We're back in the Nevada desert with Sheriff Porter Beck who's trying to track down the source of the latest illegal drug that most recently took the life of his good friend. In addition, strange occurrences are wreaking havoc, and it's up to Beck to figure out who's behind it. As the clues pile up, Beck is lead to Mercy Vaughn, a teenage hacker currently residing in a juvenile lockup. This plot makes for an edge-of-the-seat, exhilarating ride.

The first Beck novel consumed me, and I was happy to get my hands on this one. One of the things I love about this gifted storyteller is the way he humanizes his characters, thereby creating a strong emotional connection with the reader. Beck's father, his sister, and the deputies working with him were all so vivid and lifelike I felt like I knew them personally. He then tempers the intense action with laugh-out-loud humor, giving us a well-rounded, satisfying read.

The subtext of this riveting story is also a caution and reminder that with technological progress in our society comes potential peril that we'd do well to heed. If something like this happened in my town, Sheriff Beck is just the man I’d want on the job. Sign me up for more Porter Beck, because I need more of this thrilling, phenomenal, adrenaline-fueled fictional world!

Bruce Borgos continues to excite and engage readers with Shades of Mercy, his suspenseful and action-packed second book in the Porter Beck crime thriller and police procedural series. Beck is the sheriff of Lincoln County, Nevada, a dry and sparsely populated county in the high desert. He has a twelve-person department covering territory nearly the size of the state of Maryland. If you think that not much is happening in the county, think again. A childhood friend of Beck’s has succumbed to a strong drug and another one, a successful rancher, has been targeted by a hacked military drone. However, that is just the beginning.

Borgos is adept at creating strong male and female characters. Beck is fluent in several languages due to his previous military career and has an incredible ability to think critically and analyze data quickly. He has initiative, is patient, and has a degenerative disease of the retina that significantly affects his eyesight at night and in poor lighting. It was interesting to see how he deals with the condition as he does his job. This added another layer to his character. The secondary characters also have depth. I loved Beck’s newest partner, a young English Lab named Frank Columbo or Bo for short.

The world-building is terrific with fluid and descriptive writing that helps readers envision the scenes without adversely affecting the pacing. There was a strong sense of place causing me to feel as though I was experiencing the events alongside the characters. The dynamic plot has a tremendous amount of conflict and action that kept me engaged throughout. It is twisty and has exciting scenes, multiple antagonists, and an incredible setting.

Borgos is an excellent storyteller who brings an intensity and action throughout the novel, but also intersperses some humor and some thought-provoking events. The author surprised this reader with the epilogue that makes me anxious to find out what happens in the next book in the series. Interspersed into the story are themes of family, death, friendships that run out of juice, lies, found family, dementia, grief, lost opportunities, and much more.

Overall, this was intriguing, gritty, suspenseful, and action-packed with compelling characters and great world-building that kept me rapidly turning the pages as I sat on the edge of my seat. With exciting scenes and fascinating story lines that converge, this fantastic crime thriller was intense and dramatic. It kept me on an emotional rollercoaster throughout the novel. I’m thrilled I’ve found this series and can’t wait to read the next book. If you’re a fan of contemporary crime thrillers and police procedurals set in a rural western U.S. locale, then this is a series to read.

St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Bruce Borgos provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for July 16, 2024. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Shades of Mercy is book 2 in the Porter Beck Mystery series by Bruce Borgos.
I loved book one The Bitter Past and book two was just as great.
SoM is a well-written, entertaining, fast paced, police procedural, mystery novel with unforgettable characters.
I found the entire book fascination. The characters were engaging and believable. Excellent suspense just kept climbing up.
I hope to see a book three in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Shades of Mercy is the 2nd book in the Sheriff Porter Beck series from Bruce Borgos. I really liked the first book, The Bitter Past, and was looking forward to this one.

"A childhood friend of Sheriff Beck's dies from illegal opioids. Another friend is targeted by the takeover of a government drone. Beck doesn't know any hackers with that ability, especially that call him by name. His investigation leads him to Mercy Vaughn, a hacker with some big rumors surrounding her. The problem is that she is locked up in a detention facility with no access to a computer. But when Mercy disappears, Beck knows that she is in danger and time is running out for all of them."

Borgos gives us a wild story - a teenage hacker with a murky past, Mexican drug cartels, Government alphabet agencies, Chinese spies - and a Sheriff that cares about doing the right thing. This is a fast-paced story and reads quickly. Beck is a great character with an interesting background and a medical issue that he refuses to let slow him down. There is justice and a surprising ending. (You may guess the what but not the how) Who knew so many wild things could happen outside of Area 51. Great cast of characters.

Another great story from Borgos.

Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos

If you enjoy a fast-paced, full of action story, then this book is for you. Porter Beck is once again caught up in a mess near his place in Nevada. Did some pyrotechnics get out of hand on July 4, or was it something more sinister? Beck is called on to find out.

This entanglement has many players-some good, some bad. There are airplanes, helicopters, foot chases, weapons, cyber espionage and international concerns. Beck’s eyesight is worsening, so he counts on his instincts more and more, especially in the dark.

Beck’s talented step-sister Brinley has a large role, along with Charlie Blue Horse, Beck’s long time best friend Jesse, a couple of teen-agers and a dog, believe it or not. It all falls into place by the end of a tale that will keep you, dear reader, on the run as well. A solid four stars from me on this Borgos winner.

4.5 stars

This is a great book that is part of a fantastic series, and I am already excited for future installments.

Porter Beck is an intriguing character, and while this book can be read as a standalone, I strongly recommend reading the predecessor first. My favorite part of that one was getting to know this character and his family, and the one thing I wanted more of in this book is more time in that realm. That noted, like the first book, this one is well paced, filled with mysterious and surprisingly developed characters, and infused with some good suspense.

There is some challenging animal-related content, and while it is not persistent, it is pretty overpowering in one scene. Likeminded readers who hate this kind of content can skip right through it and not lose critical plotting.

I continue to be a fan of this character and this series and hope to get even more access to Porter's mind and his family as we proceed.

Book 2 in the Porter Beck series is as much a win as the first book.

Marcy is still dealing with the aftermath of the murder of her lover. And while she investigates whats going on with the possibility that twin brothers have murdered their mom. The problem is, they won't talk about it. To add to the pressure Marcy's ex husband is now her supervisor at work, and making it almost impossible for Marcy to do her job! Things get even worse when he physically attacks Marcy!

Highly recommend the Porter Beck books! Excellent writing, action packed with plenty of twists and turns through out the story

A terrific, complex topical read featuring great characters and a twisty plot. Sheriff Porter Beck is coping as best he can with his retinitis pigmentosa, his dad's dementia, and his too few law enforcement officers when something very weird happens-an incredibly valuable steer is blown into the earth, a DOD investigator shows up, and a odd email is in his inbox. How is Mercy Vaughn, a genius of a hacker, connected to the takeovers of a USG drone? And what is Beck's old pal doing out on that ranch? And what's the connection to China? This needs to be read without any spoilers because there are a lot (a lot) of twists and unexpected events. The characters are terrific (I'm a big fan of his sister Brimley), there humor, there's atmospherics (the desert, a mine), and you, like me, might learn something. You'll find yourself rooting for what is essentially a rag tag gang of people trying to do the right thing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a real page turner- great read.

This book was fast-paced, action packed and an absolutely gripping read! The storyline kept me on the edge of seat flipping pages eager to try and solve the mystery right alongside the main characters.
The writing style was gritty, intense, atmospheric and full of twists and turns. The characters were both complex and memorable. I think this is book is definitely worth checking out if you enjoy reading Mystery Thrillers!

Thank you Bruce Borgos, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press-Minotaur Books for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Although I hate not starting at the beginning of a series - I didn't realize until I was too far in that I was reading a second book. This one stands perfectly well on its own.

Sheriff Beck has his hands full - and aging father, a wild sister and his own loss of sight. Then he is plunged into wildfires, the death of an old school friend, another friend who is suddenly and unexplainably wealthy and a government agent looking for a hacker!

What a story! It started a little slow - but once it got going - it went!

A fast-paced action-packed story full of twists and turns. It is well written, and the characters and scenes come to life. Porter Beck is a relatable character, as are the other characters, who you find yourself rooting for. Highly recommended

This was good although the first book in the series was excellent! I found the beginning dragging a bit and so many damn moving components but Porter Beck is a worth hero for a series. I will definitely purchase and read future books. I must mention that the setting was fantastic, too.

Shades of Mercy comes out next week on July 16, 2024 and you can purchase HERE.

Sleep was something he neither coveted nor needed in any great quantity, so he drove in light traffic and under a full moon until the four lanes of interstate turned into two lanes of rural highway, and then for two hours more, until he parked behind a boarded-up gas station well off the road, plugged in the police scanner, and allowed himself finally to shut his eyelids and drift into the slightest of slumbers.

He spent most of Monday driving the roads around the Lincoln County Youth Center. Now he was waiting for his moment.

I don’t know what it is about these books. They are outside of what I’d normally pick up, but so so fun. Sheriff Beck is great, and although you have to suspend disbelief a little about the magnitude of the cases he finds himself in, the stories flow perfectly. There are myriad side characters that help round out the narrative as well.

This time, Sheriff Beck finds himself embroiled in a case involving hijacked aircraft and semi trucks, dead cows, cybersecurity hacking, and a drug cartel. Totally bananas… but it works!!

I will look forward to reading the next in this series!

My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martins Publishing for the ARC of "Shades Of Mercy" in exchange for an honest review.
I was unabashed in my praise of "The Bitter Past", the first book in a series about Nevada Sheriff Porter Beck and that goes double for this one.
Sheriff Beck may be an aging Army veteran with failing night vision, but he's fearless, intuitive and relentless as Jack Reacher when it comes to sniffing out and hunting down villainous, violent conspirators.
And as fate would have it, the vast arid Nevada desert that he and a mere handful of Deputies patrol invariably attracts a mixture of both homegrown and global evil. This new case finds him pitted against no less than a cartel drug lord's flooding the county with lethal fentanyl laced opioids and Chinese spies plotting all out cyber war on America.
Somehow, smack in the middle of all these nefarious goings-on is Mercy Vaughn, a mysterious teen girl incarcerated in a desert juvenile facility. She happens to possess the kind of computer hacking skills that somebody's been using to remotely hijack and pilot armed Air Force drones, which brings her to Porter Beck's attention. Though Mercy's cut off from using computers, the Sheriff instinctively knows she's anything but what she seems but so does a ruthless Chinese spy who's on the hunt for her..
That's as much as I'd dare reveal because the book then proceeds to unload a hold-on-to-your-seats ride of suspense, surprises and brutal action. that never lets up, much like Sheriff Beck never lets up until things are put right and the various perpetrators get some good old fashioned Nevada justice.
Loved this book and count me as first in line whenever Porter Beck's up against a new slew of malefactors straight out of Miami Vice and James Bond. Put it high on any 'don't miss' thriller list this year.

What an adventure! It is full of twist and turns. When an old friend of Beck's dies of an overdose, then another woman dies from taking the same pills, Beck knows he has to do something about the drug problem in his county. Then a Fed comes to him for help, and they go to another old friend's ranch, Beck is starting to realize that maybe his old friend is mixed up in some of the problems that are happening in the county. A drone is hijacked, then an autonomous truck and another drone is hijacked. What is going on? It seems to center around Beck's old friend and his ranch. It seems that a young girl is the one who is behind it all. How can that be when she is in a juvenile facility? Beck needs to find out soon because a Mexican drug cartel and the Chinese are involved.

I am new to the Porter Beck series, but this book stands alone with no problem. Beck reminds me a bit of Walt Longmire but with an extensive military background.

In Shades of Mercy, Beck finds himself in the middle of an investigation involving hackers, the feds, local ranchers, and a rash of overdoses from a bad batch of drugs.

I really like the cast of characters surrounding Beck and would love to see them further developed in future books. Can’t wait to see what Beck and company get up to next!

Shades of Mercy, the second title of the Porter Beck series by Bruce Borgos, starts strong and doesn’t let up. The story pulled me in immediately and fully held my attention to the point that I read it over the course of a twenty-four hour period.

This is seriously good reading.

Hats off to Mr. Borgos, Shades of Mercy is a highly, highly enjoyable novel. If you’re looking for a new series, this one has my recommendation. And I, for one, am already looking forward to future titles.



Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the DRC

Shades of Mercy by Bruce Borgos is a very highly recommended un-put-downable procedural/mystery/thriller set in the high desert of Nevada. This is the second book in the Porter Beck series and is just as excellent as the first, The Bitter Past. Shades of Mercy can most definitely also be read as a standalone novel.
The fentanyl crisis has hit Lincoln County when a childhood friend of Sheriff Porter Beck dies from an overdose. At the same time a hacker takes control of a military drone and explosively disrupts the 17th birthday party of Shiloah Roy, daughter of Jesse Roy, another childhood friend of Beck and a very successful rancher/owner of the Double J Ranch. After the drone hacking, Special Agent Ed Maddox of the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations arrives. Jesse had a prize bull killed by the drone and Maddox is quick to want to compensate him for his loss.

Beck's investigation into the hacking leads him to a juvenile detention center where Shiloah’s friend Mercy resides. Mercy Vaughn is a brilliant 16-year-old hacker who is locked up with no computer access. Brinley (Brin) Cummings, Beck's sister, works at the center and she thinks Mercy is innocent, but Beck has his doubts after meeting her. Then the political intrigue increases when we learn that Dal Cho, a South Korean political consultant, has been ordered to go to Lincoln County and find Mercy.

Shades of Mercy is a lightning-fast-paced intelligent and complex procedural that keeps both the intrigue and the action sustained throughout. The action is truly non-stop as the complex case is investigated. Expect an immersive plot that moves quickly while the reader's engagement remains high. Twists abound in the narrative as discoveries and new information are uncovered. The setting is a major part of the story. Anyone who has lived in or spent time in the high desert of Nevada will understand the fire danger and the dry heat.

I love all the characters Borgos has created. Beck is an intelligent, astute, and resourceful character. He's nobody's fool and can read people like a book. He also has retinitis pigmentosa which means he has trouble seeing at night and decreasing peripheral vision. Brin and all the other varied supporting characters are portrayed as unique, fully realized individuals. This outing introduces a canine companion, Columbo, who is a perfect addition to the cast of characters.

This is an absolute winner and a wonderful addition to the series. I'll be looking forward to another Porter Beck procedural! Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Shades of Mercy is a complicated mystery with a well-rounded ensemble of characters. Sheriff Porter Beck is a second-generation sheriff. His father is the former sheriff of this large county in the high Nevada desert, but he’s dealing with problems his father never faced. Someone is bringing drugs laced with fentanyl into the county. A wealthy local rancher is being targeted by a hacker. Sheriff Beck has his hands full, and his department is spread thin. And he doesn’t have any leads, but he does have questions. And those questions lead him deeper into a quagmire of a mystery.
Drug smuggling, computer hackers, cartels, foreign agents all come into play in a plot that keeps twisting and turning, leading one way and then another. Sometimes the plot seemed a bit too far-fetched, but I kept reading anyway.

There is on the page violence in this novel, which can be a bit much at times. But, overall, this is a well-written mystery. The characters and the plot kept me engaged throughout the novel. If you like complicated mysteries, rugged settings, and flawed main characters, give Shades of Mercy a try.
My advice is to read book one before reading this one, since there are references to events in book one in Shades of Mercy

This is the 2nd book I have read by this author and it just keeps getting better. Beck, a sheriff in Nevada near Area 51, is trying to help with the wild fires and yet do his job as sheriff. One of his childhood friends is dead because of drugs. Another friend, Jesse, is running a large cattle ranch but Beck cannot figure out where the money is coming from. His ranch is not large enough to support the lavish house and the way Jesse is spending money. He just threw his daughter a large birthday party but Shiloah isn't happy with her father. During the party, the ranch is targeted by a military drone which blows up the prize bull.

While investigating the event, Beck finds a connection to a teenage hacker incarcerated at a local range for wayward teens. While on a road clean-up work group, Mercy goes missing. Kidnapped or a run away???

The author describes the beauty of Nevada with detail so vividly that you feel you are right there. He also manages to keep several story lines going and ends up fitting them all together for an ending you never see coming. This was a book that I had a hard time putting down until I found out who was really who!