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Jack Widow #5
Once Quiet
Jack Widow. Former Undercover Navy Cop. Former SEAL. Turned Drifter. Turned Outlaw. Turned Hero.
Lately, Jack Widow has enjoyed a quiet life on the road with no troubles, but a lifestyle like his costs money. A low bank account balance causes Widow to take temporary work on a dying, secluded cattle ranch in northern Montana.
Widow works for the Sossaman family, taking orders from a hauntingly beautiful wife named Crispin. Quickly, Widow grows attached to Crispin Sossaman and her two sons. But his attachment to her may be more than attraction.
Two strange things are going on around the ranch. The first is that the husband has been in a mysterious coma for five years. He's wired to hospital machines, feeding tubes, and a breathing apparatus to keep him alive.
The second thing is that someone is watching the ranch. Someone with sinister intentions. Someone with a dangerous agenda.
Once Quiet is the fifth thriller in the Jack Widow series. This time, Jack Widow must fight his insatiable feelings for a married woman in order to stop a sinister enemy that lurks in the shadows.
JACK WIDOW Book Series in order:
GONE FOREVER Book #1
WINTER TERRITORY Book #2
A REASON TO KILL Book #3
WITHOUT MEASURE #4
ONCE QUIET #5
NAME NOT GIVEN #6
Lately, Jack Widow has enjoyed a quiet life on the road with no troubles, but a lifestyle like his costs money. A low bank account balance causes Widow to take temporary work on a dying, secluded cattle ranch in northern Montana.
Widow works for the Sossaman family, taking orders from a hauntingly beautiful wife named Crispin. Quickly, Widow grows attached to Crispin Sossaman and her two sons. But his attachment to her may be more than attraction.
Two strange things are going on around the ranch. The first is that the husband has been in a mysterious coma for five years. He's wired to hospital machines, feeding tubes, and a breathing apparatus to keep him alive.
The second thing is that someone is watching the ranch. Someone with sinister intentions. Someone with a dangerous agenda.
Once Quiet is the fifth thriller in the Jack Widow series. This time, Jack Widow must fight his insatiable feelings for a married woman in order to stop a sinister enemy that lurks in the shadows.
JACK WIDOW Book Series in order:
GONE FOREVER Book #1
WINTER TERRITORY Book #2
A REASON TO KILL Book #3
WITHOUT MEASURE #4
ONCE QUIET #5
NAME NOT GIVEN #6
362 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 21, 2017
2063 people are currently reading
645 people want to read
About the author
Scott Blade
48 books307 followersUSA TODAY and AMAZON BESTSELLER - Scott Blade is a Nomadvelist, a drifter and author. He writes the bestselling Jack Widow book series, two of which reached the Top 100 list on Amazon, knocking Harry Potter & Jack Reacher off the top spots, which angered one of the big publishers. Scott wears that fact as a badge of honor.
Scott Blade isn't a traditional novelist who spends his time stuck behind a computer desk in some dreary office. He truly walks the walk. He drifts around like the nomad he writes about, touring the world, writing mysteries and searching for the perfect coffee.
Scott Blade isn't a traditional novelist who spends his time stuck behind a computer desk in some dreary office. He truly walks the walk. He drifts around like the nomad he writes about, touring the world, writing mysteries and searching for the perfect coffee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
May 4, 2019
Another Exciting Read Along The Adventure Of Life
An enjoyable, interesting story as I continue to follow ex-NCIS Navy Seal Jack Widow along his travels, down dusty roads and across people who need his assistance. Exciting, twisting stories that keep you turning pages as Widow finds himself in many different situations!
An enjoyable, interesting story as I continue to follow ex-NCIS Navy Seal Jack Widow along his travels, down dusty roads and across people who need his assistance. Exciting, twisting stories that keep you turning pages as Widow finds himself in many different situations!
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May 29, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/29/2019)! 🎁
January 21, 2022
another great book
I love reading these books always hard to put down especially the last 100 pages which I read in one sitting looking forward to book six
I love reading these books always hard to put down especially the last 100 pages which I read in one sitting looking forward to book six
December 16, 2020
Excellent stories ... disrupted by a serious need for a proofreader
I am curious about the time line in this series
I am curious about the time line in this series
July 2, 2021
I want to put to bed the notion that Jack Widow is Jack Reacher's son. This is impossible as Reacher did not meet Widow's mother until 1997. By then Widow would have been fifteen years old as he is 33 years old in " Gone Forever" where he clearly states that the year is 2014. Now to my review of "Once Quiet". The old problems with the typos, poor sentence construction, missing words etc. are still there and this took from my enjoyment of the book. However the story was quite interesting and I did enjoy it. The author could have fleshed out Widow's interactions with the family a bit more especially with the children. It all felt rushed as if the author couldn't wait to finish it. At one stage in the book the author got confused when describing the watchers. This should have been picked up on by the editors. Overall a good read but characters not sufficiently developed. Three stars from me.
July 15, 2019
I had leave a negative review as I love reading and appreciate the massive work authors out into their work, but I can't in good faith recommend this book. It read like Jack Reacher fan fiction, the lead character is even named Jack. It was overly long, dwelling on insignificant details whilst glossing over areas that needed further explanation. Way too many 'head splattering' kill shots and Jack never seemed to be any danger whatsoever, so there was little in the way of tension or drama. Some of the characters had the makings of being interesting, but they never quite made it, and the story had the bones of a decent tale, but it never materialised. It took such a long time to get to the climax, and then it was over in a few pages, in a very pedestrian way. Very unsatisfying.
June 7, 2019
Once Quiet
Too bad. This had potential but the phrasing and sentence structure were a real problem. It almost felt like the author had gone back into the book and tried to increase the word count and in doing so ended up with sentences that sometimes didn't make sense. The book desperately needs a good editor. Towards the end of the book it felt like very juvenile scenarios and writing. I won't be reading Amy more of the author's work.
Too bad. This had potential but the phrasing and sentence structure were a real problem. It almost felt like the author had gone back into the book and tried to increase the word count and in doing so ended up with sentences that sometimes didn't make sense. The book desperately needs a good editor. Towards the end of the book it felt like very juvenile scenarios and writing. I won't be reading Amy more of the author's work.
June 12, 2019
Fun for Jack Reacher fans
Jack Widow is a man's man and action hero who takes no nonsense from anybody. I found this first book of the series entertaining but the poor spelling, punctuation and vocabulary issues spoiled the experience somewhat. I'm presuming that subsequent volumes, with better editing, will solve those problems.
Jack Widow is a man's man and action hero who takes no nonsense from anybody. I found this first book of the series entertaining but the poor spelling, punctuation and vocabulary issues spoiled the experience somewhat. I'm presuming that subsequent volumes, with better editing, will solve those problems.
June 26, 2019
This book is based on a poor man's Jack Reacher but without Reacher's charisma. The tale has characters that seem to have little purpose. I could not see why the degenerates were included. They added little to the plot. I also did not see the point of emptying the hero's bank account. I would not recommend this book.
May 29, 2019
Boring
The storytelling was a little off. I just couldn't get into the writers style. The character was supposed to be another Jack Reacher I suppose. The writing definitely wasn't Lee Child. I was impressed with there being no profanity to the point where I stopped reading.
The storytelling was a little off. I just couldn't get into the writers style. The character was supposed to be another Jack Reacher I suppose. The writing definitely wasn't Lee Child. I was impressed with there being no profanity to the point where I stopped reading.
July 9, 2019
Disappointing: too much like a Reacher novel without the energy. The book was slow starting and ended leaving gaps in the story.
July 2, 2019
I picked this up because it was free and clearly a rip off of Lee Child’s Reacher series. The cover is in the style of Reacher, the character, Widow looks like Reacher (although he’s ex-NCIS rather than military cop. And the writing is in the style of Lee Child. In fact early on I found myself imaging this was Reacher in a Lee Child book.
Widow is a drifter and when he runs out of money he goes to Montana to find work. In the process, the local sheriff wants to throw him out of town and drives Widown around so that we get a sense of the place and also the fact that a boy is missing from the Sossman ranch (having stolen the family truck). Widow finds the boy at the station and talks him into returning to the farm.
Mr Sossman is in a coma at the ranch and is ex NCIS himself and is wanted by an FBI agent who happens to be the sister of Widow’s murdered ex-girlfriend and by the killer of said girlfriend known as Qatal. Qatal has is setting up the FBI agent and has convinced her to use a group of degenerates to watch the ranch for her.
Widow get a job at the farm acts as protection for Sossman’s beautiful wife. At this point I’m thinking “Echo Burning” where Reacher is on a ranch in Texas with watchers. In fact we get too much of the watcher’s perspective since they are really superfluous to the plot and really padding for the story.
We eventually get the climax with the phones going out, the watchers taking matters into their own hands and killing people. The FBI agent arrives and is shot. Then Qatal arrives and is easily dispatched by Reacher… er sorry… Widow.
In the Resolution step we get the explanation of how the NCIS managed the situation with the bank account to get Widow to the ranch. This was far-fetched as was the need for Qatal to have a patsy (the FBI girl) and have her use watchers. So the whole thing is nonsense. However (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) it was OK nonsense. It was easy to read and some of the conversations were excellent, especially between Widow and the boy at the station.
Despite the fact that it’s a clear rip off and a silly plot, Scott Blade can write. As such I’m giving him 3 Black Daggers. If you want something mindless in between Lee Child books then this isn’t too bad.
Widow is a drifter and when he runs out of money he goes to Montana to find work. In the process, the local sheriff wants to throw him out of town and drives Widown around so that we get a sense of the place and also the fact that a boy is missing from the Sossman ranch (having stolen the family truck). Widow finds the boy at the station and talks him into returning to the farm.
Mr Sossman is in a coma at the ranch and is ex NCIS himself and is wanted by an FBI agent who happens to be the sister of Widow’s murdered ex-girlfriend and by the killer of said girlfriend known as Qatal. Qatal has is setting up the FBI agent and has convinced her to use a group of degenerates to watch the ranch for her.
Widow get a job at the farm acts as protection for Sossman’s beautiful wife. At this point I’m thinking “Echo Burning” where Reacher is on a ranch in Texas with watchers. In fact we get too much of the watcher’s perspective since they are really superfluous to the plot and really padding for the story.
We eventually get the climax with the phones going out, the watchers taking matters into their own hands and killing people. The FBI agent arrives and is shot. Then Qatal arrives and is easily dispatched by Reacher… er sorry… Widow.
In the Resolution step we get the explanation of how the NCIS managed the situation with the bank account to get Widow to the ranch. This was far-fetched as was the need for Qatal to have a patsy (the FBI girl) and have her use watchers. So the whole thing is nonsense. However (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) it was OK nonsense. It was easy to read and some of the conversations were excellent, especially between Widow and the boy at the station.
Despite the fact that it’s a clear rip off and a silly plot, Scott Blade can write. As such I’m giving him 3 Black Daggers. If you want something mindless in between Lee Child books then this isn’t too bad.
February 2, 2023
Once Quiet is the fifth book in Scott Blade’s Jack Widow series and this one was also very good. In my opinion, not quite as good as the fourth book, Without Measure, but close.
The book begins with Widow passing through a small town in rural Northern Montana. He is puzzled when he notices that his bank account balance has a really low number of digits in the total. He begins to wonder if his always on the go life style is making him run through his money faster than he anticipated. It does not make sense to him so he contacts his bank to inquire about it, which he is told may take a few days to sort out.
With a serious lack of money in his pockets, and next to nothing is his bank account, Widow needs to find a way to earn some cash in a short amount of time. Never above doing a hard day’s work to make a little money, Widow ends up on the doorstep of the Sossaman ranch, a secluded cattle ranch that appears to be close to total collapse. The ranch is run by a beautiful woman (of course it is), her two young sons, a dwindling number of ranch hands… and a husband that has been in a coma for a decade. Yeah, nothing strange about that.
During his first night at the ranch, Widow hears the family dog barking outside and wonders why. He has a suspicion that something may be going on outside, and sneaks outside to investigate. He spots something unusual, and figures out the ranch is under some sort of surveillance. But why? And who would be watching the ranch, and what is their intentions?
There is plenty of action in the book, and as always, hand-to-hand combat and gun play. As I have said in previous reviews, it would not be a Jack Widow book without it. We also get a little more background information on Widow from when he was an undercover NCIS agent. Always good when you can get more information that rounds out any main characters.
This is another fairly fast paced book and flowed quite nicely. But there is still the nagging complaint about the books being rather quickly wrapped up at the end. Maybe that’s just me. Who knows.
If you enjoyed any of the previous books in the series, I am sure you will enjoy this one also. I look forward to reading more from this series in the near future.
The book begins with Widow passing through a small town in rural Northern Montana. He is puzzled when he notices that his bank account balance has a really low number of digits in the total. He begins to wonder if his always on the go life style is making him run through his money faster than he anticipated. It does not make sense to him so he contacts his bank to inquire about it, which he is told may take a few days to sort out.
With a serious lack of money in his pockets, and next to nothing is his bank account, Widow needs to find a way to earn some cash in a short amount of time. Never above doing a hard day’s work to make a little money, Widow ends up on the doorstep of the Sossaman ranch, a secluded cattle ranch that appears to be close to total collapse. The ranch is run by a beautiful woman (of course it is), her two young sons, a dwindling number of ranch hands… and a husband that has been in a coma for a decade. Yeah, nothing strange about that.
During his first night at the ranch, Widow hears the family dog barking outside and wonders why. He has a suspicion that something may be going on outside, and sneaks outside to investigate. He spots something unusual, and figures out the ranch is under some sort of surveillance. But why? And who would be watching the ranch, and what is their intentions?
There is plenty of action in the book, and as always, hand-to-hand combat and gun play. As I have said in previous reviews, it would not be a Jack Widow book without it. We also get a little more background information on Widow from when he was an undercover NCIS agent. Always good when you can get more information that rounds out any main characters.
This is another fairly fast paced book and flowed quite nicely. But there is still the nagging complaint about the books being rather quickly wrapped up at the end. Maybe that’s just me. Who knows.
If you enjoyed any of the previous books in the series, I am sure you will enjoy this one also. I look forward to reading more from this series in the near future.
August 19, 2020
Not the best start and a few too many characters. Blade starts introducing other characters that don’t make sense because you don’t know where he’s going. You don’t get the big picture, which makes me lose interest. I want to follow Widow, not some other numb sculls. He’s got watchers, now three chapters on a guy called Qtal, what gives? I get he wants you to see how Qtal fits in but I think he gave it too much, because in the end he shoots Qtal dead in the face. He could have identified the guy from California and given his name, what is the secret anyway? The FBI clamps him down at the close, so I never got it. After the story started being about what Widow did it improved dramatically and some of these bothersome problems went away. All I. All pretty good but not top notch. 4.5
January 5, 2021
A bit of a misstep after A REASON TO KILL and WITHOUT MEASURE, books three and four.
Firstly, ONCE QUIET flat-out lifts the watchers from ECHO BURNING, the fifth Jack Reacher novel. Second, it spends about eighty pages detailing stuff before Widow even enters the town in which the book is set. Third, the number of grammatical errors was higher than the previous two books—one thing I spotted was way too many uses of "then" where "than" was the correct word. Fourth issue: Too much head-hopping in the same scene.
I did like the moments between Widow and the older son. There were some genuinely touching lines I felt were written from the author's own feelings and experiences. And the ending was fast-paced and fun.
ONCE QUIET was just too slow.
I know Scott Blade can do better than this.
Firstly, ONCE QUIET flat-out lifts the watchers from ECHO BURNING, the fifth Jack Reacher novel. Second, it spends about eighty pages detailing stuff before Widow even enters the town in which the book is set. Third, the number of grammatical errors was higher than the previous two books—one thing I spotted was way too many uses of "then" where "than" was the correct word. Fourth issue: Too much head-hopping in the same scene.
I did like the moments between Widow and the older son. There were some genuinely touching lines I felt were written from the author's own feelings and experiences. And the ending was fast-paced and fun.
ONCE QUIET was just too slow.
I know Scott Blade can do better than this.
July 2, 2022
This is the 5th book in the series.
This time he stops in another small town in the US. He finds his bank account is now at zero. He’s hungry, dirty and tired with no money. What’s he going to do?
He finds himself on the wrong side of the law once again too. Eventually things start to turn and he gets to a place where he has food, a roof and can be clean again. Then he tackles what is going on with his bank…. To find a cryptic message waiting for him. He then calls his past where they need help… and he has to confront one of his past regrets.
He does the right thing and helps all around… and saves the day and caps off one of his past regrets. He stays for a tiny bit before heading off - after his banking issue is restored…
Then he’s off again…
This time he stops in another small town in the US. He finds his bank account is now at zero. He’s hungry, dirty and tired with no money. What’s he going to do?
He finds himself on the wrong side of the law once again too. Eventually things start to turn and he gets to a place where he has food, a roof and can be clean again. Then he tackles what is going on with his bank…. To find a cryptic message waiting for him. He then calls his past where they need help… and he has to confront one of his past regrets.
He does the right thing and helps all around… and saves the day and caps off one of his past regrets. He stays for a tiny bit before heading off - after his banking issue is restored…
Then he’s off again…
June 27, 2021
Good, but short
Another good Widow thriller. He's the son of a Mississippi police chief and an unidentified Army vet drifter--obviously Jack Reacher. Like Reacher, he's huge, knows how to handle himself and four or five opponents in a fight, and always seems to find himself plopped down into the middle of complex and dire situations. In these stories, however, there's a lot more violence, a lot more killing, rape, and gruesomeness. There's also a good amount of almost geeklike observation and knowledge dropping going on in most stories, which helps offset the violence. This story was rather brief, and Widow didn't get to do much thinking.
Another good Widow thriller. He's the son of a Mississippi police chief and an unidentified Army vet drifter--obviously Jack Reacher. Like Reacher, he's huge, knows how to handle himself and four or five opponents in a fight, and always seems to find himself plopped down into the middle of complex and dire situations. In these stories, however, there's a lot more violence, a lot more killing, rape, and gruesomeness. There's also a good amount of almost geeklike observation and knowledge dropping going on in most stories, which helps offset the violence. This story was rather brief, and Widow didn't get to do much thinking.
September 21, 2018
As you may already know, Widow is an Ex-Seal who also worked under cover for NCIS. Maybe he still does. When his mother, who was a cop, was murdered, Widow left the reservation and went hunting. Then he just kept on walking. This is how the book starts. He is wandering through Montana and ends up at this little farm, hoping to get some work. Things are not that simple as there is a sniper watching the ranch house. Rarely have I read a book with such an intricately developed plot line. Truly worthwhile read.
June 22, 2019
What can I say apart from ”Jack Reacher is still safe”.
I got this book because the blurb suggested that it had the potential for an interesting story line.
I was very disappointed. The story lacked depth and complexity, no development of characters. In fact it was one dimensional.
The author set the scene and then didn’t seem to know what to do with the characters. It was all over in a blink after filling the pages with a lot of unnecessary fluff.
Filling the pages with the deviant imaginations of the bad guys will “never a good book make “.
I got this book because the blurb suggested that it had the potential for an interesting story line.
I was very disappointed. The story lacked depth and complexity, no development of characters. In fact it was one dimensional.
The author set the scene and then didn’t seem to know what to do with the characters. It was all over in a blink after filling the pages with a lot of unnecessary fluff.
Filling the pages with the deviant imaginations of the bad guys will “never a good book make “.
October 16, 2024
No money, I'll work for room and board.
Outstanding read. Characters are unbelievable and close. The bad guys are disjointed. As Widow walks around Eureka, Montana trying to figure out what is going on and the bad guys are watching the family for the culprit, no one is aware. NCIS dupes Idle into staying around to help since he gets attached to one of the kids. It doesn't help that mom is the most attractive woman he's ever seen. Her husband has been in a coma on life support for 10 years. Couldn't put this down either.
Outstanding read. Characters are unbelievable and close. The bad guys are disjointed. As Widow walks around Eureka, Montana trying to figure out what is going on and the bad guys are watching the family for the culprit, no one is aware. NCIS dupes Idle into staying around to help since he gets attached to one of the kids. It doesn't help that mom is the most attractive woman he's ever seen. Her husband has been in a coma on life support for 10 years. Couldn't put this down either.
June 1, 2019
Faulty but well worth the read.
Great book for those Jack Reacher fans. The book would have gotten a 5 star had it not been for the grammatical mistakes and the uneven pacing/details in certain parts of the book. However that should not take away the enjoyment in reading this book for this particular genre of reading. Well worth the effort spent reading and kept me entertained. I am sure it will do the same for you too. Enjoy!
Great book for those Jack Reacher fans. The book would have gotten a 5 star had it not been for the grammatical mistakes and the uneven pacing/details in certain parts of the book. However that should not take away the enjoyment in reading this book for this particular genre of reading. Well worth the effort spent reading and kept me entertained. I am sure it will do the same for you too. Enjoy!
September 16, 2025
I'm liking this series, but I wish the author would not spend so much time developing Widow in each book. I get it for someone just picking up this book, without reading the series, but for those who are reading the series, recapping Widow each time in such detail is getting old. Maybe that is just me. Overall I like the stories, I like how Scott tells the story, and I like the character, Widow, that he has created, that's why I keep reading them.
June 6, 2017
I like reading Scott Blades writting and with his partner Widow! The plot was interesting and Widow as usual delivered. Just one small hitch for me is a little lack of actions the author used to give us in the previous books of the series but long life to this series!!! Thanks to the author for sharing his talent with us and long life to him too!!!
October 25, 2019
Another fine story
In this story of Jack's adventures it is a little less action packed but still a very fine story. He is in big sky country when he finds out his bank account has been emptied. He must find a way to survive for a couple of days until his account is restored. Good story line
In this story of Jack's adventures it is a little less action packed but still a very fine story. He is in big sky country when he finds out his bank account has been emptied. He must find a way to survive for a couple of days until his account is restored. Good story line
March 4, 2020
You are losing me
I find you were segueing into many side trails. You lost my interest many times which is too bad because I was enjoying the character. I am not sure if I will try number five or not. Maybe I will try it but the minute you start off on another subject I will stop reading it.
I find you were segueing into many side trails. You lost my interest many times which is too bad because I was enjoying the character. I am not sure if I will try number five or not. Maybe I will try it but the minute you start off on another subject I will stop reading it.
April 13, 2020
Developing series
I like this series and I try to take the books on their own merits rather than comparing them to the Reacher Series. There is a slow build at times but that is one of the things I enjoy - some context is given, veiled threats are made, those who die are not the those one would expect.
I like this series and I try to take the books on their own merits rather than comparing them to the Reacher Series. There is a slow build at times but that is one of the things I enjoy - some context is given, veiled threats are made, those who die are not the those one would expect.
July 3, 2021
Another great Widow adventure! (But the typos are back)
Lots of action and an exciting story line too! Sadly, after I praised the editors of Book #4 for their proofreading, this book started off with a "typo epidemic!" I gave up correcting them and, happily, they eased up as the story progressed. (Or I got worn down?)
Lots of action and an exciting story line too! Sadly, after I praised the editors of Book #4 for their proofreading, this book started off with a "typo epidemic!" I gave up correcting them and, happily, they eased up as the story progressed. (Or I got worn down?)
August 23, 2021
finished this one the other day call it the 22nd august 2021 good read four stars really liked it kindle owned in the box set 4-6 if i have that right like the plot of this one a twist from what has come before am already reading the next one #6 and i do not think any harm will come to you if you read them out of order.
July 11, 2022
Jack Widow takes a job on the Sossaman ranch until his bank problem gets sorted. Crispin Sossaman is a beautiful lady and he quickly comes to care for her and her 2 young sons. Her husband has been in a coma for several years hooked up to machines and he learns that someone sinister is watching the ranch and they are not alone. Jack makes it his job to protect the family
April 14, 2024
Look Alike, Sound Alike
I saw the similarities to another very, very similar ex-forces vigilante also called Jack but being called by his last name and was immediately put off. Luckily I kept reading and found it toe a very good book. I much prefer Widow to Reacher - if it's made into a movie don't star it with the midget Cruise.
I saw the similarities to another very, very similar ex-forces vigilante also called Jack but being called by his last name and was immediately put off. Luckily I kept reading and found it toe a very good book. I much prefer Widow to Reacher - if it's made into a movie don't star it with the midget Cruise.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews