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Peyton Cote #1
Bitter Crossing
Having spent the last seven years in Texas, Border Patrol Agent Peyton Cote is returning home to northern Maine, hoping it will be a safer environment for her young son. But the criminal element has turned what was once a quiet corner of the country into an illicit trade route... and there's no telling what they'll do to protect their interests.
When Peyton finds a baby abandoned in a frozen field near the border, she's pulled into a deadly conspiracy that puts everything - her life, her career, her family - at risk. "Packed with thrills and high-octane action" (Tess Gerritsen, New York Times best-selling author), Bitter Crossing takes fearless heroine Peyton Cote on a breakneck journey through the underground world of dangerous smugglers who play for keeps.
When Peyton finds a baby abandoned in a frozen field near the border, she's pulled into a deadly conspiracy that puts everything - her life, her career, her family - at risk. "Packed with thrills and high-octane action" (Tess Gerritsen, New York Times best-selling author), Bitter Crossing takes fearless heroine Peyton Cote on a breakneck journey through the underground world of dangerous smugglers who play for keeps.
- GenresMystery
Audible Audio
First published August 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 6, 2019
This is the first in a series with Border Control Agent Peyton Cote. She's a very likable, single mother who's son comes first and stopping criminals comes second. An excellent story with lots of puzzle pieces that didn't fit together until Payton solved it at the very end. This is an exciting mystery/suspense novel told from a different kind of law enforcement that had me engrossed from beginning to end. I will definitely be reading more books in this series!
Note. Only read once, not 4 x
Note. Only read once, not 4 x
June 29, 2015
My original review of this title can be found on my blog - Fictionophile.
This mystery series debut is a bit different. Instead of a police officer - our protagonist is a Border Patrol Officer.
Set in Aroostook County, in Northern Maine, the novel features Peyton Cote, a divorced female Border Control Agent. She has spent the past seven years in Texas patrolling the ‘dangerous’ border and now she has come back to her hometown to patrol the Maine-New Brunswick border. She and her young son have come home to live in what she assumes is a safer and quieter environment. Tame – she thinks. But Oh No!
On a ‘tip’ from a former schoolmate, Peyton is on the look-out for a drug drop. While walking across a frozen potato field, instead of a bag of drugs she finds a baby girl in a bag! Investigations become complicated when the foster mother they left the baby with reports her missing. When Peyton’s investigation leads her to some college teachers and a shady Boston lawyer, things become dangerous.
The mystery in “Bitter Crossing” is not hard to figure out, though the culprits took longer to pin down. Even the most respectable citizens are suspect. The back story of Peyton’s personal life and family was well characterized and the setting aptly rendered.
All in all I look forward to another outing featuring this strong female protagonist. Thanks to D.A. Keeley for an enjoyable read.
This mystery series debut is a bit different. Instead of a police officer - our protagonist is a Border Patrol Officer.
Set in Aroostook County, in Northern Maine, the novel features Peyton Cote, a divorced female Border Control Agent. She has spent the past seven years in Texas patrolling the ‘dangerous’ border and now she has come back to her hometown to patrol the Maine-New Brunswick border. She and her young son have come home to live in what she assumes is a safer and quieter environment. Tame – she thinks. But Oh No!
On a ‘tip’ from a former schoolmate, Peyton is on the look-out for a drug drop. While walking across a frozen potato field, instead of a bag of drugs she finds a baby girl in a bag! Investigations become complicated when the foster mother they left the baby with reports her missing. When Peyton’s investigation leads her to some college teachers and a shady Boston lawyer, things become dangerous.
The mystery in “Bitter Crossing” is not hard to figure out, though the culprits took longer to pin down. Even the most respectable citizens are suspect. The back story of Peyton’s personal life and family was well characterized and the setting aptly rendered.
All in all I look forward to another outing featuring this strong female protagonist. Thanks to D.A. Keeley for an enjoyable read.
April 11, 2019
This was a good page-turner with some twists along the way that made it fun to read. The protagonist, a US Border Patrol agent who is back in her home town on the Canadian border of northern Maine after a successful term serving along the Mexican border in El Paso, is relentless in her pursuit of truth, despite cautions from her coworkers and threats from her suspects. I liked her and wanted her to succeed, though I didn’t always admire her barging into people’s lives and insisting on the truth when she wanted to hear it, no matter what they were doing, even when she was on administrative leave. That persistence gets her answers that twist the plot and pull the reader in, so though you may find her annoying at times, her determination pays off.
October 11, 2017
Maine story - Fort Fairfield
August 9, 2014
http://openbooksociety.com/article/bi...
This review is brought to you by guest reviewer Alina
Bitter Crossing is the first in a series and much more entertaining than the above synopsis promises. It kept me up a couple of nights, when I was supposed to rest for my next day’s work. Not only that, but it touches on several points that are of interest to me.
First of all, I like Peyton. She is an intelligent, young mom, who wants to do both her duty toward her son and toward herself. The latter is a little difficult, since society sort of forces parents to think about their kids first, but I believe that a child with happy, accomplished parents is much happier than a child whose parents resent him for giving up their dreams. So, I do hope Peyton starts taking more care of herself, as well as of her son, and that Lois, Peyton’s mom, is going to be there for a long time, helping out. Peyton, we learn, has had to raise her little boy all by herself and at the same time build a strong reputation as an agent, since her husband left her. She, however, manages that just fine, because:
“She’d always taken failure hard. Even more than she liked solving a puzzle, it was her hatred of having a space incomplete that motivated her”.
I think she is a great mom, who has always her son’s best interests at heart, who even after having worked 20 hours, still manages to be there for her son’s game, her son’s breakfast or just driving him to school. She’s also extremely dedicated to her work, which for her is like keeping her father’s memory alive.
Unfortunately, I found a problem with Peyton: she doesn’t speak Spanish. She is supposed to speak fluent Spanish, at least that’s what we are told:
“Like every agent, she spoke fluent Spanish.”
But she doesn’t, at least not in my book, where it should be also correct. When talking to a suspect, she asks her:
“Hablo Espanol?” (Do I speak Spanish?)
Well, I don’t speak fluent Spanish, but still I know that that should be: Do you speak Spanish? (Hablas or Habla, if you want to be polite). Later on, she asks a guy, if he speaks Spanish, and for some reason, it still comes out wrong:
“Yo hablo Espanol?”
You guessed it: Do I speak Spanish? No, honey, you don’t, I’m sorry.
The second thing I like, is how strong Peyton is. There are very few women Patrol Agents, which means that life is pretty tough for them. They have to be very careful what they do and say, because everything can be interpreted as her not being able to do her job, because she is a weak woman:
“When Jackman cursed and wore his emotions on his sleeve, Peyton, a female in a male dominated profession, never felt allowed that luxury. For a male, an emotional display at a time of crisis relieved him of seeing a shrink for trauma stress. For her, it would play to every stereotype”.
For me, this is a challenge, and I love the way Peyton proves up to it.
Let’s continue with the good stuff: Peyton’s job is pretty cool. She is a US Border Patrol Agent, whose duty is to make sure that nothing gets over the border illegally. That means mostly people and drugs, but there are a lot of other possibilities: people’s imaginations are limitless. The lives of the Patrol Agents are always in danger: there are always drug lords who put a price on their heads. At the same time, they get to help innocent people that are taken advantage of, and put behind bars the brutes who treat people like slaves:
“money-hungry coyotes stuffing men, women and even children into storage containers with little air in the backs of 12-degree trucks to be smuggled across the desert to the US”.
I guessed what the whole mystery was all about pretty fast and I was kind of put off with the abundance of unnecessary details, like the description of Peyton’s and her sister’s son’s pajamas. However, the story is very elaborate and I liked the writing style and the main character, so I am definitely going to read the next in the series, as soon as it is ready.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
This review is brought to you by guest reviewer Alina
Bitter Crossing is the first in a series and much more entertaining than the above synopsis promises. It kept me up a couple of nights, when I was supposed to rest for my next day’s work. Not only that, but it touches on several points that are of interest to me.
First of all, I like Peyton. She is an intelligent, young mom, who wants to do both her duty toward her son and toward herself. The latter is a little difficult, since society sort of forces parents to think about their kids first, but I believe that a child with happy, accomplished parents is much happier than a child whose parents resent him for giving up their dreams. So, I do hope Peyton starts taking more care of herself, as well as of her son, and that Lois, Peyton’s mom, is going to be there for a long time, helping out. Peyton, we learn, has had to raise her little boy all by herself and at the same time build a strong reputation as an agent, since her husband left her. She, however, manages that just fine, because:
“She’d always taken failure hard. Even more than she liked solving a puzzle, it was her hatred of having a space incomplete that motivated her”.
I think she is a great mom, who has always her son’s best interests at heart, who even after having worked 20 hours, still manages to be there for her son’s game, her son’s breakfast or just driving him to school. She’s also extremely dedicated to her work, which for her is like keeping her father’s memory alive.
Unfortunately, I found a problem with Peyton: she doesn’t speak Spanish. She is supposed to speak fluent Spanish, at least that’s what we are told:
“Like every agent, she spoke fluent Spanish.”
But she doesn’t, at least not in my book, where it should be also correct. When talking to a suspect, she asks her:
“Hablo Espanol?” (Do I speak Spanish?)
Well, I don’t speak fluent Spanish, but still I know that that should be: Do you speak Spanish? (Hablas or Habla, if you want to be polite). Later on, she asks a guy, if he speaks Spanish, and for some reason, it still comes out wrong:
“Yo hablo Espanol?”
You guessed it: Do I speak Spanish? No, honey, you don’t, I’m sorry.
The second thing I like, is how strong Peyton is. There are very few women Patrol Agents, which means that life is pretty tough for them. They have to be very careful what they do and say, because everything can be interpreted as her not being able to do her job, because she is a weak woman:
“When Jackman cursed and wore his emotions on his sleeve, Peyton, a female in a male dominated profession, never felt allowed that luxury. For a male, an emotional display at a time of crisis relieved him of seeing a shrink for trauma stress. For her, it would play to every stereotype”.
For me, this is a challenge, and I love the way Peyton proves up to it.
Let’s continue with the good stuff: Peyton’s job is pretty cool. She is a US Border Patrol Agent, whose duty is to make sure that nothing gets over the border illegally. That means mostly people and drugs, but there are a lot of other possibilities: people’s imaginations are limitless. The lives of the Patrol Agents are always in danger: there are always drug lords who put a price on their heads. At the same time, they get to help innocent people that are taken advantage of, and put behind bars the brutes who treat people like slaves:
“money-hungry coyotes stuffing men, women and even children into storage containers with little air in the backs of 12-degree trucks to be smuggled across the desert to the US”.
I guessed what the whole mystery was all about pretty fast and I was kind of put off with the abundance of unnecessary details, like the description of Peyton’s and her sister’s son’s pajamas. However, the story is very elaborate and I liked the writing style and the main character, so I am definitely going to read the next in the series, as soon as it is ready.
*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*
August 8, 2014
After seven years in El Paso, Texas, Border Patrol Agent Peyton Cote has returned to her hometown, relying on the tiny northern border town of Garrett, Maine to provide a safe environment for her son, Tommy. She’s determined to make a home for the seven-year-old and herself, complete with all the parental support her ex-husband can’t . . . or won’t . . . provide for their son.
Peyton is good at her job, but when she finds a baby abandoned on the frozen ground of a potato field, the inevitable questions bring a conspiracy to light. Escalating events jeopardize lives and put her career at risk as things rapidly spin out of Peyton’s control. What follows is a well-written page-turner with a surprising twist or two as Peyton risks everything to find the truth.
Peyton is good at her job, but when she finds a baby abandoned on the frozen ground of a potato field, the inevitable questions bring a conspiracy to light. Escalating events jeopardize lives and put her career at risk as things rapidly spin out of Peyton’s control. What follows is a well-written page-turner with a surprising twist or two as Peyton risks everything to find the truth.
December 2, 2014
Border Patrol agent and single mother has just returned to her hometown on the Maine border with her son to be closer to her mother and ex-husband. She did well while working for the Border Patrol in El Paso but this will be a completely different change of pace and scenery. Of course, trouble finds Peyton right away when she discovers a baby on a freezing night on patrol. The mystery is a big one and as she digs deeper, she realizes she doesn't know who to trust.
Great characters and story. This is the first in the Peyton Cote series and I will definitely be reading more.
Great characters and story. This is the first in the Peyton Cote series and I will definitely be reading more.
August 10, 2014
Review: BITTER CROSSING
I took a few pages to get into.the book, but soon I was absorbed. Outstanding Border Agent Peyton Cote transfers back from El Paso to her hone town, Garrett, Maine, to work the Northern border. Sand to snow and desert cactus to pine forests aren't the biggest changes--soon Peyton is caught up in an international conspiracy run for greed, and battling threats to her son, sister, nephew, and herself.
I took a few pages to get into.the book, but soon I was absorbed. Outstanding Border Agent Peyton Cote transfers back from El Paso to her hone town, Garrett, Maine, to work the Northern border. Sand to snow and desert cactus to pine forests aren't the biggest changes--soon Peyton is caught up in an international conspiracy run for greed, and battling threats to her son, sister, nephew, and herself.
November 8, 2016
Border Patrol agent Peyton Cote transfers from El Paso to her hometown in northern Maine. While on a drug smuggling stakeout she finds an abandoned baby girl which opens up a whole new can of worms and is the tip of a human smuggling ring. Cote must fight to keep her career in face of corruption and coverups. A good read without explicit sex, profanity, or violence.
August 21, 2014
DA Keeley paints a fascinating portrait of a northern border agent and an intricate tale of an illegal adoption scheme.
The pace is fast, the character development excellent, and the readability terrific.
I read it in two sittings- it would have been one if sleep hadn't intervened.
The pace is fast, the character development excellent, and the readability terrific.
I read it in two sittings- it would have been one if sleep hadn't intervened.
July 22, 2015
Excellent. The author has created likeable as well as not so likeable characters placed in a fast moving plot. The tension builds to an unexpected ending. I'm looking forward to read D. A. Keeley's next Peyton Cote novel, "Fallen Sparrow".
July 11, 2016
It took me awhile to figure out what direction the plot was going, but in the end I found this to be an enjoyable book. Living in Maine myself, I found myself comfortable in the setting. I liked the book well enough to want to read the next book in the series.
September 8, 2014
D.A. Keeley thrills with Bitter Crossing.
September 13, 2014
This is a really good story. There are several interlocking narratives and the central mystery is a beaut. I look forward to more Peyton Cote stories.
September 11, 2014
Kept you guessing. Lots of people to keep track of. Great ending.
September 16, 2014
It was good. It had an unusual setting, northern Maine.
October 14, 2014
It's enjoyable to read. The plot is fairly enjoyable, the writing could be improved a notch or two. Thank you goodreads for sending me this book.
October 17, 2015
Couldn't finish it
April 2, 2016
Especially enjoyed this book because of the setting....Aroostook County and the fact that the author once taught at The Maine School of Math and Science.....
November 27, 2016
Great book! with believable flawed characters and a good surprise at the end - set at a Maine/Canada border with interplay from the AZ/Mexico border. A solid page turner. I loved it.
July 2, 2015
Such an engaging writer! Had me from the first page. I will be reading more of D.A. Keeley's books.
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October 11, 2017Very interesting read, partly because of the location and characters and partly because it was a mystery. Held my interest and left me wanting to know more about the story after the book ended.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews