Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Nothing To Hide by J. Mark Bertrand - REVIEWED



This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Nothing to Hide
Bethany House Publishers (July 1, 2012)
by
J. Mark Bertrand


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

J. Mark Bertrand lived in Houston, where the series is set, for fifteen years,
earning an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Houston. But after
one hurricane too many he left for South Dakota. Mark has been arrested
for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of one hung jury and served
on another that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an
honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead.




ABOUT THE BOOK

A grisly homicide. An international threat.
The stakes have never been higher for
Detective Roland March.


The victim's head is missing, but what intrigues Detective Roland March
is the hand. The pointing finger must be a clue--but to what? According
to the FBI, the dead man was an undercover asset tracking the flow of
illegal arms to the Mexican cartels. To protect the operation, they want
March to play along with the cover story. With a little digging, though, he
discovers the Feds are lying. And they're not the only ones.

In an upside-down world of paranoia and conspiracy, March finds himself
dogged by injury and haunted by a tragic failure. Forced to take justice into
his own hands, his twisting investigation leads him into the very heart of
darkness, leaving March with nothing to lose--and nothing to hide.

My Thoughts:

This is not good,” the ADA says. “Not. Good.” (p. 91)

And boy, was she right! Roland March is once again in the middle of a VERY BIG mess, only because he could sense that he was being played and wanted to find out what was REALLY going on!  And folks think he’s not a great detective! They should pay closer attention! Seriously!

I have kind of a love/hate relationship with dear  ‘ole Roland.  Sometimes I’m so proud of him for following the leads he uncovers, and the next chapter I’m ready to wring his neck!  But I still have a lot of respect for him as a fictional character.  He reminds me a bit of Eeyore  …so melancholy…so doubtful.  Yet he is so brilliant, while all the time being very aware of his weaknesses.   Well, this time, Roland has really stumbled into a messy mess.  After all, he is pursuing the answer to a most gruesome crime!  And then he winds up with some physical problems, some job problems,  well, more than his fair share of stuff.  Yet, he hangs in there and goes above and beyond his duty to find answers.

There are times when it seems really doubtful if he will even make it to the end of the novel! But, I won’t tell you about that.  Mark Bertrand has created an unforgettable character and places him into very unforgettable situations.  If you like a good crime, suspense, action-packed, emotionally taut novel, Mark Bertrand is your author, and Roland March is your star character! Flaws and all!

If you would like to read the first chapter of Nothing to Hide, go HERE.

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