Bruce Borgos’ Shades of Mercy is an engaging novel that masterfully explores themes of justice, redemption, and human nature. Set in a small town, the story features richly developed characters grappling with moral dilemmas and personal struggles. Borgos’ vivid sense of place and well-paced narrative blend intense drama with introspective moments, making the town itself feel like a character.

The protagonist’s journey is compelling, showcasing growth and transformation in response to challenges. Borgos’ lyrical and precise writing captures emotional nuances authentically. While some familiar tropes appear, they are presented with a fresh perspective that keeps the reader invested.

Overall, Shades of Mercy is a beautifully written and thought-provoking novel that resonates long after the final page. It’s a worthy addition to any reader’s bookshelf.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Book 2, and nice addition to the series. Well written and good characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Bruce Borgos and ‘Shades of Mercy’ will always come to mind now when I hear the phrase, ‘...when pigs fly’. No pigs fly in this book, but steers get the unlucky short end of the stick.

𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝

1. 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜
Sheriff Porter Beck has a unique past, is from a line of former sheriffs, has an adopted sister for a sidekick and suffers from a progressive disability - retinitis pigmentosa (night blindness) - not optimal for someone in his position. He’s often underestimated and he uses it to his advantage. I’ve loved seeing his character arc develop and know I’m in for the long haul!

2. 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙥 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨
Borgos shows that sparsely populated Lincoln County, Nevada is a haven for cartels, unsavory cattle haulers/dealers, drug smugglers, and cyber warfare.

3. 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨
The choice of a teenage delinquent mixed with society’s preconceived notions and expectations of their limitations is a perfect blend. I loved how Borgos dolled out just enough information about this mysterious teen to keep me reading to the final page.

4. 𝙖 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧
The author’s hint of sarcasm mixed with his ability to show-not-tell and his inherent desire to teach his readers creates a book that readers will struggle to put down. I loved his insight into people’s body language when they’re concealing the truth, how hunters carry a weapon, and the Uyghurs and their unique genetic heritage.

I was swept up in a tale featuring a hacked military drone, hacked Federal Reserve, cartel and dark web activity, Area 51, remotely piloted aircraft, cyber warfare, zero-days, ravaging wildfires, the war against drugs, and Titan Rain.

Borgos definitely 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 to inhabit the setting. He writes a 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺 and leaves readers with a 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦.

I loved how his golden retriever’s name ended up in the book.

Thanks to the wonderful team at St. Martin’s Press for putting this author and series in my crosshairs. I’m a staunch follower now.

I was gifted this copy by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This is the second book in the Porter Beck series, so many of the characters were already familiar and that was nice. This time around there wasn’t as much emphasis on Porter’s family and the past, which is understandable, but I did miss that a little. However, the story was very fast paced and exciting. And, best of all, Porter has an adorable dog named Columbo now. My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

This book Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos is not my normal genre however, I am glad I veered off and read it. I especially liked the main character Sheriff Porter Beck and others were also extremely likable. The story was action packed and kept you interested and not wanting to stop reading, you have to see what's coming next. Dealing with losing his sight and imminently losing his job Beck now has to deal with a deadly drug infiltration into his small town. Then there is the problem of unexplained unmanned mechanical attacks that are simply impossible to explain. This book is well written with very likable characters even if its not your normal genre I suggest you do take a chance and get it! Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC this is totally my honest opinion.

I requested this book as it is the second in the series and I enjoyed the first one. This one involves the government and China with technology crimes. It is easy to figure out who is responsible for the hack, as Porter does, but takes time to determine the reasons for them. A good, engaging, fast paced read.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Goodreads, Net Galley, Amazon, Facebook and my nonfiction book review blog.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

Shades of Mercy is the second book in the Porter Beck series and can be read as a standalone.

Porter is the sheriff in a mostly empty part of Nevada, adjacent to the Government's Nevada Test Site. When there is a rash of drug-related deaths and computer-hacker activities in his county, Porter has to solve the problem. In his search for answers, he meets Mercy, a teenager who is a computer whiz, but is incarcerated and supposedly isolated from computers. Is Mercy helping the situation or is she part of the mystery or both?

Porter is hampered in his investigation by an eye disease which is slowly stealing his night-vision. His dog Frank Columbo, named after the famous TV detective, helps in the investigation.

This is an action-packed story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to future installments in the Porter Beck series.

Fairly isolated desert location with great characters and action. Enjoyed this book, hadn't read the previous but plan to now. Lots of twists and turns with outer agencies coming in to make a mess for the sheriff's office who's just trying to do his job. Who to trust, who to believe adds to the sheriff's job and then he meets a young girl who he recognizes needs help but is so much more than she seems and he knows it immediately on meeting her. He earns her trust just by being honest with her. Suspenseful, action packed thriller was a quick read to find out what's going to happen next. Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Shades of Mercy!

Shades of Mercy by Bruce Burgos This was a fun adventure from beginning to the end. The author is said to be in love with words and stories. It certainly shows in this novel so much that I will now purchase his first novel in this series. Fasten your seat belts and enjoy a cast of characters you will long remember. Maybe we will even see them up on a movie screen in the future. I hope so! Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read this novel.

Part 2 of a serial, I had not read the first book prior to this. It does stand on its own, and it was so well written that I want to go read the first book and hope this series continues.

Shades of Mercy —the follow-up to Bruce Borgos’ Potter Beck series — shows Borgos is no one-hit wonder. Beck — the sheriff of a twelve-department force in the high desert of Nevada where he grew up — is dealing with the death of a childhood friend — when something falls out of the sky and kills a cow of a successful rancher. Being a former military officer, Beck knows a missile strike when he sees one and starts asking questions — which leads him to Mercy Vaughn —a teenage hacker who supposedly took over a drone. However, Mercy was in juvie with no computer access after she was caught stealing $1B. Incredulous, Beck senses something very wrong and knows she is in danger when Mercy disappears. A deadly and violent conspiracy is happening in his county, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t do something about it.

Honestly, the beginning of the book is my life story. Besides the dying part. And it was disconcerting. Being a ‘former’ drug addict, I’m always interested in how authors navigate the subject. Borgos handled it with grace and compassion. Not everyone does, so thank you!

After my favorite book last year — The Bitter Past — Shades of Mercy was highly anticipated. I wanted it to be great, and it is. Interesting, timely, and fast-paced, Shades uses multiple — but different — crises ranging from low-tech to high-tech to give readers plenty to chew on. It would be easy to wade into the weeds but Borgos keeps it tight and on track.

I can’t recommend Bruce Borgos and Shades of Mercy enough. I look forward to seeing what Borgos has in store!

Thank you Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Shades of Mercy!

Shades of Mercy is another modern western in the Nevada desert starring Sheriff Porter Beck. Dealing with night blindness, Beck might be at a disadvantage but he’s never out for the count. Most of the bad guys see him as an unassuming, small town sheriff but Beck uses his keen powers of observation to solve the hardest of cases with a memorable flair. The latest case involves old friends, a young hacker, intelligence officers, and the drug cartel for an unpredictable, wild ride that brings lots of action the desert landscape. I love me some Porter Beck mysteries and hope this is a long lived series. My voluntary, unbiased, and non mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Good read, excellent continuance of this series. I look forward to reading the next book.

4☆

Loved the first book in the Porter Beck series and I couldn't wait to get started with this one. Loved it even more!! Lots of action and suspense. I really enjoy the personal relationships Porter has with his family and the community. This is a great series and I hope there are many more to come!

Porter Beck returns to his home in the desert of Nevada after many years away. His father, who was the sheriff in town, has retired, and Porter has taken over as sheriff. Porter finds that the town is as it used to be, and he is faced with a number of challenges. The town has been hit with a wave of extremely potent opioids which has taken the life of one of his childhood friends. Another of his friends was targeted by a military drone and his ranch was being commandeered by an unknown hacker.
Beck discovered that the local hacker was Mercy Vaughn, a teenager without computer access who was being held in a secure juvenile detention center. While Beck is trying to figure out how she could be hacking without a computer, she suddenly goes missing. Afraid for her life, Beck and his twelve-person department race against time to find her.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the second book in the series however I didn’t read the first and feel like it isn’t vital in order to read this one. The plot is great and fast paced. The characters are well developed and enjoyable.

Book 2 in the series, but reading Book 1 is not vital. Well-connected story with lots of action going on and a variety of characters to bring interest to almost everyone. The sheriff, Porter Beck, carries the story from start to finish with strength of character that dominates.

Fantastic!

Shades of Mercy is gripping, high stakes, intriguing...all those wonderful things you look for in a thriller. For me, the best part of the book is Beck. He's such a strong character. I think Borgos did a great job with all the characters, I feel like we got to know some of the older characters a little better, and we got to meet some fresh, fun new ones.

Plot wise, I love that I didn't figure everything out. In order for the book to work, there are some things that have to be alluded to in the beginning, so there are some pieces of the plot you can work out before the characters do, but not everything, and that added to the chaos of the last quarter of the book. The plot is fast paced, crazy, and completely bewitching.

Borgos second installment in his Porter Beck is even better than the first, and I can't wait to see what the next book has in store. Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC, I'm sharing my opinions voluntarily.

this is a mystery with many surprises and twists. the characters are interesting and believable. lots of action and suspense. It does not shine a good light on the military interagency . Computer hackers and drug and arm dealers. something for everyone!

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

When a military drone crashes onto Jesse Roy’s Double J Ranch in the midst of Shiloah Roy’s seventeenth birthday celebration, a prize bull is its sole victim. At the same time, Sheriff Porter Beck mourns the loss of a friend, another in a string of drug deaths plaguing the town.

Who hacked into the drone and caused the crash? Could it have been a local hacker? Sheriff Beck learns that sixteen-year-old Mercy Vaughn has the skill, but is detained in the local Youth Center and has no access to a computer.

Or does she?

As the investigation continues. Sheriff Beck finds himself with more questions than answers . . . and growing doubts about Mercy.

=========

Although this is the second book in the author’s Porter Beck Mystery series, there is sufficient backstory for the story to work well as a standalone. Nonstop action and well-defined, believable characters pull readers into the telling of the tale. Of special note is Beck’s English Lab partner, Columbo, who had washed out of the county’s K-9 Drug Academy.

With its strong sense of place and a complex, intriguing plot, the unfolding narrative keeps readers turning pages as fast as possible. Filled with secrets, lies, and unexpected twists, the suspenseful tale is both entertaining and unputdownable.

Readers who enjoy fast-paced stories full of action, tension, and suspense . . . along with a bit of international spy intrigue . . . will find much to appreciate in this thriller that keeps them guessing right up to the immensely satisfying denouement.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
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