state and central Oklahoma, never the corner where the piney woods meet the mountainous Choctaw region. It was the perfect setting for criminals to hide an elaborate, very profitable business. A new variety of methamphetamine whose side effects make users crazed with feral demons.
Tucker is a recent widow with a teenage daughter. He’s moved them to the country, bought some land and is on leave as a special agent with the Cattle Raisers Association. Anyone not familiar with this type of law enforcement should note that they hold more power and authority than you’d expect and are well respected. Harley is his brother, retired law enforcement, now has his own training company for various law enforcement agencies. They are very close and the concept with Tucker and Harley, brothers in similar law enforcement agencies was fresh and flowed well. They fed off each other’s energy, finished sentences yet didn’t always see eye to eye. The story has a wild west flair while it’s social issues are unfortunately all too common and current.
The nearest town includes a network of loosely related kinfolk. Cousins, uncles, brothers, crooks and law enforcement all tangled up by blood relation. There’s a plot to take out the ailing honest sheriff so the crooked temporary replacement becomes permanent. Tucker’s daughter befriends a younger girl who is caught in a home life of horrors. This act of kindness endangers both their lives. Tucker must depend on his brother like never before in order to save what he has left of his family. The action is explosive spanning Texas into Oklahoma. I loved everything about the characters, setting and plot. It is the first in a new series. I can’t wait to read more!
A digital advance reader copy of “Hard Country” by Reavis Z. Wortham, Published by Poisoned Pen Press, was provided by NetGalley. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Exciting, unique, and a great team bringing the action.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I love finding books that fly beneath the radar sometimes, especially when it turns out to be fantastic! This author has developed a unique plot that is so totally realistic, it begs you to keep reading.

I love the way the author set up the character structure. Two brothers teaming up with similar jobs in law enforcement to handle suspicious neighbor activity that becomes not only targeted major crimes but just downright mean.

Wortham writes with clarity and a vision so bright that you feel you’re a part of the story and just hanging on for dear life on this wild ride.

The main character, Tucker Snow, is brilliantly developed with heart, a high level of protection, dry wit, and an innate sense of duty. He seems kind-hearted, but don’t get on the wrong side of him or his brother!

Hard Country was a fabulous surprise. Exciting, with perfect pacing, and the escalation of suspense made this a read I won’t forget

After his wife and toddler daughter were killed in a car accident, Tucker Snow has taken leave from his law enforcement position and moves to the country with his teenage daughter Chloe. Hoping to find a way to process his grief, he has unknowingly purchased property in close proximity to one of the biggest drug dealers in the county. After visits to local law enforcement seem to go nowhere, and the possibility that the locals are covering for the drug traffickers, Tucker and his brother Harley, (retired law enforcement,) decide to tighten up security at his new home. When his surviving daughter is kidnapped, Tucker and Harley go into full force special ops mode to find her and take down the local drug dealers.

This is the first book by Mr. Wortham that I've read, and it was fabulous. Great plot and a good story. Quite a bit of murder and mayhem, but some people are so evil they just don't need to be around anymore! Thoroughly enjoyed this book start to finish.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. The review is my own.

If you don't want to go to a theater to watch a third rate, cheap movie, you can read a manuscript here. No original plot, no interesting characters and a storyteller who can't decide between telling the story himself or through the main character.

Illegal drugs have hit every population in the world. Texas is no different, and that state's law enforcement personnel are charged with helping curb the epidemic.

Tucker and Harley Snow are agents swept up in trying to protect the public from these criminals. A new product enters the market with terrible social consequences.

Tucker bought a beautiful spread in the panhandle and is settling in for a well-earned retirement. His neighbor lives in a ratty mobile home with a very profitable business. He is not about to allow this lawman to come into his territory and destroy his enterprise.

The book is very well written and harkens back to some of the old Zane Grey’s westerns. The action is fast-moving and at times very descriptive. The battle to control the effects on the American public of easily accessible drugs is similar to the wild west of a century earlier. Read and enjoy for there is never a dull moment. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

My first book by Wortham was not a disappointment! It starts off with former special agent Tucker Snow on leave from the Cattleman’s Association, grieving along with his 16-year-old daughter, Chloe after the death of his wife and toddler daughter. Once he has the pleasure of meeting his meth-dealing neighbor, Jess Atchley, it moves full speed into murder and mayhem. All I could do was hold on to my seat and go along for the wild ride!

Things escalate quickly between the two men and then Chloe is kidnapped. Along with his brother Harley, also on leave, they are re-deputized and hit the road with a vengeance to recover his daughter. Nothing gets in their way, not crooked cops, gun-toting drug dealers, or hitmen who travel in a pack. This was a simply superb, suspense-packed, take no prisoners book, and just the way I like ‘em! I will definitely be checking out this author’s backlist.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I gave it four fabulous stars!

I stumbled upon Reavis Z. Wortham many years ago when his Red River series came out and was hooked on his marvelous writing and language from the start. Hard Country is his latest creation and features special agent Tucker Snow. The book is as it should be set in Texas, where else would it be? After a tragedy he and his daughter has just moved into a new house but there's something going on with the neighbour... It is a wild ride from then on. I always recommend Reavis books and this is no exception, I am never disappointed with his work and neither should you be. I always eagerly awaits what will come next from this great author and I always have a good time visiting with his characters. I am most thankful that for once Poisoned pen Press let me have an advance copy and Netgalley for being there.

An adrenaline-fueled thriller set in and around a small rural community in Texas where a new type of meth called Gravel is wreaking havoc on the street and threatening to destroy more than one life.

A recent widower and ex undercover narcotic agent Tucker Snow has recently moved to the community with his teenage daughter and lot of still unprocessed grief after his wife and younger daughter had been killed in a fiery car crash caused by a meth addict. But when Tucker's life is threatens by some very messed up drug dealers who happened to be his next door neighbors all hell breaks loose and violence ensues with sinister results...

A gripping thriller, superbly plotted and brilliantly paced, Hard Country is also a very frightening "dance of death" expertly choreographed around an intriguing cast of exquisitely drawn characters.

The writing is very crisp and the emotional narrative searingly raw. It's simply fabulous...

I discovered Mr Wortham in 2022 with his magnificent novel the Texas Job but with this latest fictional treat I honestly do believe that he is one of the best wordsmiths at work today when it comes to American crime fiction!

It really deserves to be discovered and enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Poisoned Pen and Netgalley for this terrific ARC!

Hard Country is not the first Tucker Snow novel but I feels like you could start here and the background is explained enough to be clear. Tucker Snow has taken a leave from the Texas Rangers as a Cattle Agent to grieve for his wife and child killed by a drug using in an auto wreck. Of course his new house places him right next to the local drug dealer. Tucker begins a war that just keeps escalating with his neighbor until danger comes knocking on his front door. In a town where the cops can’t be trusted Tucker and his brother Harley take justice into their own hands in a dangerous, action packed war on meth. This book is action packed and full steam ahead where the heroes’ only flaws seem to be they think they’re untouchable enough that they just attract trouble. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

This is my second book from this author and he is now on my list of favorites. The main character here is Tucker Snow, a special agent with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Tuck is on personal leave following the deaths of his wife and young son who had been killed in a traffic accident caused by a driver high on a new form of meth, known as “Gravel.” Tuck had worked for many years with his younger brother, Harley, in narcotics. Tuck and his sixteen year old daughter, Chloe, have just moved to a place in the country to relax and recover, but their peace is short lived as they soon learn their neighbor in the rundown trailer across the room is a meth dealer, protected from arrest by family connections. When the guy seeks to drive them away or kill them, Tucker and Harley find themselves working together again to protect their family. This story grabbed me from the start and is filled with great characters and non-stop action. Thanks to Poison Pen Publishers and Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for a review.