Poisonfeather is the 2nd book in the Gibson Vaughn series. I recommend reading the first book first but this can be read as a stand-alone. The author references Atlanta and also mentions former characters a couple of times.

This book is well-written, full of action with an explosive ending. The characters were nicely done, making them seem real. Gibson Vaughn is skillful, smart, cunning and caring which makes him a likable character.

I was so engrossed at the end and the cliffhanger had me wanting more, I had to jump right into the third book.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Gibson Vaughn, hero of the Short Drop, makes a comeback in Poisonfeather. I did not think it was quite as good as Fitzsimmons' first book because it was a bit too formulaic.

The story is about a billionaire who publicly infers that he has a king's ransom hidden offshore. This money was obtained from swindling his victims. As soon as he is released from prison, a horde of people descend to locate the billions -- some for retribution, some for repayment, some for plain greed.

It's not easy for an author to follow up with a second book after his debut is an absolute smasher of a book. So I wasn't expecting a repeat of the first, but I had high hopes for this book. I was not disappointed. Matthew FitzSimmons has a great story telling ability, and again, his intricate plot is woven together well.

My suggestion: don't compare it to The Short Drop –– it won't match up. Read the book for what it is, and it's pretty darn good.

While I didn't like this book as much as The Short Drop I still really enjoyed it. FitzSimmons is a very skilled writer that keeps the pace moving and is quickly cementing himself as a new favorite author of mine if his books keep this up. This one left on a little more of a cliffhanger so I'll be reading the next book of the series very soon!

*Many thanks to the Author, Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley for providing me with this title in exchange for my honest review.*
Poisonfeather is the second Gibson Vaughn book. I have not read The Short Drop yet, but the first chapters introduce a reader like myself to Gibson and his story. This time, he receives a proposal he cannot refuse due to some personal reasons and gets involved in a complicated yet seemingly honest case to cheat an incarcerated fraudster out of the money which was defrauded from thousands of gullible investors. The plot seems interesting, with a wide range of characters and twists and turns till the very end. A good weekend read.

Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Poisonfeather. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Jailed billionaire Charles Merrick just had to keep his mouth shut, so that he could be released from prison and quietly slip away. In an interview, he lets slip that the money he swindled out of unsuspecting people may be stashed away in an offshore account.

After finding out that Judge Birk, the man responsible for putting Gibson Vaughn on the straight and narrow path after teenage antics placed him in front of the man's bench, has lost everything due to Merrick, Gibson has no choice but to help his relatives recover the missing cash.

When Gibson Vaughn uncovers the secret of the missing money, will he be able to help the Judge and stay out of danger? How will the powerful forces behind Merrick react to Gibson's involvement?

Poisonfeather was well paced and is a good continuation of the story featuring main character Gibson Vaughn. The ending hinted at another sequel and, although I am not a fan of a cliffhanger ending, I am curious enough that I will be looking to read more. Readers who like mystery thrillers will find the intrigue and the action in this book appealing. It is not strictly necessary to have read the previous book, although I always recommend to readers to start from the beginning whenever possible for the continuity of the character. Author Matthew FitzSimmons has a good writing style and has crafted an interesting read with regards to Poisonfeather.

Sorry, I was unable to finish this book. It just didn't grab me and I struggled going back to it. The writing itself was very good, just not for me. Thank you for the chance.

It was a pleasure to continue the story of Gibson Vaughn without the novel losing anything due to a sophomore jinx, if such a thing exists. I do wonder about Vaughn's poor family, though. In Poisonfeather a horde of people are after the secret fortune of Charles Merrick, not the least of which is his daughter, the Chinese, various investors, and the family of Judge Hamilton Birk, who gave Vaughn a break that allowed him to pursue a military career instead of prison. The judge is now ill, and Vaughn wants to find the lost investment in order to repay his own debt. Then the adventures begin. There's lots of violence, but author Mathew FitzSimmons paces the story well, keeping on (or more!) twists to be revealed later. I enjoyed the novel and thank NetGalley for the review copy.

This book will keep you turning pages! This book is the second book by Matthew FitzSimmons and it is a GREAT read. The plot and characters are very well developed. There are some references to his first book, The Short Drop, but this can be read as a standalone. There were a lot of times that I found myself saying "I didn't see that coming".

The book is full of mystery, drama, and even a few laughs. Gibson Vaughn is my new favorite book character. He is an unsung hero whose life if full of adventure and intrigue. I highly recommend this book.

I received the third book by the author as a Goodreads Giveaway. I wanted to read the first two books before I started "The Cold Harbor". I am starting that one now!

Give us more Gibson Vaughn. Give us more hidden treasure, spies and crook s of all kind. As good as the first but a stand alone smash!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Billionaire, Charles Merrick's, assets were frozen after he was sentenced to prison. The problem is that most of that fortune was made swindling people out of their money. One of those people happens to be Judge Hammond Birk, a man who turned Vaughn's life around by giving him the choice of jail or the Marines when he was younger. When word spreads that Merrick may have his fortune stashed in an offshore account Gibson steps up to try and recover the money and repay his debt. Vaughn is not the only one trying to get the money and he once again finds himself involved with some very dangerous people.

This is the second novel in the Gibson Vaughn series and although I did not love it as much as the short drop it leads up to book 3, Cold Harbor, which I have read and is absolutely fantastic. Gibson Vaughn is one of my favorite characters and I can't wait to read more with book 4 Debris Line next Fall...This is one of my favorite thrillers and I would definitely recommend it.

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and review. The below is my honest, unbiased opinion. Thank you, Matthew FitzSimmons, the publisher, and NetGalley, for allowing me to review.

When jailed billionaire Charles Merrick hints publicly that he has stashed a fortune in an offshore cache, a school of sharks converges upon his release from federal prison. Among his swindled victims is Judge Hammond Birk, the man who saved Gibson Vaughn’s life when he was a troubled teenager. Now Gibson intends to repay that debt by recovering Merrick’s victims’ money. But Gibson isn’t the only one on the trail of the hidden fortune. The promise of billions has drawn a horde of ruthless treasure hunters, including an edgy ex-con, a female bartender with a mysterious history, a Chinese spy with a passion for fly-fishing, and a veritable army of hardened mercenaries. To stay ahead of the sharks and win justice for his mentor, Gibson will need all his formidable skills. But at the end of the road, he’ll still have to face “Poisonfeather”—a geopolitical secret that just might get Gibson killed…or worse.

POISONFEATHER is a high-stakes thriller that left me guessing until the very end. Like most books, the beginning is a little slow in order to setup the storyline, but once it truly got going, I couldn't put down the book. There character development and plot twists were fantastic. I haven't read the first book yet, and while I could have savored this one a bit more had I read it, the book was not ruined. I highly recommend picking up a copy if you enjoy political thrillers.

Thank you Netgalley. I wasn't too sure about reading this one and I'm sorry but I'm still not sure after reading it. I found it tough going and left me wanting something else.

Would like to think NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to try out this Series but unfortunately it's not my cup of tea so I'm DNF ,the hole Series.

In the aftermath of the Vice-President’s death, Vaughn Gibson was having his ordinary life back with his daughter. Then out of the blue, he received a request from the old judge, who punished him when he was young – forcing him to join the US Marines. Gibson was tasked with a new mission – following the money.

Charles Merrick was the mass fraudster, who was set to be released in a few days’ time. He boasted he still had the money in the offshore accounts and did not care about his victims – the families who were losing homes and savings.

Gibson tried to win justice for the victims, including the judge. He would have to face the secret group called “Poisonfeather”, attempting to evade the enemies such as spies and hitmen.

It was another good thriller – this time in the financial world. Matthew FitzSimmons will still write more good Gibson thrillers.

Caesar13

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

I loved The Short Drop and its 'hero' Gibson Vaughn. Poisonfeather? Not so much. I think, for me, the book just takes way too long to get to the end, and then the ending is rather confusing. I felt all bogged down by Swonger and his friends. I put the book aside several times thinking I just wouldn't finish it, but I eventually did.

Gibson Vaughn why do you have to get involved? Gibson Vaughn why can’t you let it go? Gibson Vaughn, it is time to get on with your life. None of that is going to happen in Poisonfeather, Matthew FitzSimmons’ second book in the Gibson Vaughn series.

I raced through FitzSimmons first book, The Short Drop, and thought it was better than good. The second book, Poisonfeather, went slower and was somewhat murky. Much has happened since the first book and I would have liked just a bit more of the protagonists’ interim back story. I had issues with the chapters leaving off in one place and picking up in another. The flow wasn’t seamless and I kept saying What? What, where are we? What happened? It took a page and then everything was back on track but it left me with the feeling of unevenness. This was probably due to the abundance of characters and the need to tie their stories into the ongoing plot. Or maybe it was the author’s intention to keep this reader slightly off the mark just when I thought I had a lock on what was coming next.

Having said all that FitzSimmons is reaching equal footing with Alex Berenson and his John Wells series, David Baldacci and Oliver Stone and The Camel Club, and Steve Berry with his Cotton Malone series. FitzSimmons writes action and dialog with wit and a sideward glance at morality. He gets inside his characters and opens them up to the reader with clarity and finesse. Now can we talk about the ending? Wow, like a piece of chocolate that melted in your mouth and you have to have another. I am so excited the third in the series is out in two weeks.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy

Gibson Vaughn is back, once again finding himself blacklisted for unclear reasons, he agrees to help the family of a judge who changed his life for the better years ago. While this seems fairly straight forward, nothing for Vaughn is ever what it seems, and the more he attempts to solve this problem, the deeper he gets into something else. Or several something else's. In this series, it helps to read the previous books because the information builds. The only slight problem with this second book is that there are too many factions and characters at one crucial point in the story. It gets hard to track what each group wants and why they are present. And then the book's end is a set-up for the third book. Which, as luck would have it, I was about to read. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley. I enjoyed every minute of this book. I could not read it fast enough.

A book that has so much suspense that I could not go to sleep. Stayed up all night to read it. the entire series is full of twists and turns that you don't expect .Characters are over the top but believable.

I love this series. However, this installment was my least favorite. It dragged too long in spots and it ends with a cliffhanger. On the other hand it is full of colorful characters.