Nothing Short of Dying

The unexpected telephone call from the sister Clyde Barr hadn’t seen or spoken to in years had him making a promise and packing up his camp to head to a civilisation he hadn’t wanted to return to. Jen’s panicked call which had abruptly ended had sent chills down Barr’s spine – he knew she was in trouble; he also knew he had to find her before it was too late.

Barr had been out of his family’s lives for sixteen years – travelling across various countries while working as a soldier, a hunter and more. His skills were legendary; tough, fast and lethal, he was not a man to cross. His initial search to find a connection to Jen led him into the dark world of drugs – the apparent kidnapper was a feared person who was known to stop at nothing to gain control over the drug trade in the west of the United States. The only thing in both Barr’s and Jen’s favour was that Jen was needed alive for something. But would he get to her in time?

Joining forces with a stubborn Allie, Barr was at first reluctant to put her in danger. But she had an agenda and wouldn’t be fobbed off. Also she knew what the person they were after looked like. The race was on, but so were the continued attempts to stop them. The dangers were high – being alert 24/7 was wearing, but they had no choice. As they wound their way into the vast forests of Colorado, Barr felt confident; more at home in the wilderness than the cities. But had they underestimated their enemy? Barr knew that nothing short of dying would stop him finding the sister he was so close to when they were young…

Brilliant! So hard to believe Nothing Short of Dying is a debut novel by Erik Storey. Fast paced, original and full of action from the very first page, I raced through it. An excellent thriller, Barr is a great protagonist; his determination to succeed puts him in dangerous situations on a constant basis – and he doesn’t always win! With this one being #1 in a new series, I’ll be keen to read the next one. Highly recommended!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Although Clyde Barr left his home and family in Colorado sixteen years ago, he can't help coming to his sister Jen's aid when she calls to say she has been kidnapped and is being held by a major drug ring. Clyde has been a soldier of fortune, been in wars and more recently incarcerated in Mexico. He knows how to fight and play dirty but underneath he has a basic honorable code of ethics and can recognise evil when he comes across it. This is a high octane adventure of the Jack Reacher type as Clyde attempts to rescue his sister, blow up a major drug racket and keep safe Allie, the girl he picked up along the way. Plenty of fast paced, gritty action in this excellent debut novel. I'll definitely be looking forward to what Mr Barr does next.