This book brings us back into the world of Kurt Argento and it is as good as the first one. It is another crazy ride! Intense, terrifying, and I could not stop reading it! The writing is so readable and drew me right in. Kurt Argento is the person I want with me when things start to go wrong, smart, resourceful, and not afraid to do what needs to be done to survive. Krisitn Reed, a mother looking for answers about what happened to her husband when he visited the isolated town of Fenton, Arizona. Kurt is not inclined to get involved but his vow to help those in need has him nosing around and puts him in the path of dangerous and desperate people. As Kurt tries to figure out what is going on it becomes dangerous but Kurt is not a man to be messed with. The closer he gets to the truth the more dangerous it becomes for everyone. Will he make it out alive? While this is the second book with Kurt Argento as the main character it can be read as a standalone. I highly recommend this book to readers that enjoy action books or shows like Reacher.

Kurt Argento, a former Detroit cop, is house-sitting in a small Arizona town. Recently widowed, his only real companion is his dog, Hudson. He is often recognized for his role in a prison break where he rescued the governor of Missouri's daughter. With that incident behind him, Kurt prefers a quiet life doing odd jobs and eating at diners. When Kristen Reed, a young mother, approaches him with her son asking for help, he initially declines. However, he feels compelled to assist when she suggests something bad may have happened to her husband in nearby Fenton. As Kurt begins investigating, he notices that Fenton's police force is too large and skilled for a town with almost no crime. A mysterious gray-haired man seems to exert an unusual influence over everyone. Kurt has uncovered a more complex situation and is determined to figure out what happened to the Reed family, as Kristen and her son have also vanished.

Adam Plantinga introduced Kurt Argento in his debut novel The Ascent. By the end, it was clear that this appealing, down-on-his-luck character would be back for more adventures and happily we didn't have to wait long for his return. Hard Town is a gritty book filled with lots of action and even some humor. Violent and tense, the story kept me glued as the lines between the good guys and the bad guys became blurred. You can read this page-turner as a standalone, but it is worth reading the first book as well. 

4.5 stars.

Fans of Jack Reacher will love this story, a worthy successor to the first book in this series, “Ascent.”
I gave it the following SCORE:
Setting: Present day, small town in Arizona
Characters: Kurt Argento, ex-Detroit cop, fresh from his harrowing prison adventures, members of an elite former military security force, Sinaloa cartel mobsters, and the supreme villain, August Barrows
Overview: Argento is trying to get some downtime, recovering in a remote Arizona town when he runs across an injustice that must be corrected. He discovers the highly unusual town is guarded and funded way beyond normal and sets out to avenge despicable wrongs and find out what nasty secret lies with the evil genius in the fortress on the mountain.
Recommendation: I rate this book 4 stars
Extras: Lots of action here and many reasons to keep reading the next chapter. TW – this book has considerable violence and is particularly a “hard town” for dog lovers like myself – although the incidents are probably needed to justify the motivation for the rest of the story, they are difficult to read.
Thanx to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to provide this candid review.

Wow, what a bada$$ of a book. Hard Town follows retired Detroit cop Kurt Argento as he unwittingly gets involved in a situation that unravels a conspiracy that is going to push him to his limits.

This novel is wild rollercoaster, it's a hard-hitting action flick, a thriller, a mystery, crime drama, and even a teensy bit of a character study of our MMC.

Although the plot is totally over the top, I felt completely engaged the whole time and it felt like some big budget action film but unfolding before me right on the pages. I found the main character, Kurt Argento to be so compelling. He is complex, interesting, morally gray, but also completely full of integrity to do the right thing. Although this was definitely an action book, there was just enough heart on the pages to keep me fully invested and wanting to know what happens next.

I've read quite a few thrillers, but not as many with a male author voice and Hard Town had some serious masculine energy and I am definitely here for it - love the action sequences, and the whole vibe.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and Net Galley for this eARC.

Former cop Kurt Argento, who helped others survive a disastrous prison break in The Ascent, is back in Adam Plantinga's Hard Town. His reputation precedes him, and his desire to help others in dire straits runs parallel with his almost super-human skills. So when a woman with a toddler disappears after asking Argento to help find her missing husband, he can't help but look into to what has happened to this family. But his quest again leads to his involvement with the most dangerous of criminals, not to mention a mysterious psychopath with a huge intellect who is working on a secret project for the government.

Argento's skills and determination will be tested over and over, as will his moral compass. There are some hard, violent things to read in this book, as in the previous one, but it is the fascinating portrait police sergeant Plantinga paints of Kurt that is the star of the show. With his beloved wife dead of cancer and little to live for, he flies by the seat of his pants and never looks back. But he never stops being human, and that's his saving grace.

Kudos to Adam Plantinga on his second action thriller, which is sure to be another hit. It isn't necessary to read The Ascent to appreciate this book, but why not start with that one for a wild ride that makes you want to find out more about Argento and his exploits.

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.