Gone Dark
Book 4 Matthew Redd Thriller
Ryan Steck06/17/2025
Tyndale House Publishers  
When Matthew and Emily start their day, there is no way they could have been expecting the fallout.  Emily, an ER doctor, has a patient and former school mate,  die of a drug overdose.  Her heart is in the right place when she contacts the prescribing doctor, but when she gets home with her son an intruder decides that she needs to be silenced.  Luckily, she is a Redd and a fighter and does not relent.   Matthew is called in on the same day when a group of smoke jumpers goes missing. The Sheriff can count on Matt and his ability to do what is asked of him.  What no one knew is that he was following an assassin of sorts straight into the fire.  Not only does Matthew ride the fire out and report back what is happening to the smoke jumpers, he brings out a little boy named Jack.  Thriller readers never believe in a coincidence– so how are these two connected?  Matt,Emily and Jack are all seemingly targets. Who is behind this and what will they do to make sure there are no loose ends?  As the body count rises, the question remains – who will benefit and at what cost?  Ryan Steck has a way with relentless nonstop action that keeps the pages turning long into the night! I am anxious to see if Montana can hold Matthew Redd and his family.  He seems destined for bigger things.

The series has become a comfortable friend as we know to expect lots of action,. This time we’re not sure who is the real target. Is it Matthew or Emily. both have made enemies. One is searching for a murderer and the other for a the cause of a drug epidemic. With lots of action going on, I kept waiting for the two threads to merge..

Gone Dark is the 4th installment in the Matthew Redd series, and finds Matt embroiled in a battle against the elements, as well as ruthless drug traffickers. Matt is airdropped into a raging wildfire to search for a team of firefighters who have disappeared. When he finds them murdered, as well as a young boy who apparently witnessed the murders, Matt and the boy become targets, but protecting the child may come at a personal cost. As with prior books in this series, there’s a high body count and plenty of action, but the sheer number of calamities thrown his way, including wildfires, assassins, attacks on his wife, runaway trains, etc., just pushes this one over the edge into comic book territory, as the implausibilities mount with each chapter. Although I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this series, this one is an outlier, and the repeated theme of Matt’s wife and best friend becoming intricately involved in the exploits is becoming tiresome. After this book, I believe the series is in need of a refresh, as this one falls flat. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

YES! I think this book as been my favorite so far in the Matthew Redd series! In Gone Dark, Matthew jumps into action as he begins to help save fire jumpers who have gone missing. However it's never really that simple in a Matthew Redd story. Matty and his wife get in on the action as they battle good vs evil in the Montana wilderness. In the middle of it all his family is growing!! I love the addition of more family members and fighting to help and protect the littles! Yes, yes and yes! I can't wait to read more in the series and hope we get to start to see how Matty develops as a father! Thank you to the publisher and author for the advanced e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

GONE DARK is the fourth novel in the Matthew Redd series by RYAN STECK, but it can easily stand alone. Not only is the story nail biting, but the authot also takes us through the characters’ emotions. In amongst the race against time to fight the raging fire, stop the criminals, and save Jack, there is a strong sense of family values …….
I cannot recommend this exciting and thought provoking thriller strongly enough and guarantee you will not be able to put it down.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.