Super excited to receive an advance copy of @davidputnam second book (#ALonesomeBloodRedSun) in The Bone Detective series featuring Dave Beckett. I loved the first book, A Fearless Moonlight Black. Dave is one of my favorite characters, ever, and reading the books in this series is a real deep dive into the life of a policeman/detective/sheriff's deputy. I especially appreciated the author's note, wherein we learn what actually happened during Mr. Putnam's career in law enforcement. Fascinating! It still holds true for me, that being an officer of the law has to be one of the most, if not THE most, difficult job EVER. Between the political battles, the ever-present danger from criminals and lo, your colleagues, the things seen and unseen but felt, I couldn't do it. I appreciate Mr. Putnam giving us these glances, and Dave stays with me.

"The bars on his collar weighed him down and over-inflated his head, the worst kind of leader and dangerous to deal with."

P.S. Many thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

This was really good.
Dave Beckett certainly doesn’t do things by the book. He does things before he actually thinks them through, even though he is telling himself to listen to that little voice in his head. He has a remarkable way of spotting a crime, sometimes before it’s about to happen, they just seem to fall into his lap.
He makes some really badass decisions, if only he would listen to his inner head and his Captain things may move along a bit more smoothly.
I enjoyed this second book of Dave Beckett and will definitely be following his career.
Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the chance to read the eARC. This is my voluntary review.

Fast Paced And Full Of Suspense And Excitement

This is the first David Putnam book I have read, and it is based on true life incidents. Dave Beckett is a homicide detective who is always butting heads with his superiors due to his somewhat unorthodox approach to upholding the law and apprehending criminals. Beckett is also reacquainted with his estranged father after many years of absence, and this is a story in itself.
Dave Beckett’s life is full of ups and downs as he gets to know his father and juggles everyday life as a homicide detective. One day he finds a victim who was not only a colleague but a person whom Dave has had had a deep and personal interest with.
The book is beautifully put together from page one and is a truly gripping read that really draws you in as Beckett goes after his friend's killer. It is a very fast paced book, full of suspense and excitement, and a real page-turner of a police procedural novel which is a little bit of fiction melded with true-life incidents and this is a book that has the ring of authenticity throughout. I am sure like me you will thoroughly enjoy reading the author's note at the end and this is an outstanding book which I highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved A Fearsome Moonlight Black, the first David Putnam book to feature Californian sheriff’s deputy Dave Beckett and was delighted to have the opportunity to read the latest in what I hope becomes a longer series. This time, Beckett is no longer the rookie and in the first part of the book he is a mentor to a couple of newer deputies as well as being involved in some frightening, dangerous and occasionally hilarious law enforcement situations - which the Author’s Note tells us are based on true life incidents - while frequently butting heads with his superiors due to his somewhat unorthodox approach to upholding the law and apprehending law breakers. The second part of the book is focussed more on a single homicide investigation which Beckett, having fulfilled his ambition of appointment to the detectives bureau, is leading on, one in which he has a deep personal interest. A thread running through the book is Beckett’s reacquaintance with his estranged father which gives an added emotional edge to the book. Overall, this is a fast-paced, exciting, page-turner of a police procedural novel which has the ring of authenticity throughout. An outstanding book which is highly recommended.

I'm a big fan of California cop novels and this was one of the best I've read in a long time.

It reminded me of the great Joseph Wambaugh with the same focus on the ordinary patrol cop and the daily craziness he encounters doing his job. The structure was a bit like Wambaugh, too, with a narrative that is almost anecdotal and presented in overlapping character arcs rather than being driven by a single overwhelming who-done-it plot line running from beginning to end. Great stuff, really.

Highly, highly recommended.

This thriller was a page turner that I could not put down and stop reading. It was so good. This is a must read book of the year.
I just reviewed A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun by David Putnam. #ALonesomeBloodRedSun #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Like no crime novel I’ve ever read. The pages almost turn themselves and when I was finished I couldn’t stop thinking about the story’s incredible twists, turns, and surprises.

Dave Beckett always wanted to be a homicide detective while doing patrol. Dave is very good at his job even if he steps on some toes in the process. But nothing gets Dave more than Jimmie Poe's case. Can Dave find her and her killer? Find out in A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun.

Overall, a good detective story. It had a little bit of everything though…love, loss, relationships. There seem to be a lot of stories happening within the main one and that got a little distracting. It was also a little long winded at times with the descriptions of the desert. Not bad, just too much for me. The end left a little wanting but otherwise a sold 3/5 read.

Detective Dave Beckett is a cop riding the edge of the law. He's just enough on the right side to do his job, but with some questionable methods. He has a gut instinct like other and it won't let him rest until he gets a case solved. He manages to screw things up spectacularly but still come out on top. The brass is putting the squeeze on him though. He either starts following the book, or he's on desk duty. This book is not just one case, but many that are linked together brilliantly. I cannot begin to summarize it, because it won't do justice to the beautiful way it is written.

This book was absolutely mind blowing. I love Dave's recklessness because he's doing it for the right reasons. I was completely enraptured throughout the entirety. The story is so compelling and I'm more shocked to find out most of the basis is real. David Putnam is a brilliant writer. I will absolutely be looking for more of his books from now on!

The California desert, and the police that look after it and those that live in it. San Bernadino the largest county in all of the USA. Beckett, an officer that only sees blurred lines and follows his instincts.

Dave Beckett is a Bone Detective. His inability to follow either orders or rules means that he's working cold cases. Homicides that seem to have no leads, and or no hope of ever being solved.

However, he seems to have a knack of solving them. But, due to his way of working. He finds himself in the offices of his superious on a more than regular basis.

This held my interest a lot more than I thought it was going to. Infact after a couple of hours I found myself 4/5ths through it.

The characters are strong and very well rounded. The plot fast paced (and being based semi-actual events very very believable).

The plight of the main character, had drawn me in. Believing that you were going through the highs and lows, as his life passes by.

Mr. Putnam, sir, if Beckett is based on yourself or someone you know, you have put heart and soul into him. And, I can only aplaud you for it.

I'm a big fan.

I stumbled across this, more by chance than anything else. And, I'm glad I did.

Status: Completed

Rating: 4.9/5.0

I can’t say I didn’t enjoy this book, it definitely had its ups and down. It was very slow at times, but the fact that most of the book is true really keeps your attention. It is very suspenseful at times and continued to keep my interest from cover to cover.

4.5 stars. This was a gripping read that really draws you in. It may get a little slow from time to time, but it's worth it for all the twists and turns. I also enjoyed reading the author's note at the end.

It’s hard to believe that so much of what is written in this book, regarding police work, is actually “real” but unfortunately, I know it is. The world out there for policemen, detectives, sheriffs and all law enforcement, is complicated and life threatening. Then the politics involved do not help. Interesting book, keeps your interest. Thank you NetGalley and Level Best Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #NetGalley, #ALonesomeBlood-RedSun.

A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun by David Putnam – 5 Stars
Publisher: Level Best books
ISBN: 9781685122942

In the second book of the Dave Beckett series, Dave has become a more experienced law enforcement officer. He is tormented by past events, often second guesses his actions, and sometimes acts in a gray area of legal practice, but he stays true to his sense of what is right and gets the job done.
Because David Putnam has years of experience in law enforcement to draw from, he writes about what he knows. In fact, at the end of the story, in the Author’s Note, he relates events in his past that served as ideas for parts of the plot.
The action never lets up. The interaction between Dave and his fellow officers is interesting. I look forward to more in this series to watch Dave grow professionally and personally.

Reviewer: Nancy

Gritty and driven police procedural. Rogue deputy takes bucks the system and solves the crimes, digging deep where others are throwing in more dirt. Quite the rollercoaster, and not sure the ending was a happy one, but and end nonetheless. Will there be more we wonder?

If you like book that contains a lot of real police work then look no further. This book follows the trail of detective Dave Beckett on his job. Throughout the book we know he's very smart and has a great police instinct. My only issue with this book is that the first 50% of the book rolls out pretty slowly. Lots of police work and codes that for a mere civilian can be overwhelming. Everything that is written in the book description comes out after 50% of the book where the pace is getting faster and more interesting. Overall this book got everything, suspense, mystery, twist, and who dunnit.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, A great who done it and so many crazy twists and turns and great police work! The police work definitely made the book! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!