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Fallback

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Sam Prichard was a good kid, but sometimes that isn't enough to let you miss out on the bad parts of life. Losing his father at sixteen had been bad enough, but then facing the betrayal of his fiance--a girl who had been his best friend and sweetheart for as long as he could remember--was even worse. Then, just when he thought life couldn't get worse, his lifelong dream of being a cop was blocked by a hiring freeze in his home city of Denver, Colorado.

With no other real options, Sam joined the Army and went after MP training, but even that wasn't enough to get him back into the swing of things. It was only after he got back home and finally made it onto the force that he began to feel like he might make it after all--and then he met a beautiful woman who seemed to think he was ideal.

Maybe things were looking up.

109 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 9, 2017

345 people are currently reading
160 people want to read

About the author

David Archer

195 books507 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

David Archer was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. He is a fiction author and novelist, writing in the mysteries and thrillers genre. His approach to writing is to hit deep, keep you entertained, and leave you wanting MORE with every turn of the page. He writes mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels, all of which are primed to get your heart pumping.

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5 stars
200 (44%)
4 stars
148 (33%)
3 stars
73 (16%)
2 stars
18 (4%)
1 star
8 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
Profile Image for Scott A. Miller.
634 reviews27 followers
May 8, 2020
This was a series origin story. Sam Prichard has some potential. This was a little sloppy and seems to be written after the first few books. I’ll give the first in series a shot.
Profile Image for Neil.
543 reviews57 followers
May 1, 2017
This is a book which, although written later on in the Sam Prichard series, provides an interesting look into the backstory behind the main character. So for anyone interested in reading the series this becomes the logical place to start. The editing seems to have been refined, although there were still some errors. One annoyance that I had was that the final 'chapter' is a copy of the first chapter in "The Grave Man". Once the book has finished the reader is given the opportunity to read the first couple of chapters from "The Grave Man". So there is a case of needless repetition. That aside I enjoyed finding out more about the character, and this was a quick read, but it has filled in some of the blanks. So as a reader I feel that I know the character a little better.
Profile Image for Norm Davis.
418 reviews5 followers
December 6, 2018
Fallback, a Sam Prichard Mystery by David Archer.

I liked this book, its writing, and Mikael Naramore's reading of it a great deal. I'm reviewing strictly the audiobook so the fact is, I'll always hear Sam Prichard in Mikael Maramore's voice, but the casual writing style or voice of David Archer is an integral part of Sam Prichard, a character I will enjoy through several books thanks to David Archer's productivity.

This four star book is primarily Sam Prichard's back story. One reason I didn't go with five stars is there's really no relationship with the first several chapters to the story which finally grabs the reader. It's interesting enough to read, but the tragedy of Sam Prichard's late teens love life is not terribly relevant to the story David Archer finally gets around to telling. I presume since he wrote a prequel after publishing a book or two, it will be relevant in future books.

I was taught if you talk about a shotgun over the fireplace in act one, you need to be using it by act three. When the early years relationship never came up again, and several other things, I had to knock off a star on "story". But it is still an interesting read.

I am going to enjoy me some more Sam Prichard Mysteries in the future.
Profile Image for Julian White.
1,715 reviews8 followers
April 9, 2021
Kobo version - no longer available

In this prequel we have a quick sprint through Sam's early life, his disappointment at being unable to enter the police academy (recruitment/budget cuts), his period as an MP and his discharge and the eventual realisation of his dream, followed by rapid promotion and his medical retirement due to injuries incurred while carrying out his duties.

A fairly speedy review - and unlike most (?) of the later books there are no supernatural involvements. This book dovetails immediately into The Grave Man, the first book in the series proper and in fact the last chapter is repeated as the first in that book...

The events here are mentioned in passing in later books so it's interesting to have a closer look at what made Sam the man he is.
103 reviews
May 11, 2017
Decent read, but it started off pretty slow and didn't get interesting until about half way through. The last two chapters are lifted word for word from the beginning of The Grave Man, second in the Sam Prichard series (written before this prequel novella). I'd feel more cheated if I had paid for this novella rather than gotten it for free, but duplicating large sections of narrative in two different books still seems unnecessary. I also found quite a few grammatical and typographical errors.
826 reviews7 followers
December 10, 2019
This is the background on Sam Prichard before he became a PI. It reads more of chronology than a short story. Not very informative since most of it is covered in other books.

And unfortunately he screwed some up. Close to the beginning of the book, he stated he had known his ex a year before marrying her in a church wedding. and toward the end he states he eloped after 4 months. Was he married twice or was he just inconsistent in storytelling?
Profile Image for Jackson Bell.
92 reviews5 followers
March 25, 2019
This was a prequel for Sam Pritchard. This book took him from high school to the Army as an MP to the Denver Police Dept starting as a rookie to Dectective to Vice Cop to disabled retired on disability cop. The characters he meets and interacts with help explain his background and character. Lots of info but well written and good plot. Recommended
433 reviews7 followers
September 11, 2022
A very good opening and introduction to Sam Pritchard his early life , loves and police cases leading I assume to more , at least I hope so because I found the lead charactor and the possible future storylines interesting and worth looking out for , needless to say I highly recommended this book and look forward to future releases
395 reviews4 followers
June 11, 2018
Again a very good and entertaining read for me. Got a little background on Sam Prichard and now know more about how and when he came to be the person he has become. Now I have books 5-8 to continue my journey. I'm looking forward to it.
114 reviews1 follower
January 19, 2019
Fallback

I first read about Sam, in a Noah Wolf book. It's nice to read how Sam got his start. I am starting to read the Sam Prichard series now. It looks like I won't be disappointed.
Profile Image for LooseBoots .
884 reviews6 followers
July 5, 2017
Good background story of what looks to be a good series.
Profile Image for Kim.
148 reviews1 follower
July 20, 2017
A another good read in the Sam Pritchard series with starting from the beginning.
17 reviews
July 27, 2017
Prequel to the series

I have read all of this author's books. Enjoyed every one of them. Sam Pritchard is a private eye and Noah Wolf a govt hitman.
63 reviews
August 7, 2018
Simple and doesn’t require much brain power. File under clean and wholesome.
1 review
August 29, 2018
Great read

Well written enjoyable story and subject matter. I read this following Noah Wolf series and is a great series to follow.
Profile Image for vivian.
270 reviews1 follower
December 14, 2018
Interesting start to a series

An unexpected start to a series of a cop retired and starting as a PI for a job that can occupy his time and his mind
18 reviews1 follower
June 20, 2019
Decent book. Better written than the Noah Wolf series. Must still have the same proof reader. A lot of misses. Maybe the person just doesn’t know how to read.
62 reviews1 follower
July 5, 2022
Too short. Will look for #2
Profile Image for Angela.
8,598 reviews121 followers
March 8, 2023
4 Stars

Fallback (Sam Prichard Book #0.5) by David Archer...

Continuing my David Archer binge to clear some books on my TBR...

Full Review to Come...

Profile Image for Richard Mulholland.
Author 6 books67 followers
May 25, 2023
3.5☆ This was an odd one as there was no real plot, it was more of a coming of age story/prequel. It did the job though, I'm looking forward to the next one.
Profile Image for June M. Groves.
86 reviews
January 8, 2024
Didn't realize this book was supposed to be the first book in the series. Threw me off a bit! But still as good as the rest!💚🧡
22 reviews
February 24, 2017
Getting Better all the time!


David Archer is a good author. With more experience, I think that he will be great. I've read several OK, all of his books and have enjoyed them as much as I have enjoyed seeing him grow as a writer. You'll enjoy the Sam Pritchard series!
314 reviews11 followers
February 17, 2017
Good cop story

Enjoyed the story except for the disability part. Intresting and informative cop saga with inside look at the brotherhood and some of the negaive consequences.
202 reviews
February 17, 2017
This is the story of the beginning of the Sam Prichard's life and the events that led up to his turning into a private investigator. I liked the book.
Profile Image for Jeanne.
342 reviews1 follower
February 17, 2017
Backstory on Sam Prichard

So glad to get Sam's backstory. But it makes me want more. Sam is such a lovable character.. And he is such a good detective. Love his stories.
Profile Image for Bonnie Hunsaker.
72 reviews1 follower
February 13, 2017
Great way to start the week

I'm a big Sam Prichard fan. This book moves fast. David Archer writes a great story and makes it believable. Looking forward to the next book.I recommend this series to anyone who likes a great story with a real hero.
Profile Image for LitLover.
291 reviews2 followers
July 5, 2020
LOVE Sam Pritchard ~ Mr Archer has done readers a favor by 'creating' Sam's world. Thank you!
Profile Image for Cody Neese.
34 reviews
March 28, 2017
Great book

This gave a great back story into the characters life and all of his major experience that made him into the character he is in the next books.
Profile Image for Troy.
154 reviews21 followers
April 2, 2017
This was the prequel to the Sam Pritchard series from author David Archer. Enjoyed it a lot. Filled in the blanks about the main character's trials from his push to become a law enforcement agent to eventually being forced into full medical retirement due to an event that happens on a police raid. Archer does a nice job throughout revealing the psyche of Sam Pritchard and as a reader you find yourself rooting for him throughout. Would never claim that the Archer novels I've read so far are to the level of a Jeffery Deaver or Harlan Coben in comparison. But nonetheless, if you are seeking fairly well developed mystery writing with an interesting plot, decent character development and a fast page turner, this may be the author for you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews

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