Hard Country by Ian Loome
Rogue Warrior #5

Intrigued with the story and immersed in the plot, I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning to make sure things came “right” in the end. Having missed two books in the series, I stepped right back into this book without skipping a beat finding no trouble picking up the Rogue Warrior’s story.

What I liked:
* Bob: ex-CIA assassin, diagnosed with ADHD & PTSD, intelligent, strong, lethal, has his own personal moral compass, protective, trying to avoid assassins, intriguing, would like to know more about him
* Getting back in touch with Bob and finding out how he is doing
* Seeing that Dawn & Marcus from the first book are still alive and doing well…though Marcus is in a bit of a pickle
* The way Bob adapts and adjusts while trying to use lethal force – most of the time
* The plot, pacing, setting and writing – I grew up in California so some of the places were familiar
* That not all of the bad guys were totally bad, and the good guys were also sometimes flawed
* The way the tables were turned on some who were more than eager to harm others for their twisted pleasure or for monetary gain
* The ins and outs, twists and turns, and ultimate mostly positive conclusion of the book
* That though I was unsettled and upset at times, the author chose not to become graphic as he mentioned dog fights, revenge, payback, and sadistic actions
* Thinking about where Bob will end up next

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* The drug kingpin and how evilly despicable he was
* The corruption and evil of the bad guys
* The reference to animal and human abuse/pain – made me angry and want the characters punished

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series/by this author? Yes
NOTE: I would recommend reading the first book in the series because it includes Bob’s backstory.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

Bob still hasn't accepted his mental health diagnosis - ADHD and PTSD, surely he'd have known that by now? But it makes kind of sense the way he is super-focused and task orientated. But on his way for a 2nd opinion Nurse Dawn calls to let him know Marcus is in trouble so of course Bob is on the way to save the day.

Bob has to save Marcus from being framed for murder, you know the charges are bogus when even the victims daughter doesn't believe Marcus is involved!

Police corruption, small town politics and crooked ventures dovetail well with the continuing saga of Bob versus his previous employers. A psychopathic assassin is chasing after Bob, following his trail and leaving a trail of bodies behind him.

I loved seeing Bob, Dawn and Marcus again. They are a family even though they are so disparate. Bob's also got to deal with a baddie with a penchant for real-life Operation! A wild ride and a great example of adrenaline fuelled adventure with a tightly crafted plot!

Damn, Hard Country by Ian Loomis is one fast-paced, action-packed, adrenaline rush of a thriller that never lets up from first page to last and I couldn’t flip those pages fast enough. This is the fifth book in the Rogue Warrior Thriller series and the first I’ve read but, although there are references to earlier books, I didn’t find it interfered with my enjoyment and I did enjoy it…a lot. Bob Singleton aka Bob MacMillan, the main protagonist, is well-drawn and likeable and, if the bad guys are a tad over-the top violent, well, that just creates more tension as he clashes with them. And there is a huge amount of violence here including torture and this may set a record for the number of broken noses suffered in a single novel. I will also add I will never again think of the game, Operation, which I loved as a kid, with the same fondness. Despite all that, I found the novel pretty nigh unputdownable and definitely plan to read more of Bob’s exploits in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

The book, like the rest of the series, is well written, easy and entertaining to read, has very good characters and lots of action. Unfortunately, probably to get the action going, the main character is pretty stupid, but always lucky.

Bob Singleton is on the road again. In Hard Country by Ian Loome he is trying to stay safe from his former employer and at the same time figure out what his mental status is. On the way he finds out that a friend is in trouble, accused of murder. But he gets help from an unexpected source. At the same time, a professional assassin is hunting him all across the country. I found this book to be one of the best in the series and a very entertaining story. I can really recommend the books from this author, I'm still trying to catch up with the back catalog. I must thank Netgalley and Inkubator Books for supplying me with this advance copy.