Hard Country
A Thriller
by Reavis Z. Wortham
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Pub Date Aug 02 2023 | Archive Date Sep 29 2023
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Description
“Hard Country checks all the boxes: a nonstop thriller plot, characters who are so real we’re sure we’ve crossed paths in real life, and a breathtaking portrait—both searing and sympathetic—of a small town, from an author whose compelling voice and keenly observant eye transport us there."
—Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of The Bone Collector and Hunting Time
There is no peace in the hard country
Tucker Snow is as tough as they come, hardened by decades working as an undercover narcotics agent for the Texas Department of Public Safety. Through special dispensation from the governor, he and his brother Harley cut a wide swath through the criminal element of Northeast Texas. But tragedy comes calling after taking a dream job as a special ranger with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, when Tucker's wife and toddler are killed in a horrific traffic accident caused by a drug addled felon. Close to breaking, Tucker sets his badge aside to move his surviving teenage daughter outside of Ganther Bluff, a quiet town with enough room for them to mourn their unexpected loss.
But peace doesn't last long for a man like Tucker Snow. Instead of settling into small-town life to heal from such an unimaginable loss, a fresh kind of hell hits them with full force.
Crimes and secrets strangle this rural community, and when a new form of meth with the street name of gravel gets too close to home, it's enough for Tucker to put his badge back on and call Harley for help. The town will ultimately be better off with him as a resident lawman, but this unforgiving landscape will threaten everything Tucker holds dear.
Advance Praise
"Wortham is known for his protagonists and Tucker Snow is one of his all-time best: sharp, uncompromising, wry, thoroughly human, and the one thing we don’t see enough of nowadays: a dyed-in-the-wool hero. I was going to set aside a weekend to read the book. My problem? What to do with the rest of Saturday afternoon and Sunday—yes, Hard Country is the definition of a one-sitting read. Bravo!”
—Jeffery Deaver, New York Times bestselling author of The Bone Collector and Hunting Time
“An action fan’s dream. Non-stop excitement. Wonderful characters. A terrific locale. And a startling bulletin about how your car is watching you.”
—David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of First Blood
"Hard Country is easy to love, a beautifully crafted and fully realized thriller of rare depth and pathos. The debut entry in Reavis Wortham's new series is structured along classic lines reminiscent of the best from Ace Atkins, Don Winslow, and even James Lee Burke. This is thriller writing of the highest order that grabs hold from the very first line and doesn't let go until the last. As timely as it is terrific!"
—Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author the Caitlin Strong series
Available Editions
EDITION | Paperback |
ISBN | 9781728256702 |
PRICE | $16.99 (USD) |
PAGES | 400 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Hard Country
A Thriller
by Reavis Z. Wortham
Better buckle up your seatbelt for this wild ride! Tucker Snow is as tough as they come, hardened by decades of working as an undercover narcotics agent for the Texas Department of Public Safety. After the loss of his wife and child. Tucker Snow is no man to be played with. There is a new meth raging in his place and a car with a warning. great characters that you will NEED to finish as face as your mind can take.
Tucker Snow worked with his brother Harley as Texas law officer’s hunting down narcotics dealers. Tuck moves with his teenaged daughter to a remote area of the state near the Oklahoma border after the death of his wife and toddler. He had no idea that his ranch property borders on a ramshackle trailer, home to a meth dealer. After an encounter with his neighbor, all hell starts to slowly break loose.
Wortham superbly ratchets up the tension over the course of this fast read. There are crooked cops, despicable meth dealers and straight laced lawmen that populate the book. Tuck and his brother are just such well drawn characters. I just could not put the book down, and raced through the pages to see what would happen next. Well plotted and written.
My thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing an ARC of Hard Country, due out August 2, 2023.
I stumbled upon Reavis Z. Wortham many years ago when his Red River series came out and was hooked on his marvelous writing and language from the start. Hard Country is his latest creation and features special agent Tucker Snow. The book is as it should be set in Texas, where else would it be? After a tragedy he and his daughter has just moved into a new house but there's something going on with the neighbour... It is a wild ride from then on. I always recommend Reavis books and this is no exception, I am never disappointed with his work and neither should you be. I always eagerly awaits what will come next from this great author and I always have a good time visiting with his characters. I am most thankful that for once Poisoned pen Press let me have an advance copy and Netgalley for being there.
An adrenaline-fueled thriller set in and around a small rural community in Texas where a new type of meth called Gravel is wreaking havoc on the street and threatening to destroy more than one life.
A recent widower and ex undercover narcotic agent Tucker Snow has recently moved to the community with his teenage daughter and lot of still unprocessed grief after his wife and younger daughter had been killed in a fiery car crash caused by a meth addict. But when Tucker's life is threatens by some very messed up drug dealers who happened to be his next door neighbors all hell breaks loose and violence ensues with sinister results...
A gripping thriller, superbly plotted and brilliantly paced, Hard Country is also a very frightening "dance of death" expertly choreographed around an intriguing cast of exquisitely drawn characters.
The writing is very crisp and the emotional narrative searingly raw. It's simply fabulous...
I discovered Mr Wortham in 2022 with his magnificent novel the Texas Job but with this latest fictional treat I honestly do believe that he is one of the best wordsmiths at work today when it comes to American crime fiction!
It really deserves to be discovered and enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!
Many thanks to Poisoned Pen and Netgalley for this terrific ARC!
This is my second book from this author and he is now on my list of favorites. The main character here is Tucker Snow, a special agent with the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Tuck is on personal leave following the deaths of his wife and young son who had been killed in a traffic accident caused by a driver high on a new form of meth, known as “Gravel.” Tuck had worked for many years with his younger brother, Harley, in narcotics. Tuck and his sixteen year old daughter, Chloe, have just moved to a place in the country to relax and recover, but their peace is short lived as they soon learn their neighbor in the rundown trailer across the room is a meth dealer, protected from arrest by family connections. When the guy seeks to drive them away or kill them, Tucker and Harley find themselves working together again to protect their family. This story grabbed me from the start and is filled with great characters and non-stop action. Thanks to Poison Pen Publishers and Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for a review.
Exciting, unique, and a great team bringing the action.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I love finding books that fly beneath the radar sometimes, especially when it turns out to be fantastic! This author has developed a unique plot that is so totally realistic, it begs you to keep reading.
I love the way the author set up the character structure. Two brothers teaming up with similar jobs in law enforcement to handle suspicious neighbor activity that becomes not only targeted major crimes but just downright mean.
Wortham writes with clarity and a vision so bright that you feel you’re a part of the story and just hanging on for dear life on this wild ride.
The main character, Tucker Snow, is brilliantly developed with heart, a high level of protection, dry wit, and an innate sense of duty. He seems kind-hearted, but don’t get on the wrong side of him or his brother!
Hard Country was a fabulous surprise. Exciting, with perfect pacing, and the escalation of suspense made this a read I won’t forget
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