DRAW A HARD LINE by author Michael E. Jimerson is a novel that follows the life of a former Texas Ranger named E.J. Kane who has the weight of the world on his shoulders; his wife will never forgive him for the death of his son and has blamed him unfairly for the choice his son made in joining the armed forces, his daughter is a drug addict hopelessly lost in her dependency and cannot be trusted to be truthful about anything and excels at manipulation to feed her need.
On top of all of that, he has had to live with the black mark on his reputation for a case that ended in tragedy with him getting sole blame for it.

E.J. not only has to deal with the struggles of his personal life, things get more difficult when he is reluctantly assigned to unofficially investigating a case involving white supremacy and human trafficking in addition to control of the drug trafficking in the area that goes hand in hand with human trafficking by keeping prostitutes dependent on them to supply their drug addiction.

Rebecca is not only E.J.’s ex-wife, but the prosecutor he has to work with on the case and while she is very good at her job and is professional her demeanor towards him as it relates to the case, she never misses an opportunity to blame him for their son’s death.

Someone that E.J. also has to deal with is a sheriff he grew up with who also never fails to insult and blame him for the tragedy that resulted in his removal as a U.S. marshal.


Author Jimerson has written a good novel that takes place in the Big Thicket in Texas that has spawned several good novels and adds to the story, and while I did enjoy this novel the constant abuse E.J. was subjected to grew tiresome, especially the irrational hatred of his ex-wife and the blame for his son’s death which along with his daughter and the sheriff in the story constantly insulting him just added to portions of the book strong emphasis on this.

4 stars.

This was another book that I had received from the author, his publishing company and the fine folks at Net Galley in return for an honest review.

The premise of this novel is that the protagonist, a former Texas Ranger by the name of E.J Kane is called into action and asked to reinvestigate one of his former cases when a racist killer uses the resources of his Aryan gang to falsify an innocence claim, intending to use fraudulent evidence to gain his release from prison. Only the original trial team, cowboy detective E.J. Kane and his former prosecutor ex-wife Rebecca Johnson, refuse to surrender to injustice. An unrelated suicide holds the key to unraveling a massive problem of DNA evidence.

Meanwhile, their daughter faces the stark consequences of drug addiction and continued victimization from sex trafficking. E.J. will have to battle a corrupt sheriff, an army of white supremacists, the legendary Big Thicket National Preserve, and a startling revelation about his past dishonor. This character-driven novel is just as much a tale of family troubles as it is a mystery. A familiar story of meth addiction affectingly spills across the pages, as does the pain of a divorce that one side doesn't want, in addition to the problems of aging.

Jimerson's protagonist is a multi-faceted, decorated hero with a complicated past and his own personal and professional demons as he works to outsmart a cunning enemy. Dealing with the trauma of his son's death and his daughter's drug addiction, Kane is movingly divided between his professional obligations and the impossible hope of righting the wrongs in his personal life. Jimerson seamlessly incorporates gritty violence, bursts of action, and an unsettling feeling of not being sure who to trust with compelling glimpses of Kane's home life and personal relationships.

I had initially expressed interest in the title based purely on the title and the cover (this fits the definition of "the raccoon principle"). This book would likely be a favourite for readers who enjoy investigative thrillers. However when I read this book, I found it to be a bit of a struggle to read (this may be due to not being previously familiar with this author or his protagonist) and would personally only be able to give this book three stars out of five.

As with all of my literary ramblings, these are just my five cents worth.

This is the second E.J. Kane novel. While it is not necessary to have read the first before diving into Draw a Hard Line, it may help to learn Kane’s backstory and how he ended up in the situation that starts this book. He is a likeable character with strong beliefs. His moral compass may include some grey areas, but he is a strong protagonist who is easy to get behind. The story starts with Kane dealing with oil pipeline protestors and takes some time to find the gas pedal. Once he is in a courtroom, interacting with his ex-wife, things pick up speed in a hurry. It is an engaging mystery, fast-paced and one that keeps the reader guessing.
While Kane appears in most of the pages, those characters around him are also well developed.

To this British reader, Draw A Hard Line was a first encounter with Texan law enforcement structures and culture (including the storied Texas Rangers) and the associated legal system and processes. For me, the book is at its strongest, and most interesting and entertaining, when concentrating on these elements of the story; less so when exploring the issues confronting the hero of the story, former Ranger EJ Kane, in his personal life. The plot is intricate and credible, with all the seemingly disparate strands brought together neatly at the end - except one, leaving the way open for another book in the series.