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Shepherd and Fox #1
Shepherd and The Fox
A crafty thief and a rugged mercenary must team up to survive a lethal game of deceit and vengeance.
Lucky Rodriguez-Toscani, alias "The Fox," is more than a master thief; she is a woman seeking vengeance for her murdered parents. Her quarry: Santiago Orozco, the ruthless leader of a notorious cartel. But taking him down requires more than just cunning. She needs brawn. And for that, she turns to Adam Shepherd, a battle-hardened ex-Delta Force mercenary with a propensity for violence.
Their tumultuous past complicates matters, but nothing motivates cooperation quite like a common enemy. Together, Lucky and Shepherd navigate a dangerous world of crime and corruption, from daring bank heists to high-stakes border runs, each step bringing them closer to Orozco.
But as they begin to close in, it becomes clear that Orozco's ambitions reach far beyond the confines of the criminal underworld—he aims to infiltrate the highest echelons of power and place the free world under his control. Orozco’s grand vision: the American President as his personal puppet.
The task ahead is formidable. Lucky and Shepherd must bury their past, manage their mistrust, and unite in their attempt to outwit and overpower a rapidly ascending wolf…or fall prey to his deadly designs.
An adrenaline-charged thrill ride of revenge, betrayal, and redemption, Shepherd and The Fox promises to hold you captive till the very last word.
Dive into this riveting crime fiction thriller from USA Today bestselling authors Brian Shea and Kristi Belcamino. Recommended for fans of Stieg Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and David Baldacci's The Innocent.
Lucky Rodriguez-Toscani, alias "The Fox," is more than a master thief; she is a woman seeking vengeance for her murdered parents. Her quarry: Santiago Orozco, the ruthless leader of a notorious cartel. But taking him down requires more than just cunning. She needs brawn. And for that, she turns to Adam Shepherd, a battle-hardened ex-Delta Force mercenary with a propensity for violence.
Their tumultuous past complicates matters, but nothing motivates cooperation quite like a common enemy. Together, Lucky and Shepherd navigate a dangerous world of crime and corruption, from daring bank heists to high-stakes border runs, each step bringing them closer to Orozco.
But as they begin to close in, it becomes clear that Orozco's ambitions reach far beyond the confines of the criminal underworld—he aims to infiltrate the highest echelons of power and place the free world under his control. Orozco’s grand vision: the American President as his personal puppet.
The task ahead is formidable. Lucky and Shepherd must bury their past, manage their mistrust, and unite in their attempt to outwit and overpower a rapidly ascending wolf…or fall prey to his deadly designs.
An adrenaline-charged thrill ride of revenge, betrayal, and redemption, Shepherd and The Fox promises to hold you captive till the very last word.
Dive into this riveting crime fiction thriller from USA Today bestselling authors Brian Shea and Kristi Belcamino. Recommended for fans of Stieg Larsson's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and David Baldacci's The Innocent.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 23, 2024
293 people are currently reading
1054 people want to read
About the author
Brian Christopher Shea
52 books279 followersAuthor also writes under Brian Shea
BRIAN CHRISTOPHER SHEA has spent most of his adult life in service to his country and local community. He honorably served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. In his civilian life, he reached the rank of Detective and accrued ten years of law enforcement experience between Texas and Connecticut. Somewhere in the mix he spent five years as a fifth-grade school teacher. Brian’s myriad of life experience is woven into the tapestry of each character’s design. He resides in New England and is blessed with an amazing wife and three beautiful daughters.
Writing has always been a dream, but life seemed to find a way of interrupting. It wasn’t until recently that he dedicated time to this passion. His first book, The Camel’s Back, gave him a much-needed mental break from his work investigating atrocities against children. He allotted time in the morning each day. Usually waking at 5 to bang away on his manuscript. The second round of daily writing would occur after his children were asleep. He proved that working full-time and raising a family were no longer valid excuses to putting off his novel.
BRIAN CHRISTOPHER SHEA has spent most of his adult life in service to his country and local community. He honorably served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. In his civilian life, he reached the rank of Detective and accrued ten years of law enforcement experience between Texas and Connecticut. Somewhere in the mix he spent five years as a fifth-grade school teacher. Brian’s myriad of life experience is woven into the tapestry of each character’s design. He resides in New England and is blessed with an amazing wife and three beautiful daughters.
Writing has always been a dream, but life seemed to find a way of interrupting. It wasn’t until recently that he dedicated time to this passion. His first book, The Camel’s Back, gave him a much-needed mental break from his work investigating atrocities against children. He allotted time in the morning each day. Usually waking at 5 to bang away on his manuscript. The second round of daily writing would occur after his children were asleep. He proved that working full-time and raising a family were no longer valid excuses to putting off his novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
May 14, 2024
A disappointing novel which has barely a storyline and nothing to look forward to. We have the “Hulk” combined with a “Wonder Woman” out to destroy some cartel based in Mexico bordering Texas. The reasoning behind this caper is the thirst for revenge by Wonder Woman who wants to avenge her father’s death. Further, they continue to destroy the cartel, moving back and forth between Mexico & Texas. When they are in a no-win situation, their friend, mentor, and gang of girl bikers miraculously come to their rescue. To cap it all towards the end, we are told that an “Indian” billionaire has set up a foundation to take out powerful people who cannot be caught by normal means. On the whole, it's not worth your time.
May 26, 2024
Action packed!!! I finished this one very quickly and would be excited to see this as a movie. Dwayne Johnson as Shepherd! I always love bad ass women and Lucky is a character I’ll always root for!!
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September 8, 2025DNF. profanity
July 28, 2025
I am really bummed out. I have read a lot of books by Brian Shea and have liked them all. This one was not good at all. One of the reviewers summed it up appropriately. Its essentially the Hulk meets Wonder Woman in a series of highly improbable situations. I will not give up on Brian but I will not read any more of this series.
September 2, 2025
3.5 stars
March 8, 2025
Sounds like a solid solid story, classic, could go a lot of ways however it's a very unsatisfying read and it's also just plain bad. The most glaring issue is the racist and sexist tropes used throughout the book. The main antagonists of the book is more or less a mexican cartel but there is also a neonazi group in there as well; what's notable is how the author chooses to describe the men in cartel with animal features, how dirty or gross they appear, or general negative features which I guess is okay, they're the bad guys right? Yeah, but this isn't applied at all to the neonazis, they're generally positively and it's notable enough that I caught it fairly quick. Also the neonazi group leader having a big chest tattoo that says "I hate Mexicans" on it feels very cartoonish but isn't treated with the same level of destain as the cartel is which is also weird, this is weird, this is so weird why is no one mentioning this. Along these same lines, only our main woman Fox is only written with sexual indent. Other women in the book either lack detailed descriptions or also fall into racial stereotypes or general negative descriptions, oh no, but not out main girl. We have to let the readers know she's sexy, she deserves that callsign of "Fox" in more ways than one. It's just very notable whenever she changes clothes it's always described as clinging to her or how her chest shows or how desirable she looks.
In regards to the characters, they're very surface level. I accidently thought I came in the middle of a series with how much mention there is of past events, a love between the two but it doesn't feel right and honestly came out of the blue but whatever, it's a crummy romance subplot. This was instead the first book so caught off guard by that. The author gives them these dramatic backgrounds and hints of a mystery but it's written poorly in that the mysterious events of their past as to why they had to seperate and never see each other again end up being null and void. Or these backgrounds are expanded on poorly that make these characters who are suppose to be super specialized just bland and far from special. They're just a hot guy and a sexy woman with guns, that's all.
I do not enjoy how they are both are meant to be specialized personal with some sort of military background but then the most basic military/agency information is spoken as if it's some new and novel thing when (it's like less than five times I think there is mention anything military related, almost all towards the end but it's weird!) I understand they're both suppose to be some kind specialists of secret background with a mysterious government agency/agency related so the mystery is there but the act nothing like it. From handling weapons to getting intel, nothing screams "I am skilled at this!", it seems like it's both their first time handling a gun or tracking someone down or getting to a safe location. It's bad!
It's just odd. Weapons are also described in a way that they lack almost any information on what they're using (gun is not a good description of things) and feels like these supposed super special world saving individuals are new to fighting and using weapons. The author relies so much on telling and not showing especially during fight sequences it's frustrating! Also what the fuck is up with that armored truck at the end? What's up with that? Actually can we talk about the whole ending? It was so awful! It made so little sense especially in context of everything else I don't understand. All tell, no show!
Anyways, I really hope I listened to the wrong book somehow (this was an audiobook I listened to rather than reading and my hatred for how poorly written it was and analyzing it was what kept me awake in the remote american southwest desert.) The potential for a good story is there, yes done a countless times to death in this genre and one I will consume over and over. But man, it's so bad. I was so hopeful especially for a new author I've never read and I was hopeful, with his expansive works, that maybe I'd stumble into something good. Sorry, it's so bad I will actively recommend people to never read his works. It's so bad I'm writing a review. I've given poorly written erotic fantasy romance higher ratings but at least the ones I've read aren't subconsciously racist.
In regards to the characters, they're very surface level. I accidently thought I came in the middle of a series with how much mention there is of past events, a love between the two but it doesn't feel right and honestly came out of the blue but whatever, it's a crummy romance subplot. This was instead the first book so caught off guard by that. The author gives them these dramatic backgrounds and hints of a mystery but it's written poorly in that the mysterious events of their past as to why they had to seperate and never see each other again end up being null and void. Or these backgrounds are expanded on poorly that make these characters who are suppose to be super specialized just bland and far from special. They're just a hot guy and a sexy woman with guns, that's all.
I do not enjoy how they are both are meant to be specialized personal with some sort of military background but then the most basic military/agency information is spoken as if it's some new and novel thing when (it's like less than five times I think there is mention anything military related, almost all towards the end but it's weird!) I understand they're both suppose to be some kind specialists of secret background with a mysterious government agency/agency related so the mystery is there but the act nothing like it. From handling weapons to getting intel, nothing screams "I am skilled at this!", it seems like it's both their first time handling a gun or tracking someone down or getting to a safe location. It's bad!
It's just odd. Weapons are also described in a way that they lack almost any information on what they're using (gun is not a good description of things) and feels like these supposed super special world saving individuals are new to fighting and using weapons. The author relies so much on telling and not showing especially during fight sequences it's frustrating! Also what the fuck is up with that armored truck at the end? What's up with that? Actually can we talk about the whole ending? It was so awful! It made so little sense especially in context of everything else I don't understand. All tell, no show!
Anyways, I really hope I listened to the wrong book somehow (this was an audiobook I listened to rather than reading and my hatred for how poorly written it was and analyzing it was what kept me awake in the remote american southwest desert.) The potential for a good story is there, yes done a countless times to death in this genre and one I will consume over and over. But man, it's so bad. I was so hopeful especially for a new author I've never read and I was hopeful, with his expansive works, that maybe I'd stumble into something good. Sorry, it's so bad I will actively recommend people to never read his works. It's so bad I'm writing a review. I've given poorly written erotic fantasy romance higher ratings but at least the ones I've read aren't subconsciously racist.
September 10, 2025
First time reader. Shepherd and Lucky are a team though they feel they are better off working on their own. Dealing with dangerous cartel leaders lands them almost into the jaws of death. A fast paced thriller with escalating suspense. As the first book in the series I really wish more of the backstory information was presented early on in the book regarding what Shepherd and Lucky’s past connections were and what they are trying to ultimately achieve through their participation in various dangerous operations. Other than the prologue, which didn’t identify them, more than a third of the book was gone before any basic background on their relationship was provided and that was just circumstances on how they met but still no clue on what their continuing working relationship was about or what they were ultimately trying to achieve (other than for this particular operation, a major part of Lucky’s motivation was revenge for her father’s murder). 95% of the book was over before we found out anything other than his name about Uncle Max, their apparent leader, or what the Foundation, the organization they apparently worked for, was about. Although there were several mentions about previous operations Shepherd and Lucky had been on (together and separately) in dangerous situations all over the world, for the Foundation, their reason(s) for carrying out those operations weren’t disclosed, or are they just suppose to be paid mercenaries who are participating in these operations simply for the money. Shepherd and Lucky are a team though they feel they are better off working on their own. Dealing with dangerous cartel leaders lands them almost into the jaws of death. A fast paced thriller with escalating suspense.
May 29, 2024
The most I could give it is 2.5. The storyline starts in Afganistan where Shepherd & Fox meet but it is light on details.
Next time they meet for the reader is in Mexico, where Fox is robbing a bank to impress the cartel in order to take them down. Until the end, it is unclear who they work for and what besides dismantling the cartel is on the agenda but each has a "handler". Shephard is "the Rock" and Fox is a kind of like the Black widow-both have amazing fighting skills (no background as to how that happened).
References are made to past "run-ins" with each other and each of them keeping score as to how many times they saved each other.
Lots of fighting, shooting and bad guys but light on depth of storyline -its a bit like the Gia Santanella series by Shea's co-author- Belcamino.
Next time they meet for the reader is in Mexico, where Fox is robbing a bank to impress the cartel in order to take them down. Until the end, it is unclear who they work for and what besides dismantling the cartel is on the agenda but each has a "handler". Shephard is "the Rock" and Fox is a kind of like the Black widow-both have amazing fighting skills (no background as to how that happened).
References are made to past "run-ins" with each other and each of them keeping score as to how many times they saved each other.
Lots of fighting, shooting and bad guys but light on depth of storyline -its a bit like the Gia Santanella series by Shea's co-author- Belcamino.
June 25, 2024
Juvenile at best
Usually a fan of Brian Shea but this was over the top. The dialog was insulting and there was no character development to engage the readers. Truck loads of gun wielding cartel members open fire on Shepherd he kills them all and ends up with a little scab on his forehead. Lucky (Fox) is taken prisoner is tied to a chair but manages to force her captor to fall on his own knife. Lets not forget the billionaire mystery man Uncle Max who with the help of Shepherd and Fox is going to save the world from evil.
Just another boring formatted action story with supernatural characters escaping to sail off into the sunset before their next (thrilling) adventure. I will not be reading book two. Having read book one I am confident that I already know how book two and on will be.
Usually a fan of Brian Shea but this was over the top. The dialog was insulting and there was no character development to engage the readers. Truck loads of gun wielding cartel members open fire on Shepherd he kills them all and ends up with a little scab on his forehead. Lucky (Fox) is taken prisoner is tied to a chair but manages to force her captor to fall on his own knife. Lets not forget the billionaire mystery man Uncle Max who with the help of Shepherd and Fox is going to save the world from evil.
Just another boring formatted action story with supernatural characters escaping to sail off into the sunset before their next (thrilling) adventure. I will not be reading book two. Having read book one I am confident that I already know how book two and on will be.
April 11, 2024
The Shepherd and The Fox has an action packed storyline. Shepherd and his partner in crime, Lucky have a plan to infiltrate the Orozco Cartel’s bank. First, they’ll rob the bank to prove it’s not secure. Then, they’ll return the money with the hope that Orozco will allow them into his Cartel.
Shepherd isn’t as fortunate as Lucky. He’s captured my the Mexican police and beaten in jail. Lucky will have to convince Orozco on her own and get his help to bust Shepherd out of jail. Orozco accepts her offer, but unbeknownst to him Lucky has an ulterior motive.
The two will go against some of the most dangerous people together. In this exciting descriptive action packed story that will remind you of Jack Reacher, Mr. and Mrs. Smith with a bit if Narcos.
Thank you #goodreads giveaway
Shepherd isn’t as fortunate as Lucky. He’s captured my the Mexican police and beaten in jail. Lucky will have to convince Orozco on her own and get his help to bust Shepherd out of jail. Orozco accepts her offer, but unbeknownst to him Lucky has an ulterior motive.
The two will go against some of the most dangerous people together. In this exciting descriptive action packed story that will remind you of Jack Reacher, Mr. and Mrs. Smith with a bit if Narcos.
Thank you #goodreads giveaway
March 20, 2025
Shortly into the book there’s this line “how long do you think the last few seconds of your life will feel?”
Game…set…match…this adrenaline filled book was full speed ahead action!
You have two lead characters, Lucky, the badass FMC and Shepherd, the Dwayne Johnson-esque MMC. Their back stories are sprinkled throughout the book, painting a picture of morally gray but could be part of an alphabet agency??
Their mission, their targets are cartel baddies with connections on both sides of the border. I like how “justice” was carried out in the end and how all the layers were revealed to lead into the next book in the series.
Game…set…match…this adrenaline filled book was full speed ahead action!
You have two lead characters, Lucky, the badass FMC and Shepherd, the Dwayne Johnson-esque MMC. Their back stories are sprinkled throughout the book, painting a picture of morally gray but could be part of an alphabet agency??
Their mission, their targets are cartel baddies with connections on both sides of the border. I like how “justice” was carried out in the end and how all the layers were revealed to lead into the next book in the series.
May 22, 2024
With ‘Shepherd and the Fox’ you have a collaboration of two fantastic writers! Both Brian Shea and Kristi Belcamino have created strong, memorable characters in their individually authored series and they’ve brought that talent to the characters of Shepherd and Lucky. This is one action packed thriller series debut! If you’re a fan of the Reacher, Bourne or Orphan X series, this book might just be up your alley! Are there situations that might be unrealistic? It’s distinctly possible. Approach reading this book as pure entertainment and settle in for a wild ride.
June 1, 2024
I’ll admit I wasn’t so sure about this one at first. I requested a copy from NetGalley as I have read books by Belcamino before, so I knew I would enjoy it. But it took me a while to get into it because I wasn’t putting the pieces together and how these two connected. Eventually it becomes apparent who Shepherd and Fox were and the objective they were trying to achieve. There’s plenty of action, never a slow moment, and actually some comedic banter. Pretty strong start for a brand new series, I look forward to reading more.
July 6, 2024
I received this book through a Goodreads Giveaway. Did this story have depth or even a plot of any kind? Not really. Was it entertaining and fast paced? Absolutely. Were the characters well developed? Nope. Did you care enough about them to root for them? Yep. Overall, it’s a fluffy book that gives you very little backstory and reads more like a prologue to a longer novel, but it’s fun and I’ll check out the sequel just for giggles.
October 31, 2025
I enjoyed this action-packed novel about a lady called Lucky, who wanted vengeance for her murdered parents. She teamed up with Adam Shepherd in order to fight the leader of a powerful drug cartel, Santiago Orozco. Lucky and Shepherd conducted a heist of a bank in Juarez. My favourite part of the book is when Lucky and Shepherd engage in a violent gun battle with Orozco at a ranch in West Texas. This novel is hair-raising!
May 27, 2024
“Lucky” Rodriguez-Toscani is looking to even the score, to make the men that killed her parents die, Adam Shepherd is an ex-Delta Force turned mercenary, together they are deadly. And somehow, they got recruited into The Foundation.
It’s a bit confusing at the beginning. I think there is a lot packed into the first book. Looking forward to book 2 and seeing how the characters develop.
It’s a bit confusing at the beginning. I think there is a lot packed into the first book. Looking forward to book 2 and seeing how the characters develop.
May 30, 2024
This is an action packed story with strong characters who stop at nothing to find the truth. Shepherd and Lucky are an unlikely team. but they need each other in dangerous situations. This is the beginning of a new series and I am looking forward to seeing what these two get up to next. I would recommend it. I received an advance copy of this book and this is my honest review.
August 15, 2024
This was a good story but I did not care for it. The book was very violent even though I know dealing with the Mexico Drug Cartel is all violence. It helped me to know more about the cartel and how the people of Mexico have to deal with them which is terrible. At this time I will not read the sequel.
Book number one was enough for me.
Book number one was enough for me.
January 3, 2025
Shepherd and the Fox
Multi billionaire, Uncle Max has put together an elite team to right the wrongs done by the untouchables. Shepherd and Red are ex military and Lucky "the Fox" has a vendetta, to avenge her father's murder. As a team with a little outside help they accomplish their goals for their first mission.
Multi billionaire, Uncle Max has put together an elite team to right the wrongs done by the untouchables. Shepherd and Red are ex military and Lucky "the Fox" has a vendetta, to avenge her father's murder. As a team with a little outside help they accomplish their goals for their first mission.
August 30, 2025
Shepherd and the Fox is an entertaining crime thriller. I enjoyed the audiobook. Sheperd, ex- Delta Force, and the Fox, a master thief, join forces against a Mexican drug cartel. There’s plenty of action as they battle with super violent drug smuggling cartels and biker gangs. It is an action packed, wild ride with a hint of romance sprinkled in. Fun read!
April 22, 2024
Good book loved the characters and look forward to more adventures in the series. Shepard and … have a history but don’t trust anyone easily. The book was disjointed and all over the place to begin with but just wait a bit, it comes together and is a fun read.
April 23, 2024
An action packed, good guys (sort of) vs. bad guys, suspenseful read that will keep you glued to it until it's over. There's a bit of romance in there too.
Read as Shepherd and the fox are tasked to take down a cartel together.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Read as Shepherd and the fox are tasked to take down a cartel together.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 21, 2024
The Foundation is an organization started by a billionaire to right the wrongs done to normal people. They want to take down a drug cartel with a Mexican Orozco as a main target. Shepherd and Lucky team up in this action-packed novel. They are quite the team of elite killers when they need to.
May 22, 2024
I've read most of Mr. Shea's recent books and I'm quite a fan of his stories, Shepherd and the Fox, however, did not work for me. It's full of action, strong characters, and is fast-paced proving to be entertaining for the genre lovers.
I thank Mr. Shea and his publisher for this ARC.
I thank Mr. Shea and his publisher for this ARC.
May 24, 2024
Great start to, hopefully, a series. Characters are developed slowly as we find they have a long history together. Plenty of action. Good story line. I have read all of Kristi’s books and enjoyed them. New author to follow with Brian. Recommended.
February 22, 2025
Excellent!
I really enjoyed the fast pace and action. I also like the main characters. They are brave and interesting. They are full of surprises. I look forward to more adventures.
I really enjoyed the fast pace and action. I also like the main characters. They are brave and interesting. They are full of surprises. I look forward to more adventures.
April 2, 2024
Got an ARC. It was a fast paced, great spy/drug cartel book. Looking forward to others in the series
April 26, 2024
Won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. It’s an action/ thriller. Decent characters and plot. Nothing really jumped out to me. It was a pretty quick read.
May 18, 2024
Another book that's readable if you disconnect your brain, as the plot is pure nonsense, as are all the tactics and action. The characters are OK.
May 20, 2024
It was action from the start. Had me hooked. Although I could've had more info or back story of the 2 main partners. It had some , but felt like there could have been more to their story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews