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Chris Cherry #2
High White Sun
Even though the corrupt Sheriff Ross is dead and gone, outlaws still walk free, peace comes at a price, and redemption remains hard to find in this fiery and violent novel from the author of The Far Empty.Sometimes we have to be wolves... In the wake of Sheriff Stanford Ross's death, former deputy Chris Cherry--now Sheriff Cherry--is the new "law" in Big Bend County, yet he still struggles to escape the long, dark shadow of that infamous lawman. As Chris tries to remake and modernize his corrupt department, bringing in new deputies, including young America Reynosa and Ben Harper--a hard-edged veteran homicide detective now lured out of retirement--he finds himself constantly staring down a town unwilling to change, friends and enemies unable to let go of the past, and the harsh limits of his badge.But it's only when a local Rio Grande guide is brutally and inexplicably murdered, and America and Ben's ongoing investigation is swept aside by a secretive federal agent, that the novice sheriff truly understands just how tenuous his hold on that badge really is. And as other new threats rise right along with the unforgiving West Texas sun, nothing can prepare Chris for the high cost of crossing dangerous men such as John Wesley Earl, a high-ranking member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas and the patriarch of a murderous clan that's descended on Chris's hometown of Murfee; or Thurman Flowers, a part-time pastor and full-time white supremacist hell-bent on founding his violent Church of Purity in the very heart of the Big Bend.Before long, Chris, America, and Ben are outmaneuvered, outnumbered, and outgunned--inexorably drawn into a nearly twenty-year vendetta that began with a murdered Texas Ranger on a dusty highway outside of Sweetwater, and that can only end with fire, blood, and bullets in Murfee's own sun-scorched streets...Welcome back to the Big Bend...
476 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 20, 2018
420 people are currently reading
755 people want to read
About the author
J. Todd Scott
12 books346 followersA retired federal law enforcement agent with thirty years of experience, J. Todd Scott was a finalist for the 2024 International Thriller Writers Award for Best Paperback Original and is the critically acclaimed author of six crime, suspense, and thriller novels. He is also a film and TV producer and screenwriter, most recently for the Paramount+ series Lawmen: Bass Reeves.
Find Todd at JTODDSCOTT.COM.
Find Todd at JTODDSCOTT.COM.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
January 16, 2018
Two years after the death of Sheriff Ross, Sheriff Chris Cherry has another body on his hands and a gang of white supremacist bikers living in a nearby town...
The Far Empty wound up being fantastic so I scooped this up when it popped up on Netgalley.
The second book set in the sleepy Texas border town of Murfee packs almost as big of a punch as the first. When a man winds up dead outside a bar, Chris Cherry picks up the trail and it leads him to a family of white supremacist bikers in a nearby town. However, nothing is as cut and dry as it seems.
Much like the last book, it's the ensemble cast that powers the story forward. Chris has a mentor in Ben Harper, a widowed lawman that's Chris' right hand and a capable deputy in America Reynosa. The Earl family is a horrible reflection of the makeshift family Chris has in the Murfee PD. Aside from the undercover cop in their midst, that is...
There are wheels within wheels in this one. Lots of people are lying and keeping secrets and more than one person ends up in the ground because of it. Once I got over the 50% hump, it was a hard book to put aside.
Once again, J. Todd Scott did a great job with the scenery and location, making Murfee and the surrounding areas almost a character in the story. Chris Cherry, however, is probably the least interesting character in the book. If the supporting cast wasn't so rich, I don't think I'd rate this or The Far Empty as highly.
The ending wound up being an even bigger trainwreck than I thought. The Murfee PD went through the flames and none of them came out without at least minor burns. While satisfying on its own, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
While I didn't like it quite as much as The Far Empty, High White Sun was quite a read. Four out of five stars.
The Far Empty wound up being fantastic so I scooped this up when it popped up on Netgalley.
The second book set in the sleepy Texas border town of Murfee packs almost as big of a punch as the first. When a man winds up dead outside a bar, Chris Cherry picks up the trail and it leads him to a family of white supremacist bikers in a nearby town. However, nothing is as cut and dry as it seems.
Much like the last book, it's the ensemble cast that powers the story forward. Chris has a mentor in Ben Harper, a widowed lawman that's Chris' right hand and a capable deputy in America Reynosa. The Earl family is a horrible reflection of the makeshift family Chris has in the Murfee PD. Aside from the undercover cop in their midst, that is...
There are wheels within wheels in this one. Lots of people are lying and keeping secrets and more than one person ends up in the ground because of it. Once I got over the 50% hump, it was a hard book to put aside.
Once again, J. Todd Scott did a great job with the scenery and location, making Murfee and the surrounding areas almost a character in the story. Chris Cherry, however, is probably the least interesting character in the book. If the supporting cast wasn't so rich, I don't think I'd rate this or The Far Empty as highly.
The ending wound up being an even bigger trainwreck than I thought. The Murfee PD went through the flames and none of them came out without at least minor burns. While satisfying on its own, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
While I didn't like it quite as much as The Far Empty, High White Sun was quite a read. Four out of five stars.
September 14, 2018
This is author J. Todd Scott's follow up novel to The Far Empty and a great book. I enjoyed this book much more than the Far Empty but that's me. Chris Cherry is now the sheriff of Big Bend County in Texas. This has the son of a Texas Ranger who was murdered in the past looking to exact revenge on the man that pulled the trigger that windy night on a lonesome highway in Texas. Novel features John Wesley Earl the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas prison leader and his misfit followers. Great book with lots of action. Highly recommended as I believe this is a fast upcoming author that has Texas law, land and criminals mastered.
November 24, 2025
Scott writes really good crime novels, and I don't understand why he doesn't get more attention. This is a direct sequel to The Far Empty, a book I read a few years ago. Both focus on Sheriff Chris Cherry in Big Bend Texas down along the Mexican border. This book is tense and tightly written, and it focuses on dark things without getting overly graphic or gory. I love how Scott focuses not just on action but also the morality of his characters and their internal struggles.
If you like crime novels, you'll love this.
Recommended.
If you like crime novels, you'll love this.
Recommended.
September 29, 2018
Wow. Straight to the top of my 'Best of 2018' list for this one. Although I've been burned many times by positive blurbs on books by authors I respect, when John Sandford raves about 'High White Sun' and another review compares J. Todd Scott's writing to that of Don Winslow and Cormac McCarthy, I had to give it a shot. I'm really glad I did.
High White Sun is set in the real 'wide open spaces', the Big Bend area of Texas, within spitting distance of the Rio Grande and, therefore, Mexico. There's been a shakeup in law enforcement in the area due to the violent deaths of the sheriff and his deputy, so the new group is still learning the ropes when the murder of a beloved river guide is reported. The investigation takes the new young sheriff, his deputy, a young Mexican-American woman with a hidden past, and another deputy, a grizzled veteran, to the encampment in the middle of nowhere of a violent biker group that may or may not be involved in drugs, murder, white supremacist race war planning, and other nefarious activities. After an initial meeting with the fine denizens of the encampment, the law enforcers realize they're probably outnumbered and outgunned, so they make a strategic retreat to their home base to do some planning. At that point, things get complicated.......
The story becomes increasingly complex as the FBI gets involved and reveals the presence of both an informant in the biker group and another impostor who may be hoping to assassinate its leader in revenge for the murder of his father. Further muddying the waters is the background of the young Mexican-American deputy whose relationship to Mexican narco-trafficking isn't exactly clear. This is a book whose setting is in the most wide open of spaces, yet the reader feels almost claustrophobic in reading it as tension ratchets up to the explosive ending.
I can definitely see the comparison to Don Winslow's writing, and I'd also throw James Lee Burke in there as well. All three authors deal with very specific areas of the country and use the speech patterns, local idioms, and descriptive narration to immerse readers in the locations. I've lived in West Texas and can vouch for the genuine nature of the characters, speech, and locations J. Todd Scott has given us. The Cormac McCarthy comparison I'd have to think about. McCarthy has such an idiosyncratic approach to writing that I'm not sure there's much more than a similarity, but one thing I do know is that the opening scenes in the movie 'No Country for Old Men' (based on the McCarthy novel) are totally evocative of the setting of High White Sun.
The ending is predictably messy, with (mostly) the good guys coming out on top, but there's not a lot of clarity. This isn't a black/white story with clean delineation between the angels and devils, that's for sure. But, if you're a fan of Winslow, you'll love this book.
High White Sun is set in the real 'wide open spaces', the Big Bend area of Texas, within spitting distance of the Rio Grande and, therefore, Mexico. There's been a shakeup in law enforcement in the area due to the violent deaths of the sheriff and his deputy, so the new group is still learning the ropes when the murder of a beloved river guide is reported. The investigation takes the new young sheriff, his deputy, a young Mexican-American woman with a hidden past, and another deputy, a grizzled veteran, to the encampment in the middle of nowhere of a violent biker group that may or may not be involved in drugs, murder, white supremacist race war planning, and other nefarious activities. After an initial meeting with the fine denizens of the encampment, the law enforcers realize they're probably outnumbered and outgunned, so they make a strategic retreat to their home base to do some planning. At that point, things get complicated.......
The story becomes increasingly complex as the FBI gets involved and reveals the presence of both an informant in the biker group and another impostor who may be hoping to assassinate its leader in revenge for the murder of his father. Further muddying the waters is the background of the young Mexican-American deputy whose relationship to Mexican narco-trafficking isn't exactly clear. This is a book whose setting is in the most wide open of spaces, yet the reader feels almost claustrophobic in reading it as tension ratchets up to the explosive ending.
I can definitely see the comparison to Don Winslow's writing, and I'd also throw James Lee Burke in there as well. All three authors deal with very specific areas of the country and use the speech patterns, local idioms, and descriptive narration to immerse readers in the locations. I've lived in West Texas and can vouch for the genuine nature of the characters, speech, and locations J. Todd Scott has given us. The Cormac McCarthy comparison I'd have to think about. McCarthy has such an idiosyncratic approach to writing that I'm not sure there's much more than a similarity, but one thing I do know is that the opening scenes in the movie 'No Country for Old Men' (based on the McCarthy novel) are totally evocative of the setting of High White Sun.
The ending is predictably messy, with (mostly) the good guys coming out on top, but there's not a lot of clarity. This isn't a black/white story with clean delineation between the angels and devils, that's for sure. But, if you're a fan of Winslow, you'll love this book.
February 3, 2018
J Todd Scott isn't just playing a part in the Modern Western genre.
He owns it.
He could take anyone to a standoff and get out of it walking tall while the competition bites the dust.
He is a born storyteller who will never know the meaning of Sophomore Slump. In his second novel, Scott once again shows he's a force to be reckoned with when it comes to entangling a spiderweb of intrigues and slowly connecting the dots, only to finish the reader with a punch in the gut sensation. Like the jacket cover says: Welcome back to the Big Bend.
Although High White Sun is the sequel to The Far Empty, it has a personality of its own. A feel that its predecessor didn't have. With TFE, I felt like Scott focused on the characters first, whereas in HWS, the reader can almost feel like he's part of every dark and dusty corner of Murfee and the Big Bend. Scott achieved what few can where he managed to make the setting of his novel a stand-alone character as important as Chris or Amé, making the story even richer and managing to have the reader feel rooted in that God forsaken place.
The real-life experience of Scott as a DEA agent lives through the pages of High White Sun as he takes the reader inside a bound to crash Sheriff's office loaded with newbies and the occasional vet who try their hands at an ABT biker crew and a White Supremacist wannabe preacher. Meanwhile, the fifteen-year-old murder of a police officer is about to be avenged and of course, everything is connected.
A Molotov cocktail mix that can only end in blood, or more blood.
Sangre exige sangre.
Scott's prose is lyrical and flows like a river at thaw, yet he also manages to pack the almost 500 page novel with enough action sequences to make sure the reader feels every gunshot, every explosion, every punch. Just like he was under the baking sun of Murfee, TX.
With High White Sun, Scott sets the bar high for anyone willing to try his hands at the modern western genre, let alone a series.
The table is set for what I hope will be a long Big Bend series and the challenge will now reside in coming up with something as good as this one.
La perfección exige la perfección
He owns it.
He could take anyone to a standoff and get out of it walking tall while the competition bites the dust.
He is a born storyteller who will never know the meaning of Sophomore Slump. In his second novel, Scott once again shows he's a force to be reckoned with when it comes to entangling a spiderweb of intrigues and slowly connecting the dots, only to finish the reader with a punch in the gut sensation. Like the jacket cover says: Welcome back to the Big Bend.
Although High White Sun is the sequel to The Far Empty, it has a personality of its own. A feel that its predecessor didn't have. With TFE, I felt like Scott focused on the characters first, whereas in HWS, the reader can almost feel like he's part of every dark and dusty corner of Murfee and the Big Bend. Scott achieved what few can where he managed to make the setting of his novel a stand-alone character as important as Chris or Amé, making the story even richer and managing to have the reader feel rooted in that God forsaken place.
The real-life experience of Scott as a DEA agent lives through the pages of High White Sun as he takes the reader inside a bound to crash Sheriff's office loaded with newbies and the occasional vet who try their hands at an ABT biker crew and a White Supremacist wannabe preacher. Meanwhile, the fifteen-year-old murder of a police officer is about to be avenged and of course, everything is connected.
A Molotov cocktail mix that can only end in blood, or more blood.
Sangre exige sangre.
Scott's prose is lyrical and flows like a river at thaw, yet he also manages to pack the almost 500 page novel with enough action sequences to make sure the reader feels every gunshot, every explosion, every punch. Just like he was under the baking sun of Murfee, TX.
With High White Sun, Scott sets the bar high for anyone willing to try his hands at the modern western genre, let alone a series.
The table is set for what I hope will be a long Big Bend series and the challenge will now reside in coming up with something as good as this one.
La perfección exige la perfección
May 31, 2018
This was even better than the first book! And while you could skip reading the first book- as the author does a commendable job explaining who the repeat characters are and why they behave they way they do, you would be doing yourself a huge disservice not reading The Far Empty first.
The characters This author writes about don’t come off as being phony, or near super human, they come off believable. The they evil characters are truly evil.
This time around the evil comes from white supremacists, and the aryan nation. The leader JW Earl, is a truly reprehensible man.
Be warned the language and the themes and the violence are not for the faint of heart.
I said it with the first book and I will say with this one, read it, you won’t be disappointed.
The characters This author writes about don’t come off as being phony, or near super human, they come off believable. The they evil characters are truly evil.
This time around the evil comes from white supremacists, and the aryan nation. The leader JW Earl, is a truly reprehensible man.
Be warned the language and the themes and the violence are not for the faint of heart.
I said it with the first book and I will say with this one, read it, you won’t be disappointed.
December 3, 2018
If you like your thrillers hot and dusty, then it is absolutely imperative that you read HIGH WHITE SUN. J. Todd Scott’s sophomore effort is as dark and dry as it gets, and is frighteningly real as well. The plot is complex and contains many moving parts that don’t always perfectly mesh --- just like life --- but capture the crime and violence at the southern border of the United States with an unfiltered high-speed shutter.
HIGH WHITE SUN picks up some months after the conclusion of THE FAR EMPTY, Scott’s debut novel. The setting --- Big Bend County in West Texas (which, in the real world, is a geographical designation more than an actual place) --- is the same, as are a number of the characters. It is helpful, though not (entirely) necessary, to have read what has gone before in order to fully appreciate this follow-up. Nevertheless, Scott does an admirable job of bringing newcomers into the fold.
Following the events of THE FAR EMPTY, Chris Cherry is now the top sheriff of the county, even as he struggles with his own self-doubt and the psychological trauma of a near brush with death. The story in the book’s present begins with one of Chris’ deputies being seriously injured in a hit-and-run incident, the reasons for which reverberate throughout the novel. The department isn’t exactly personnel-rich to begin with, and two of Chris’ other choices for deputies are somewhat controversial. One is America “Amé” Reynosa, who is concealing family ties, as well as a secret stash, that may come back to haunt her as well as the sheriff’s department. The other is Ben “Harp” Harper, a veteran sheriff who has forgotten more than Chris is ever likely to learn in the near term. Harper, who is retired, has reluctantly returned to law enforcement following the death of his wife, but his blood alcohol content makes him unsteady, though still reliable.
The department experiences a bit of a baptism when a local guide is found with his head caved in on the blacktop of the parking lot of a lean-to bar. The deceased, who had been seeing a Mexican woman, had exchanged words with some bikers, who turn out to be part of an Aryan Brotherhood group ensconced in a nearby town. This would be bad enough, but the leader of the gang is John Wesley Earl, who has spent more of his life in prison than out. Earl, his racism notwithstanding, does business with a Mexican cartel and deals with other sources. What he doesn’t realize, though, is that he has more than one traitor in his midst, so that even as he double- and triple-deals, he is contemporaneously reaping what he is sowing.
Meanwhile, Chris’ local department is getting caught crossways with state and federal law enforcement, each of which has its own interests and territory to protect and is willing to sacrifice the Big Bend law enforcement officers to achieve its own ends. The machinations of all on both sides of the law lead to a series of violent and fatal conclusions that resonate all the way to the end of the book, which could set the stage for a sequel on a high note of hope, not to mention rough justice.
HIGH WHITE SUN takes a while to get moving, but Scott’s characters carry the day into the final quarter of the novel, where alternating points of view skid across a number of violent tableaus, ultimately resolving (most of) what has gone before. Not everyone makes it to the end --- there are some surprises that go with that --- but it just makes the book, and the characters, all the more real. This is border noir at its best.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
HIGH WHITE SUN picks up some months after the conclusion of THE FAR EMPTY, Scott’s debut novel. The setting --- Big Bend County in West Texas (which, in the real world, is a geographical designation more than an actual place) --- is the same, as are a number of the characters. It is helpful, though not (entirely) necessary, to have read what has gone before in order to fully appreciate this follow-up. Nevertheless, Scott does an admirable job of bringing newcomers into the fold.
Following the events of THE FAR EMPTY, Chris Cherry is now the top sheriff of the county, even as he struggles with his own self-doubt and the psychological trauma of a near brush with death. The story in the book’s present begins with one of Chris’ deputies being seriously injured in a hit-and-run incident, the reasons for which reverberate throughout the novel. The department isn’t exactly personnel-rich to begin with, and two of Chris’ other choices for deputies are somewhat controversial. One is America “Amé” Reynosa, who is concealing family ties, as well as a secret stash, that may come back to haunt her as well as the sheriff’s department. The other is Ben “Harp” Harper, a veteran sheriff who has forgotten more than Chris is ever likely to learn in the near term. Harper, who is retired, has reluctantly returned to law enforcement following the death of his wife, but his blood alcohol content makes him unsteady, though still reliable.
The department experiences a bit of a baptism when a local guide is found with his head caved in on the blacktop of the parking lot of a lean-to bar. The deceased, who had been seeing a Mexican woman, had exchanged words with some bikers, who turn out to be part of an Aryan Brotherhood group ensconced in a nearby town. This would be bad enough, but the leader of the gang is John Wesley Earl, who has spent more of his life in prison than out. Earl, his racism notwithstanding, does business with a Mexican cartel and deals with other sources. What he doesn’t realize, though, is that he has more than one traitor in his midst, so that even as he double- and triple-deals, he is contemporaneously reaping what he is sowing.
Meanwhile, Chris’ local department is getting caught crossways with state and federal law enforcement, each of which has its own interests and territory to protect and is willing to sacrifice the Big Bend law enforcement officers to achieve its own ends. The machinations of all on both sides of the law lead to a series of violent and fatal conclusions that resonate all the way to the end of the book, which could set the stage for a sequel on a high note of hope, not to mention rough justice.
HIGH WHITE SUN takes a while to get moving, but Scott’s characters carry the day into the final quarter of the novel, where alternating points of view skid across a number of violent tableaus, ultimately resolving (most of) what has gone before. Not everyone makes it to the end --- there are some surprises that go with that --- but it just makes the book, and the characters, all the more real. This is border noir at its best.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
July 6, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley to read and review.
HIGH WHITE SUN by author J. Todd Scott is the follow-up to “The Far Empty”, and is focused on five main characters; Sheriff Chris Cherry who is still feeling the effects of the injuries sustained previously, and dealing with those who feel he’s unable to replace the late Sheriff Ross;
Ben Harper is his experienced but at times contentious deputy who gives Chris advise, whether wanted or not.
America Reynosa is his youngest deputy, who has a troubled past but Chris is willing to take a chance on.
Danny is the son of the late Texas Ranger Bob Ford who was murdered several years earlier, and is a veteran who has previously worked undercover to infiltrate Aryan Brotherhood gangs.
John Wesley Earl is a longtime ABT (Aryan Brotherhood of Texas) leader recently released from prison after a lengthy sentence and is currently in the area with an ABT gang led by his son Jesse.
Chris is responsible for the investigation into the recent death of a man with a troubled past who’s been found dead outside of a bar he was at until closing the night before.
Harper and Reynosa are assigned the case, but it becomes a possibility that it along with another case may be taken over by the FBI.
Soon another headache for Chris and the department arrives in the form of Thurman Flowers, a well known preacher who is a known ABT supporter and his plan is for a future white supremacy community that he expects to establish with funding from the Earls and their associates.
All things appear to be possibly connected, and threats are made against Chis and his wife heightening his sense of security both at home and in the community based on the the recent criminal presence and related activities.
Will Chris and his deputies solve the cases they are in charge of, and will they be able to fend off the FBI efforts to supplant them? Does Chris have the capability and manpower to keep the ABT at bay in the wake of the arrival of Thurman Flowers, and will Danny learn the truth about who killed his father?
Excellent novel that involves several people that all are connected in one way or another, and even more impressive is that this one is rather lengthy in comparison to similar books of this type; yet it never loses momentum and progresses at a good pace as it develops.
I really wish I’d read the previous novel in the series, even though the author does a great job of filling the reader in on previous events taking place, it definitely would have been even more enjoyable with a familiarity with the characters and events before reading this, and I intend to go back and read the first book as reviewers have praised it, and if it’s anything like this one, it’s well worth taking the time to read it.
5 stars.
HIGH WHITE SUN by author J. Todd Scott is the follow-up to “The Far Empty”, and is focused on five main characters; Sheriff Chris Cherry who is still feeling the effects of the injuries sustained previously, and dealing with those who feel he’s unable to replace the late Sheriff Ross;
Ben Harper is his experienced but at times contentious deputy who gives Chris advise, whether wanted or not.
America Reynosa is his youngest deputy, who has a troubled past but Chris is willing to take a chance on.
Danny is the son of the late Texas Ranger Bob Ford who was murdered several years earlier, and is a veteran who has previously worked undercover to infiltrate Aryan Brotherhood gangs.
John Wesley Earl is a longtime ABT (Aryan Brotherhood of Texas) leader recently released from prison after a lengthy sentence and is currently in the area with an ABT gang led by his son Jesse.
Chris is responsible for the investigation into the recent death of a man with a troubled past who’s been found dead outside of a bar he was at until closing the night before.
Harper and Reynosa are assigned the case, but it becomes a possibility that it along with another case may be taken over by the FBI.
Soon another headache for Chris and the department arrives in the form of Thurman Flowers, a well known preacher who is a known ABT supporter and his plan is for a future white supremacy community that he expects to establish with funding from the Earls and their associates.
All things appear to be possibly connected, and threats are made against Chis and his wife heightening his sense of security both at home and in the community based on the the recent criminal presence and related activities.
Will Chris and his deputies solve the cases they are in charge of, and will they be able to fend off the FBI efforts to supplant them? Does Chris have the capability and manpower to keep the ABT at bay in the wake of the arrival of Thurman Flowers, and will Danny learn the truth about who killed his father?
Excellent novel that involves several people that all are connected in one way or another, and even more impressive is that this one is rather lengthy in comparison to similar books of this type; yet it never loses momentum and progresses at a good pace as it develops.
I really wish I’d read the previous novel in the series, even though the author does a great job of filling the reader in on previous events taking place, it definitely would have been even more enjoyable with a familiarity with the characters and events before reading this, and I intend to go back and read the first book as reviewers have praised it, and if it’s anything like this one, it’s well worth taking the time to read it.
5 stars.
August 5, 2019
Fans of Craig Johnson's Sheriff Walt Longmire will enjoy High White Sun. Set in the Texas Big Bend, Sheriff Chris Cherry must deal with the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas while the son of a Texas Ranger murdered two decades ago seeks revenge on the man who killed his father. The parallel stories intertwine.
October 28, 2019
This was a much more complex story than the first book. It has the same characters but it is a story with a lot of different characters with their own agendas. It is full of action and it makes you think about what might be the right thing to do in the situation.
December 10, 2018
This is a modern, epic Wild West tale set in rural Texas with a huge cast of characters and multiple plot threads. It’s full of country cops, badass criminal gangs, guns, whiskey and a high body count. It’s a pretty good story, but I found it a little hard to follow and thought it would be better if pared down a bit. However, I did not realize until after I finished that this is a sequel, I might have had more overall appreciation for the book if I had read it after reading the first one.
November 8, 2018
4-1/2 Stars as Mr. Scott, with his second book, just keeps getting better. Excellent read and am looking very much forward to the third installment in this series. Best to begin with the first book.
March 20, 2018
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE
J. Todd Scott
High White Sun: A Novel
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Hardcover, 978-0-3991-7635-7, (also available as an e-book and as an audio-book), 480 pgs., $26.00
March 20, 2018
The trouble begins with a traffic stop gone wrong, then the driver running down a sheriff’s deputy and leading most of the department on a high-speed chase across the desert on US90, just north of Big Bend National Park. The mystery begins when spike strips end the chase, and the out-of-state driver recognizes Sheriff Chris Cherry’s newest deputy, America Reynosa, calling her “La chica con la pistola.”
Meanwhile, when the body of a local river guide turns up beaten to death in Terlingua, the local law learns the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) has arrived in the county, awaiting the arrival of a white-supremacist “preacher” bent on race war, with plans to build an all-Anglo town. What the ABT doesn’t know is they not only have a mole in their midst, but one of them is a federal witness, an informer.
Clues, oblique references, and foreshadowing eventually coalesce into a frightening picture as multiple, seemingly unrelated subplots lock into place in High White Sun: A Novel by former DEA agent J. Todd Scott, his second border noir and a sequel to The Far Empty (G.P Putnam’s Sons, 2016).
Scott pulls me in immediately, excelling at the quick, hard hook. He conjures an atmosphere of pervasive menace among the ocotillo and creosote of the Chihuahuan desert, which, despite the drought, is fertile ground for literary suspense, where “summer lightning … chas[es] its own bright tail” on “the outer edge of empty.”
Scott is a versatile writer. His cast of characters is large, the narrative shifting perspective constantly moving between points of view, slipping between third and first person. Chris Cherry is now the sheriff, attempting “kinder, gentler policing” because they’re “not bounty hunters, and … not in the revenge business.” But, as Chief Deputy Ben Harper reminds him, “Hope is not a strategy.” The relationship between Chris and his girlfriend, Melissa, is sweetly rendered. Scott creates an entertaining mix of personalities in Sheriff Cherry’s department, and the interactions between those personalities feel authentic, as does his depiction of the “casually dangerous” game of family dysfunction among the terrorists of the ABT. Dark, sardonic humor lends levity (“Being this close to the border should give [the ABT] hives—it was practically enemy territory”).
I reviewed The Far Empty favorably in these pages in June 2016, while noting that Scott allows the tension to lapse during extended flashbacks conveying backstories meant to illuminate his many characters’ competing agendas and motivations, and that more rigorous editing would tighten the focus. Unfortunately, High White Sun also suffers from these flaws. Though more evenly paced, it lags sporadically during those elaborate backstories. Scott whips up the pace leading into the final showdown, but the climax unfolds over more than one hundred pages, again allowing tension to dissipate and the reader to relax.
High White Sun is suffused with violence (and innumerable ellipses), and most people have gone a touch crazy from the heat, but it’s got soul. Scott confronts tough questions about the nature of duty, the price of peace, the possibility of redemption, the elastic definition of justice, and the cleansing properties of fire and rain.
Originally published in Lone Star Literary Life.
J. Todd Scott
High White Sun: A Novel
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Hardcover, 978-0-3991-7635-7, (also available as an e-book and as an audio-book), 480 pgs., $26.00
March 20, 2018
The trouble begins with a traffic stop gone wrong, then the driver running down a sheriff’s deputy and leading most of the department on a high-speed chase across the desert on US90, just north of Big Bend National Park. The mystery begins when spike strips end the chase, and the out-of-state driver recognizes Sheriff Chris Cherry’s newest deputy, America Reynosa, calling her “La chica con la pistola.”
Meanwhile, when the body of a local river guide turns up beaten to death in Terlingua, the local law learns the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) has arrived in the county, awaiting the arrival of a white-supremacist “preacher” bent on race war, with plans to build an all-Anglo town. What the ABT doesn’t know is they not only have a mole in their midst, but one of them is a federal witness, an informer.
Clues, oblique references, and foreshadowing eventually coalesce into a frightening picture as multiple, seemingly unrelated subplots lock into place in High White Sun: A Novel by former DEA agent J. Todd Scott, his second border noir and a sequel to The Far Empty (G.P Putnam’s Sons, 2016).
Scott pulls me in immediately, excelling at the quick, hard hook. He conjures an atmosphere of pervasive menace among the ocotillo and creosote of the Chihuahuan desert, which, despite the drought, is fertile ground for literary suspense, where “summer lightning … chas[es] its own bright tail” on “the outer edge of empty.”
Scott is a versatile writer. His cast of characters is large, the narrative shifting perspective constantly moving between points of view, slipping between third and first person. Chris Cherry is now the sheriff, attempting “kinder, gentler policing” because they’re “not bounty hunters, and … not in the revenge business.” But, as Chief Deputy Ben Harper reminds him, “Hope is not a strategy.” The relationship between Chris and his girlfriend, Melissa, is sweetly rendered. Scott creates an entertaining mix of personalities in Sheriff Cherry’s department, and the interactions between those personalities feel authentic, as does his depiction of the “casually dangerous” game of family dysfunction among the terrorists of the ABT. Dark, sardonic humor lends levity (“Being this close to the border should give [the ABT] hives—it was practically enemy territory”).
I reviewed The Far Empty favorably in these pages in June 2016, while noting that Scott allows the tension to lapse during extended flashbacks conveying backstories meant to illuminate his many characters’ competing agendas and motivations, and that more rigorous editing would tighten the focus. Unfortunately, High White Sun also suffers from these flaws. Though more evenly paced, it lags sporadically during those elaborate backstories. Scott whips up the pace leading into the final showdown, but the climax unfolds over more than one hundred pages, again allowing tension to dissipate and the reader to relax.
High White Sun is suffused with violence (and innumerable ellipses), and most people have gone a touch crazy from the heat, but it’s got soul. Scott confronts tough questions about the nature of duty, the price of peace, the possibility of redemption, the elastic definition of justice, and the cleansing properties of fire and rain.
Originally published in Lone Star Literary Life.
October 4, 2019
If you are a fan of James Lee Burke you will enjoy these series. It is populated by characters that come alive in the pages of the story and they all are flawed. There is a lot of action and great dialogue. The writing does not have the florid beauty of a Robicheaux novel but the action does.
May 31, 2018
I received a free copy of"High White Sun" through Goodreads to read and review.
I wavered between giving this crime novel a three star or a four star rating. Certainly the second half of the book deserved four stars. It was exciting, with an interesting cast of major and minor characters hurtling towards a confrontation that would explode across the pages in a fury of gunfire and blood. With those final 250 or so pages, the varied actors coalesced, with their personalities driving them as only the fated are. As the ancient Vikings knew, you cannot escape the lines of fate woven around you.
It seemed to me that the author, J. Todd Scott, finally let the story explode to the fore.
But the first 200 pages ....
The book begins in 1999 with action as a Texas peace officer on his way home stops to assist a stranded female motorist. It's a trap and he is shotgunned. Why? That does not become clear until much later in the book. Switch to fifteen years later and get an introduction to an enigmatic character who seems to disappear thereafter. Who is he and what has he to do with anything going on? Then to the now where we are introduced to the story 's main cast: a young , newly minted sheriff , his older, hard-bitten chief deputy and mentor, and a young Latino female deputy, beautiful and a bit hard herself. All have their back stories, revealed eventually. At this point, I thought that the book was slow moving, with much too much "landscaping", i.e., descriptions of the sun -blasted desert boarder lands and the hot, unremitting winds. Yes, it all plays a part in the second half of the book, but it gets tiresome. Furthermore, Sheriff Cherry, C.D. Ben Harper and deputy Ame Reynosa are nowhere nearly as well-described and interesting as the main baddie, John Wesley Earle, who is certainly a bad dude with a colorful background and a gaggle of sons with similar names.Earle also has a plan, a mysterious reason for his group of Aryan Brotherhood types to gather in the middle of the desert nowhere.
Until the novel gels in the second half, I doubted that I would read on until the finish, but I am glad that I did. When things finally get going, they really get hot. The confrontation, and the reason the thugs are in the aptly named ghost town of Killing, Texas come become explosively clear. The back stories of the players become motivating factors for their behavior that climaxes the movel. You cannot change your fate.
Trigger warnings: ( bit of a pun there) gunplay abounds, abusive language, cursing, racial hatred,
drug abuse and boozing likely at anytime. Mild romantic interludes.
Summing up: one heck of a story once it gets going. Hang with it.
I wavered between giving this crime novel a three star or a four star rating. Certainly the second half of the book deserved four stars. It was exciting, with an interesting cast of major and minor characters hurtling towards a confrontation that would explode across the pages in a fury of gunfire and blood. With those final 250 or so pages, the varied actors coalesced, with their personalities driving them as only the fated are. As the ancient Vikings knew, you cannot escape the lines of fate woven around you.
It seemed to me that the author, J. Todd Scott, finally let the story explode to the fore.
But the first 200 pages ....
The book begins in 1999 with action as a Texas peace officer on his way home stops to assist a stranded female motorist. It's a trap and he is shotgunned. Why? That does not become clear until much later in the book. Switch to fifteen years later and get an introduction to an enigmatic character who seems to disappear thereafter. Who is he and what has he to do with anything going on? Then to the now where we are introduced to the story 's main cast: a young , newly minted sheriff , his older, hard-bitten chief deputy and mentor, and a young Latino female deputy, beautiful and a bit hard herself. All have their back stories, revealed eventually. At this point, I thought that the book was slow moving, with much too much "landscaping", i.e., descriptions of the sun -blasted desert boarder lands and the hot, unremitting winds. Yes, it all plays a part in the second half of the book, but it gets tiresome. Furthermore, Sheriff Cherry, C.D. Ben Harper and deputy Ame Reynosa are nowhere nearly as well-described and interesting as the main baddie, John Wesley Earle, who is certainly a bad dude with a colorful background and a gaggle of sons with similar names.Earle also has a plan, a mysterious reason for his group of Aryan Brotherhood types to gather in the middle of the desert nowhere.
Until the novel gels in the second half, I doubted that I would read on until the finish, but I am glad that I did. When things finally get going, they really get hot. The confrontation, and the reason the thugs are in the aptly named ghost town of Killing, Texas come become explosively clear. The back stories of the players become motivating factors for their behavior that climaxes the movel. You cannot change your fate.
Trigger warnings: ( bit of a pun there) gunplay abounds, abusive language, cursing, racial hatred,
drug abuse and boozing likely at anytime. Mild romantic interludes.
Summing up: one heck of a story once it gets going. Hang with it.
January 24, 2018
I recently received an Advance Reader Copy of this book. I did not receive it from the publisher and I'm under no obligation to write any review. Having said that...
I loved this book.
It hit all the criteria I need a book in this genre to hit. Real and believable characters that make sense, including (especially) the bad guys... check. Showing me things about "the seedy side of life" that I don't ever experience in my 9-5 job... check. A plausible story that doesn't make me jump through hoops to believe... check. An ending that is satisfying, but still makes you grimace just a bit because not everything went the way you wanted it to, but was still the better, more realistic choice... check. The ability to make me stay up far later than is good for me because I just have to read one more chapter... check. (And isn't that the true litmus test of any book? If it can make you stay up late it's worth the purchase, right?)
As he did in the first book, Scott offers viewpoints from several characters, although differently than before, and it works really well. Readers who may have struggled with the format of the first book should feel more relaxed with this one. I liked the fact that Scott doesn't shy away from telling the story he needs to tell yet still has the restraint to not bloat the book with meaningless, mind-numbing detail or superfluous subplots. Speaking of detail, though- Scott can create a hell of setting with his words, no doubt about it.
No sophomore slump here, folks. J. Todd Scott clearly took every bit of knowledge gained in writing the first book and made his second offering even better.
I can't wait until this is officially released so I can get the hardcover on my shelf.
I loved this book.
It hit all the criteria I need a book in this genre to hit. Real and believable characters that make sense, including (especially) the bad guys... check. Showing me things about "the seedy side of life" that I don't ever experience in my 9-5 job... check. A plausible story that doesn't make me jump through hoops to believe... check. An ending that is satisfying, but still makes you grimace just a bit because not everything went the way you wanted it to, but was still the better, more realistic choice... check. The ability to make me stay up far later than is good for me because I just have to read one more chapter... check. (And isn't that the true litmus test of any book? If it can make you stay up late it's worth the purchase, right?)
As he did in the first book, Scott offers viewpoints from several characters, although differently than before, and it works really well. Readers who may have struggled with the format of the first book should feel more relaxed with this one. I liked the fact that Scott doesn't shy away from telling the story he needs to tell yet still has the restraint to not bloat the book with meaningless, mind-numbing detail or superfluous subplots. Speaking of detail, though- Scott can create a hell of setting with his words, no doubt about it.
No sophomore slump here, folks. J. Todd Scott clearly took every bit of knowledge gained in writing the first book and made his second offering even better.
I can't wait until this is officially released so I can get the hardcover on my shelf.
July 13, 2018
What a great read.
One of the best books I have read in years. I spent more time in the characters heads than in my own for days. A fabulous collection of complex and believable personalities. Get that word processor going again. I can't wait!
One of the best books I have read in years. I spent more time in the characters heads than in my own for days. A fabulous collection of complex and believable personalities. Get that word processor going again. I can't wait!
April 22, 2020
This series is awfully good. Scott is immensely skilled and this, his second novel, is even better than his first (which was excellent in its own right). The POV shifts regularly without being jarring, and Scott allows his characters to have their secrets, correctly assuming that his readers will be patient enough to accept uncertainty as they wait for the story to play out. Along somewhat similar likes, something at which he is particularly good is giving even the worst of his characters humanity. We're often able to see inside their heads and learn a little about them and, even as we despise them, we have an uncomfortable understanding of why they are who they are, and why they've made the choices they have.
Honestly, I feel like I'm basically going to say the same thing everything Scott writes. These books are great, and whether or not you're into stories about border towns and law enforcement, they're worth savoring.
Honestly, I feel like I'm basically going to say the same thing everything Scott writes. These books are great, and whether or not you're into stories about border towns and law enforcement, they're worth savoring.
June 2, 2018
Again, I wish I could give this author more than 5 stars. If you like to read about Texas in today’s world this is the book for you. But do yourself a favor and read the first book in this set first, “The Far Empty.” It’s not necessary to read it to understand this one, but it fills out the characters. It’s hard for me to imagine this is a relatively new author. I can’t quit singing his praises. Fabulous characters and a great story. This book kept me up too late too many nights. Worth every minute.
April 19, 2018
Much ado about not much. In HWS, the sheriff's department from Scott's debut novel, The Far Empty, investigates a group of hard case white supremacists who show up in a nearby town. The book features the same stilted dialogue and unrealistic plot devices as the previous one. Too much exposition and too much talking when real people wouldn't have been. I really wanted to like this book, but....
August 27, 2018
The author's paints vivid characters, especially the Aryan Brotherhood bad guys, and the plot is suspenseful and engaging. The only drawback here is that I read this book 2 in the series without reading book 1. Book 2 contains numerous lengthy references to the first in the series and they're hard to follow. The plot still stands on its own, but reading these out of order was a mistake.
April 10, 2018
interesting characters. Good plot. Outstanding book
April 13, 2018
Keep them comming
I hoped the second book would be as good as the first and it is. I sure hope we hear more from the sheriff from big bend.
I hoped the second book would be as good as the first and it is. I sure hope we hear more from the sheriff from big bend.
April 16, 2018
Another great Big Bend Texas area mystery - a must read for Texans who enjoy mysteries.
May 24, 2018
Great book!
This book started off strong and stayed that way all the way through the very end. Such a good read!
This book started off strong and stayed that way all the way through the very end. Such a good read!
December 4, 2018
My review of “High White Sun” by J. Todd Scott. (Brought to you by the letter T.)
Tremendous. Thrilling. Tense. Terrific. Taut. Triumph. Triumphant. Titanic. Tough. Tenacious. Tight. Twisted. Tip-top. Tretis. Tantalising. Tender. Talented. Texas. Texan. Trilogy?
Fresh from finishing “The Far Empty”, I turned straight to “High White Sun”, the sequel from J. Todd Scott.
And, as I tweeted right after starting this book, I am so glad that I persevered with “The Far Empty” as that turned out amazing and because the follow-up, “High White Sun”, is absolutely spellbinding.
For me, Scott’s debut was an almost “cinematic” read; the scope and breadth of his landscape were scintillating and his characters were finely defined, each bringing their own personalities to the fore in that first tale. Each time I picked up the book, I was transported to the harsh terrain and I could almost taste the dirt on the air.
This read is no exception. Well, that isn’t entirely true, there is one exception. Where “TFE” was very good, “HWS” is very, very, very good.
The author has ramped up every aspect of his writing. It is as if his debut was merely an aperitif, a little taster, ahead of the main course which he now presents to the reader as a plate full of the choicest cuts of meat (or an alternative vegan choice for those so inclined) with a generous side dish of the most succulent of vegetables.
In this book, the author has breathed fresh life into Chris Cherry. The injuries Cherry sustained in book one seem to have galvanised him. He appears to have been forged into a man, and a sheriff, that he would not otherwise have become. I particularly liked how he has chosen to make his new home outside of the town of Murfee and close to the site where he was injured. I do not know if the author did this intentionally but it is such an effective way in which to portray the strength, resilience, integrity and determination of Chris Cherry.
Scott’s writing is by turns beautifully simple and cruelly ugly; he can evoke tension and fear quite brilliantly or he can steer the reader towards tenderness with his words. He pulls you into the story quite wonderfully. The plot is multi-layered without ever being overly confusing and we are introduced to new friends and foes who brim with verve, dynamism and life. The opening first chapter is quite something; it was so good that, while reading it in the bath, I called for my wife to come and I read it aloud to her. It was punchy, pacy and powerful and set the tone for the rest of the book.
For all its beauty, this book does not shy away from describing the brutality, viciousness and hate that pervades the factions of society that this take is centred on. A sense or realism grounded, no doubt, in the author’s own law enforcement background, really helps to cement this as a terrific read.
I enjoy stories where characters are given the opportunity to stretch out and to find themselves as their tale unfolds. I enjoy being taken on that journey of discovery with them. America Reynosa is one such character, I feel she has a lot to offer and I am looking forward to seeing where J. Todd Scott takes her and Chris Cherry as he guides us through the Big Bend.
My earlier tweet ended thus, Plot. Pace. Poetic prose. Power. Perception. Perfection. @J_ToddScott is now on my list of must-read authors.
Tremendous. Thrilling. Tense. Terrific. Taut. Triumph. Triumphant. Titanic. Tough. Tenacious. Tight. Twisted. Tip-top. Tretis. Tantalising. Tender. Talented. Texas. Texan. Trilogy?
Fresh from finishing “The Far Empty”, I turned straight to “High White Sun”, the sequel from J. Todd Scott.
And, as I tweeted right after starting this book, I am so glad that I persevered with “The Far Empty” as that turned out amazing and because the follow-up, “High White Sun”, is absolutely spellbinding.
For me, Scott’s debut was an almost “cinematic” read; the scope and breadth of his landscape were scintillating and his characters were finely defined, each bringing their own personalities to the fore in that first tale. Each time I picked up the book, I was transported to the harsh terrain and I could almost taste the dirt on the air.
This read is no exception. Well, that isn’t entirely true, there is one exception. Where “TFE” was very good, “HWS” is very, very, very good.
The author has ramped up every aspect of his writing. It is as if his debut was merely an aperitif, a little taster, ahead of the main course which he now presents to the reader as a plate full of the choicest cuts of meat (or an alternative vegan choice for those so inclined) with a generous side dish of the most succulent of vegetables.
In this book, the author has breathed fresh life into Chris Cherry. The injuries Cherry sustained in book one seem to have galvanised him. He appears to have been forged into a man, and a sheriff, that he would not otherwise have become. I particularly liked how he has chosen to make his new home outside of the town of Murfee and close to the site where he was injured. I do not know if the author did this intentionally but it is such an effective way in which to portray the strength, resilience, integrity and determination of Chris Cherry.
Scott’s writing is by turns beautifully simple and cruelly ugly; he can evoke tension and fear quite brilliantly or he can steer the reader towards tenderness with his words. He pulls you into the story quite wonderfully. The plot is multi-layered without ever being overly confusing and we are introduced to new friends and foes who brim with verve, dynamism and life. The opening first chapter is quite something; it was so good that, while reading it in the bath, I called for my wife to come and I read it aloud to her. It was punchy, pacy and powerful and set the tone for the rest of the book.
For all its beauty, this book does not shy away from describing the brutality, viciousness and hate that pervades the factions of society that this take is centred on. A sense or realism grounded, no doubt, in the author’s own law enforcement background, really helps to cement this as a terrific read.
I enjoy stories where characters are given the opportunity to stretch out and to find themselves as their tale unfolds. I enjoy being taken on that journey of discovery with them. America Reynosa is one such character, I feel she has a lot to offer and I am looking forward to seeing where J. Todd Scott takes her and Chris Cherry as he guides us through the Big Bend.
My earlier tweet ended thus, Plot. Pace. Poetic prose. Power. Perception. Perfection. @J_ToddScott is now on my list of must-read authors.
June 4, 2018
High White Sun is a solid follow-up to Scott’s 2016 debut hit, The Far Empty. A prologue set in 1999 recounts the murder of Texas Ranger Bob Ford, the long echo of which reverberates through events of the current day like the howling of the wind off the distant Mexican mountains. In the small town of Murfee, Texas, Sheriff Chris Cherry does not wear his badge easily. He worries.
When a popular river guide is murdered and suspicion lights on new arrivals to the area, pegged by everyone as bad actors, he worries a lot. They’ve set up some distance from Murfee at a wide spot in the road ominously named Killing. Head of this clan is an obvious hard case, John Wesley Earl, accompanied by his brother, two sons, a couple of girlfriends, and several cousins and hangers-on. Author Scott dives deep into Earl’s history, and while he never becomes sympathetic, you certainly understand him and how little regard he has for anyone else, including his family.
The sheriff’s wants to rid his county of the Earl clan, but his priorities aren’t shared by the FBI. Its agent wants Cherry to leave the Earls alone. John Wesley Earl is their confidential informant, recruited when he was in prison and a leader in the ultra-violent Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. More than a white supremacist group, Earl’s ABT is a major criminal enterprise, responsible for bringing drugs into every one of the state’s prisons and beyond and connected to all the dirty deals and killing that goes along with that. Out of prison, he’ll be getting his cut of the “business.” It will make him wealthy.
Earl is holed up in Killing because his son Jesse is there, awaiting the appearance of Thurman Flowers, a self-styled preacher with grandiose plans for establishing a community of white supremacists, his Church of Purity. They need only two things: guns and money. An ex-soldier who’s part of the clan promises to get them the guns, and Jesse is plotting to get hold of his father’s money.
Unfortunately, the sheriff’s deputies are keeping a few secrets from him, certainly the men of the Earl crew have secrets, and the law enforcement agencies aren’t sharing everything with each other, either. When all these secrets come out into the open, the resulting storm seems destined to destroy them all.
When a popular river guide is murdered and suspicion lights on new arrivals to the area, pegged by everyone as bad actors, he worries a lot. They’ve set up some distance from Murfee at a wide spot in the road ominously named Killing. Head of this clan is an obvious hard case, John Wesley Earl, accompanied by his brother, two sons, a couple of girlfriends, and several cousins and hangers-on. Author Scott dives deep into Earl’s history, and while he never becomes sympathetic, you certainly understand him and how little regard he has for anyone else, including his family.
The sheriff’s wants to rid his county of the Earl clan, but his priorities aren’t shared by the FBI. Its agent wants Cherry to leave the Earls alone. John Wesley Earl is their confidential informant, recruited when he was in prison and a leader in the ultra-violent Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. More than a white supremacist group, Earl’s ABT is a major criminal enterprise, responsible for bringing drugs into every one of the state’s prisons and beyond and connected to all the dirty deals and killing that goes along with that. Out of prison, he’ll be getting his cut of the “business.” It will make him wealthy.
Earl is holed up in Killing because his son Jesse is there, awaiting the appearance of Thurman Flowers, a self-styled preacher with grandiose plans for establishing a community of white supremacists, his Church of Purity. They need only two things: guns and money. An ex-soldier who’s part of the clan promises to get them the guns, and Jesse is plotting to get hold of his father’s money.
Unfortunately, the sheriff’s deputies are keeping a few secrets from him, certainly the men of the Earl crew have secrets, and the law enforcement agencies aren’t sharing everything with each other, either. When all these secrets come out into the open, the resulting storm seems destined to destroy them all.
September 25, 2020
I had The Far Empty sitting in my Kindle library a long time before I got round to reading it and regretted not having read it sooner and I've also done the same with the second in the Chris Cherry series by J. Todd Scott.
Following the events in The Far Empty, Chris Cherry is now the Sheriff in Big Bend County, on the Texas/Mexico border and he's still feeling his way into the new job. One of his deputies is knocked down in a car chase by a young Mexican driver who refuses to talk and the arresting officer America Reyanosa inexplicably punches the driver out. In a nearby town, 'Bear' a river guide, is murdered and it turns out the suspects are a newly arrived family who are members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas and living in the conurbation appropriately named Killing. Cherry must find out why an arm of the ABT have moved into his beat and what are they planning to do and is there a connection between them and the mysterious Mexican car driver.
This is a worthy follow up to The Far Empty but don't despair if you haven't read it as Scott recounts the previous events to keep readers up to speed with the character's individual backstories. He also uses a multi character approach to the story telling, so we get the events described by the different character's point of view. The tale builds up quite slowly as we learn about the various characters and it takes a little while before the true nature of the crime is revealed but it soon picks up pace and builds to a brutal, bloody climax. The characterisation is very good and I particularly enjoyed the scenes involving J.W. Earl, the head of the family, who can be 'good old boy' one minute and ruthless killer the next. His encounter with Cherry and also the other deputies, I found electrifying, as Earl is compliant and pseudo friendly but at the same time full of menace.
There is a third Chris Cherry novel and I promise I won't leave it so long before I catch up with events in Big Bend County.
Following the events in The Far Empty, Chris Cherry is now the Sheriff in Big Bend County, on the Texas/Mexico border and he's still feeling his way into the new job. One of his deputies is knocked down in a car chase by a young Mexican driver who refuses to talk and the arresting officer America Reyanosa inexplicably punches the driver out. In a nearby town, 'Bear' a river guide, is murdered and it turns out the suspects are a newly arrived family who are members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas and living in the conurbation appropriately named Killing. Cherry must find out why an arm of the ABT have moved into his beat and what are they planning to do and is there a connection between them and the mysterious Mexican car driver.
This is a worthy follow up to The Far Empty but don't despair if you haven't read it as Scott recounts the previous events to keep readers up to speed with the character's individual backstories. He also uses a multi character approach to the story telling, so we get the events described by the different character's point of view. The tale builds up quite slowly as we learn about the various characters and it takes a little while before the true nature of the crime is revealed but it soon picks up pace and builds to a brutal, bloody climax. The characterisation is very good and I particularly enjoyed the scenes involving J.W. Earl, the head of the family, who can be 'good old boy' one minute and ruthless killer the next. His encounter with Cherry and also the other deputies, I found electrifying, as Earl is compliant and pseudo friendly but at the same time full of menace.
There is a third Chris Cherry novel and I promise I won't leave it so long before I catch up with events in Big Bend County.
August 23, 2022
High White sun, the second novel in the Sheriff Chris Cherry series by Border Patrol Agent and author J. Todd Scott, is an excellent tripartite novel that honors its predecessor and enriches the current mystery-slash-police-procedural canon.
The novel has three plots which tightly intertwine: a white supremacist group moves into Murfee with ambitions to establish a sanctuary city for bigots, Deputy Reynoso struggles to understand her odd relationship with a young Mexican driver who injured her partner while trying to escape, and a local river guide is found murdered. The predominant plot – the one involving the supremacist group – has a tripartite structure of its own: the FBI is interested in collecting enough evidence to indict the leader of what is certainly a domestic terrorist organization, a young man seeks to avenge his father’s death, and discord amongst the supremacists threatens to jeopardize their organizational structure and the lives of anyone near them.
To speak more specifically about the plot, the characters in High White Sun, their pursuits, or their motives would ruin the story.
Scott is an adept writer. If you choose to forgo the book’s predecessor The Far Empty, Scott provides enough of a summation at various points throughout this book for the unacquainted reader to understand the fictional history, understand the characters, and move forward with the plot at hand. Still, I would recommend reading the first of the series as it shows Scott’s character development, not to mention his progress as a writer with a great grasp of his characters.
It's worth noting that Scott’s experience as an Agent truly benefits the type of story he wishes to tell. While I’m no expert in pulpy paperback patrolman à la Raylan Givens or Walt Longmire, I’d wager that Scott’s tactical, geographical, and organizational experiences give his narrative a factual edge the other writers lack.
The novel has three plots which tightly intertwine: a white supremacist group moves into Murfee with ambitions to establish a sanctuary city for bigots, Deputy Reynoso struggles to understand her odd relationship with a young Mexican driver who injured her partner while trying to escape, and a local river guide is found murdered. The predominant plot – the one involving the supremacist group – has a tripartite structure of its own: the FBI is interested in collecting enough evidence to indict the leader of what is certainly a domestic terrorist organization, a young man seeks to avenge his father’s death, and discord amongst the supremacists threatens to jeopardize their organizational structure and the lives of anyone near them.
To speak more specifically about the plot, the characters in High White Sun, their pursuits, or their motives would ruin the story.
Scott is an adept writer. If you choose to forgo the book’s predecessor The Far Empty, Scott provides enough of a summation at various points throughout this book for the unacquainted reader to understand the fictional history, understand the characters, and move forward with the plot at hand. Still, I would recommend reading the first of the series as it shows Scott’s character development, not to mention his progress as a writer with a great grasp of his characters.
It's worth noting that Scott’s experience as an Agent truly benefits the type of story he wishes to tell. While I’m no expert in pulpy paperback patrolman à la Raylan Givens or Walt Longmire, I’d wager that Scott’s tactical, geographical, and organizational experiences give his narrative a factual edge the other writers lack.
November 9, 2023
Dass es sich um den zweiten Band einer Reihe handelt, war mir beim Lesen des Buches nicht bewusst, ich hatte aber auch nicht den Eindruck dass mir viel Hintergrundinformation gefehlt hätte. Gerade bei den Hauptpersonen, den "Guten", den "Sheriffs", konnte ich die Charaktere gleich gut auseinanderhalten. Bei den "Bösen", den "Outlaws", viel mir das deutlich schwerer, und im Nachhinein habe ich den Eindruck, der Autor hat absichtlich einige Gangmitglieder am Rande eingebaut, um diese später als Kanonenfutter zu opfern. Wobei es bei den Opfer nicht bei Randfiguren blieb - es gab einige wilde Schießereien und beide Seiten mussten bluten.
Überhaupt mutet dieser Krimi wie ein moderner Western an. Nun gut, Verfolgungsjagden finden per Auto statt zu Pferde statt, aber ansonsten gibt es viele Parallelen, nicht zuletzt die karge Wüstenlandschaft von Texas, in der dieser Roman angesiedelt ist. Und so entspannt sich ein spannendes Katz-und-Maus-Spiel, bei dem nicht immer klar ist wer gerade wen jagt. Überhaupt ist hier nicht alles so wie es auf den ersten Blick scheint, und die vielen Puzzleteile setzen sich erst am Ende zu einem erkennbaren Muster zusammen. Bis dahin genießt man einfach das action-reiche Spektakel.
Überhaupt mutet dieser Krimi wie ein moderner Western an. Nun gut, Verfolgungsjagden finden per Auto statt zu Pferde statt, aber ansonsten gibt es viele Parallelen, nicht zuletzt die karge Wüstenlandschaft von Texas, in der dieser Roman angesiedelt ist. Und so entspannt sich ein spannendes Katz-und-Maus-Spiel, bei dem nicht immer klar ist wer gerade wen jagt. Überhaupt ist hier nicht alles so wie es auf den ersten Blick scheint, und die vielen Puzzleteile setzen sich erst am Ende zu einem erkennbaren Muster zusammen. Bis dahin genießt man einfach das action-reiche Spektakel.
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