A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun was a book that I was afraid I wouldn't finish. In the beginning it moved very slowly. At first it was about deputy sheriffs Dave Beckett and Ben Siderite's antics. It wasn't until sheriff Jimmie Poe was killed that it got anywhere near interesting. I like books that are exciting and gripping. This book was neither. In fact it was rather lackluster. But I will sit at the murder livened it up a bit.

It seems that in the old days Jimmie was involved with the Disciples of Hate thugs. But she saw the error of her ways and broke away from the group. Three years after her murder, Dave took it upon himself to solve it. He tracked down her sister, Jennifer, and got more information from her. It wasn't long before he figured out who killed her.

I won't say that I didn't like the book, but it really didn't hold my attention. I gave it two stars.

This was the first book by David Putnam that I have read. I initially struggled with the pace of the book but once I got to the core story of the book I had a hard time putting the book down. This book follows a cop who is trying to get into homicide as we begin the book and after a time time he has made it and the first third part of the book becomes more important. This was the part of the book I had difficulty with the pacing and why I was reading as it felt there was no defined plot. Boy, was I wrong. I may not have been as invested in the characters or story if I hadn’t read this part of the book. The story was interesting and intriguing at its core and I look forward to reading more about this character and from this author. I would recommend this book to friends who like crime thrillers.

Dave Beckett is a homicide detective in San Bernardino County. His personal life is a mess. He's a good detective, but none of his superiors recognize it because he is so hard to get along with. After reuniting with his long-lost father, his father disappears again. He's in love with a fellow detective. But he just doesn't know how to make it work. And then she shows up dead.

But not only is she dead. Beckett has the evidence of her death. He just doesn't know it. He sets out to avenge her death.

Author, David Putnam is a fine writer. He keeps his readers on the edge of their seats. He has a fine feeling for dialog. I highly recommend this book.

This was solid 4 stars for me. Fiction mixed with true life incidents from a life of a homicide detective. I was often giggling at author's humor sprinkled throughout. Detective Beckett is known for not following the rules and doing things his way, but he gets the results. Then his friend disappears, and the captain unofficially sends his "bloodhound" Beckett to solve the crime. Entertaining and fast-paced read.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Level Best Books for an advance copy of A Lonesome Blood-red Sun, the second novel to feature Detective Dave Beckett, aka the bone detective, of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office.

Dave was given a human bone found by a dog, but did nothing with it for a variety of reasons. Now he has another body part and discovers that it belongs to someone he knows. Now he’s off the books and determined to hunt down a killer.

I enjoyed A Lonesome Blood-red Sun, which is a hard hitting police (non) procedural with a dedicated if self destructive protagonist and a dash of situational humour to lighten the load.

The novel is split into two books, one set in 1984 and the other in 1988. In the first one Dave is a patrol deputy and in the second he is the bone detective. I think it works really well with book one setting up the threads for book two and giving the reader a real taste of policing at the sharp end. The author insists that many of the incidents are based on actual events, so it doesn’t do the Sheriff’s Office any favours, not that book two offers much redemption. Some of the events are funny, but more often they are dangerous.

Book one is a series of events, whereas book two is the murder investigation and offers more continuity. Both are equally interesting in different ways, with Dave Beckett providing the links. I think the best way to describe him is a disrupter. He doesn’t exactly break the law, but he is creative in its application and seems to cause mayhem wherever he goes, much to the dismay of his superiors and thus to the detriment of his career. Still, he is relentless in his investigations and determined to get justice.

This novel was a constant surprise to me. I never knew how each segment would be resolved and I certainly didn’t see the resolution to book two before it came. It made me turn the pages for answers.

A Lonesome Blood-red Sun is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

4.5 Stars rounded up to 5.
I was delighted to receive the ARC for A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun from NetGalley and the publisher. Thanks for this gritty police story! It is the second book in David Putnam's emotional look into the life and mind of police officer David Beckett, now known as the Bone Detective. The first crime novel, A Fearsome Moonlight Black, was high on my list of favourite books in 2022, and this great police procedural maintains the high quality.

The fictional David Beckett has led a troubled life in his early background and as a rookie cop. His unsettled emotions are on display as a police detective. He tends to be insubordinate and rude to commanding officers and often ignores their advice and assignments and follows his own mind. He has no hesitation in going outside police rules and protocol in his determination to solve crimes.

Beckett seems to have an uncanny intuition for solving cases with some spectacular mess-ups and identifying criminals before their planned crime is committed. Because of his high success rate in apprehending criminals, he has maintained his job but with some punishment. He has been 'promoted'(banished) to the role of 'Bone Dick.' His work is to identify the many bones scattered in the immense California desert and track down the killers. Instead of viewing this new assignment as a disgrace, he thrives in the role.

The book is divided into two sections. The first covers some of his career as a new detective. The second occurs five years later when he is called the 'Bone Dick.' New readers may find the humorous parts and the dark, gruesome, gut-wrenching events too outlandish and incredible. You learn in both books that these unbelievable topics are actually based on fact and taken from incidents in the author David Putnam's long, varied and successful career in law enforcement. He clarifies what he participated in or observed at the end of each book. This gives the novel outstanding authenticity in covering police duties and procedures.

Part 1; The first section chronicles Beckett's life reuniting with his mysterious, long-absent father he never knew and his close partnership with a troubled, hard-drinking partner and covering up for him. He forms a close companionship with a new police officer, Jimmie( Judith) Poe. We learn how police work can affect officers' mental health.

Part 2: Beckett works as the bone detective five years later. His mind is in turmoil, and much is disturbing him. His father, his partner, and Jimmie Poe have all disappeared, and their whereabouts and fate are unknown. He has ignored a bone he placed in the trunk of his car over a month before. Once he gets back on track, the story progresses at a fast, action-packed pace and becomes intense and unpredictable.

Recommended. I hope there will be further books in this excellent series.

A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun is a brilliant example of a book 'ripped from the headlines' or, in this case, from the life of David Putnam. If you like a gritty police adventure, this is the book for you. The experience Putnam had in law enforcement gives this book a realism that few can match. It's an exciting addition to the genre. #ALonesomeBloodRedSun #NetGalley

This is the 2nd book in the bone detective trilogy. I was provided this ARC from netgalley.
I'm pleased I invested in David Putnam's first book "A fearsome moonlight black." To start this whirlwind of a trilogy. I would highly recomend reading them in the correct order to get a true grasp of the intended story. The first book provides a deep back story and introduces you to Daves intense life as a rookie cop in the law enforcement of california. A lonesome blood red sun continues Daves fictional memoir marvelously and its just as thrilling as the first.

Again like the first, the story is split into two parts. This makes it easier to follow the vast jumps in time.
This novel moves further on in Dave's life; no longer the rookie cop but continues to make some rookie mistakes. Dave's life has changed dramatically from the first story, some characters come to light that were unexpected but create some amazing plot twists. Dave struggles to take orders; he follows his own instinct, some may say he is unorthodox, but, most importantly he gets the job done and eventually justice is served.

There is some humoured parts within this book, which did make me chuckle. I must admit I really struggled to apprehend how corrupt the law enforcement can be and this book divulged into some of the harrowing truths.

A matter that stands out profoundly for me within this novel is mental health. The brothers in blue put their everything into protecting others, selflessly but undenyling take the impact upon their own mental stability. This is portrayed superbly; described with honest emotions and heartaches brutality.

I thoroughly enjoy Daves writing style; fluid, fast paced, easy to follow, intense and thrilling. I love the themes of this book; the unpredictable drama and the "whodunit" mystery. I was guessing throughout and still didn't manage to work put who the bad guy was!

My only issue with this one; is there were some loose ends from the first one that haven't been addressed in this one as I'd expected. I still have a couple of unanswered questions and not all of the story is fully tied up. I'm hopeful everything will come together in book three.

After indulging in this book, be sure to read the authors notes and he has explained the difference between factual and fictional within his novel.

Be sure to check this series out!

I don't really know what I think of this, at the heart of it the crime/mystery is good, well written and interesting. I wanted to read more and find out what happened next but only for the crime itself. The rest of the book felt long-winded and a bit boring there was too many side stories to keep me fully interested and it was so convoluted I was quite confused in parts.

This is the 2nd book in this series with Dave Beckett, Bone Detective. I really enjoyed both of these books and look forward to the next one. Dave is a good cop, but he doesn't always follow the rules, or his commander. He gets into trouble frequently, but always for a good reason and he usually gets his man! (or woman). This one actually goes back a bit and then jumps forward to where we left off in the last book. So be sure to read them in order! These are fast-paced and hard to put down. His decisions are cringe-worthy at times, because you know he's going to get in trouble, but he has a sixth sense that wins out....usually. Give these a try, I don't think you will be disappointed. Highly recommend.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Thank you to NetGalley and Level Best Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am new tp David Putnam books and was attracted to a good mystery with police procedure. This will not be my last book by this author!

Dave Beckett is a detective that goes with his gut and has a knack for finding and arresting criminals. Some detectives have the ability to see a situation and just know that something is not right...that is Dave. There is one case that haunts Dave and that is the disappearance of his good friend and fellow officer, Jimmie (Judith) Poe. This is the story of Dave figuring out what happened to her.

The book is split between the time when Dave was a patrol officer wanting to be a detective and 5 years later when he achieves his goal. This works well to develop the characters and the relationships that they have. I did not realize that this is based upon a true story as well!

Overall, this is a good character driven novel that is full of police procedure and drama. I agree that there are a couple of parts where the narrative drags but overall, an engrossing and mysterious read.

3.5 stars rounded up!

I found this book to be very depressing and very much like an old country song. This portrayed the police department as lazy and corrupt. Dave is a detective whose wife left him, dad abandoned him and everything in his life is grim. He's a good detective, but colors outside the lines. He has had a lot of trauma with very little support, leading to nightmares and a lot of alcohol.
Not the kind of book that gives you the warm fuzzies.
I kept waiting for something good to happen, but alas, it never did.

Dark, gritty and depressing.

The writing style was okay.
Not a ton of violence, but it is graphic.
Not a lot of swearing.
No sex.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun follows Detective Dave Beckett, also known as The Bone Detective while he works to solve cases revolving around bones that are usually found in the desert.

I had a bit of a love hate relationship with this book (but love won out in the end). It is a fast paced story with dynamic characters and it is an easy read. I did get frustrated with Dave Beckett's choices and methods but I guess that was probably part of the desired effect. But ultimately despite his unique way of going about things it was obvious that he worked from his gut and got results.

I haven't read the first book in this series so I will probably go back and do that eventually.

Anyone who enjoys a good, fast paced cop story would probably enjoy this book.

Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

I reviewed an ARC of this book. The concept, name, and cover for this book were quite good. That being said, the writing in this book made it a difficult read. It is desperately in need of further editing, and some of the language made it feel juvenile (I.e. constantly referring to a Mustang as a Tang). The character development fell flat for me; I never felt like I could immerse myself in the main character’s psyche. His constant, unwavering defense of his partner, no matter what unhinged thing he did. felt totally unrealistic. I think this story has potential, but it needs some work before it’s ready for publishing.

I would say a decent read. A 3.5 for me.

I didnt realize initially that this was a series and this was not the first book of the series; but it was easy enough to jump into the story without having read the previous book.

Book was a little slow to read at times and did jump around a fair bit. Dave is a cop who marches to the beat of his own drum and definitely lives in a grey area where rules and protocol are concerned. Many of the incidents are based on true stories which is an interesting add to the book. It has lots of elements from love, loss, relationships and some mystery.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the e ARC in return for my honest review.

I've really enjoyed the book. I didn't read the first one, but this was not an issue. It's a detective story, based around '80 in the US. I could almost feel it, like we went back in time.
I liked the main character, even though he sometimes didn't do the things according to the law.
The dialogue was witty and funny.
Some of the scenes in the book are based on real events, even though it sounds incredible. There was a quite a plot twist, so made it even more interesting.
I had a feeling that the ending was a little bit to rush. But I would definitely read another stories about David.

I read this book while on vacation. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love a good detective book. I finished it within one day. I was engrossed in it. I didn't know it was the second book in a series. I plan on looking up the first one now. After reading this book and looking up the first book, I will continue to read David Putnam books in the future.

Author David Putnam lends more than an air of authenticity to his novels, having spent a career in law enforcement covering narcotics, violent crime, criminal intelligence, SWAT and hostage rescue, to name but a few. This is book 2# in his Dave Becket series, which is shaping to be another winner, after his successful Bruno Johnson series!

Beckett is called to a house way out in the desert where a dog has brought a bone home to his owner - turns out the bone belongs to a person who disappeared two years ago, and not only that but it was that someone Beckett knew.

Beckett has a somewhat unorthodox style of law enforcement but of course that makes him much more interesting as a character. The storyline is exactly what it should be, terrifying at times, full of suspense and a real page turner. Some amusing incidents are thrown in for good measure. This is one tough cop, but believe me there are lots of emotions on show here, because tough cop or not, personal issues will out! Definitely recommended!

I have been on the lookout for the next great detective series, and I think I have found it! I didn't realize this was the second in the series. I will have to go back and read the first one now. I was attracted to this book bc it sounded like it was going to be like another cold case series I read. It is and it isn't. Which is a good thing, This takes place in California, which is always a setting unto itself. It has the feel of the old gum-shoe style detective series, with the detective not always following protocol, and, at times, at odds with his superiors. But had a more modern "police procedural" feel about it. Unlike a lot of detectives who are lonely people, he has to contend within a relative from the past, which complicates his life. This is a well- crafted story, based on true events. The author moves things along at a brisk pace. It's definitely a page- turner!Thanks Net Galley for this opportunity!