on Tour August 17 – September 18, 2020
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5/5 Stars!
I think I may have a problem.
Reading about gun battles, explosions, and illegal drug operations with a grin on my face can’t be normal, but that’s how I read most of Strong From the Heart.
Another stellar installment in the Caitlin Strong Series, this four-hundred-page read ended far too quickly for me.
Caitlin’s Captain calls her human flypaper because wherever she goes the worst of the worst sticks to her and he nails it in that one comment because only in her world can there be a connection between Cort Wesley’s teenage son’s drug overdose, the entire town of Camino Pass killed with no visible means of cause of death, and an illegal drug operation that could lead to some of the highest offices of corporate America and the government.
A side story involving Caitlin’s great-grandfather, William Ray Strong, and his connection with the same town… and involvement with Pancho Villa is so engrossing, I’d read it as a standalone book!
At one point in the story, Caitlin says she’s “getting the band back together,” and the familiar faces are all accounted for. Besides Cort Wesley and his son’s Luke and Dylan, Colonel Guillermo Paz is back peppering every sentence with philosophical quotes while issuing his brand of justice—and oh, my God, teaching a phys ed class for all of two days. I loved it!
D.W. Tepper is still trying to not smoke while smoking… and giving Caitlin “space” more times than not, while Leroy Epps, the ghost of Cort’s friend, shows up to guide him, and drink root beer.
Much to Caitlin’s chagrin, her half-sister—and legendary assassin—Nola Delgado is always closer than she likes, but Nola’s skills will come in handy. She may or may not be a psychopath… okay, she is, but I love Nola’s character.
Caitlin truly is up against the worst of the worst this time as someone with money and power is trying to stop her investigation and they will take as many lives as necessary with no remorse.
Timely themes enhanced the story not only with Luke’s overdose while partying with friends, but Caitlin’s use of prescription pain meds since a job-related injury several months ago. She’ll have a reckoning of her own while trying to deal with a drug operation in the midst of the opioid epidemic.
The Ranger’s reputation proceeds her as everyone expects bullets to fly and people to die when she shows up. In her defense, Caitlin never fires the first shot, but she always fires the last one.
And I love that!
You will too.
Enjoy!
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Synopsis:
Caitlin Strong wages her own personal war on drugs against the true power behind the illicit opioid trade in Strong from the Heart, the blistering and relentless 11th installment in Jon Land’s award-winning series.
The drug crisis hits home for fifth generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong when the son of her outlaw lover Cort Wesley Masters nearly dies from an opioid overdose. On top of that, she’s dealing with the inexplicable tragedy of a small Texas town where all the residents died in a single night.
When Caitlin realizes that these two pursuits are intrinsically connected, she finds herself following a trail that will take her to the truth behind the crisis that claimed 75,000 lives last year. Just in time, since the same force that has taken over the opiate trade has even more deadly intentions in mind, specifically the murder of tens of millions in pursuit of their even more nefarious goals.
The power base she’s up against―comprised of politicians and Big Pharma, along with corrupt doctors and drug distributors―has successfully beaten back all threats in the past. But they’ve never had to deal with the likes of Caitlin Strong before and have no idea what’s in store when the guns of Texas come calling.
At the root of the conspiracy lies a cabal nestled within the highest corridors of power that’s determined to destroy all threats posed to them. Caitlin and Cort Wesley may have finally met their match, finding themselves isolated and ostracized with nowhere to turn, even as they strive to remain strong from the heart.
Book Details:
Genre: Thriller
Published by: Forge Books
Publication Date: July 28, 2020
Number of Pages: 368
ISBN: 0765384701 (ISBN13: 9780765384706)
Series: A Caitlin Strong Novel, #11
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
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Nesie's Place 
I LOVE this series!!!!!
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Caitlin and crew are awesome! 😊👍
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