Storm Runners

by T. Jefferson Parker

Matt Stromsoe has come a long way since his wife and son were killed in an explosion meant for him. Wounded severely in both body and spirit, Stromsoe gave up the last thing that held any meaning for him—his job on the police force—and proceeded to hit rock bottom, hard.

That was a lifetime ago, and finally the spiral of personal destruction and despair seems to have come to an end. The man responsible for the murders—Stromsoe's best friend from childhood and his wife's old lover—is behind bars and Stromsoe has put the past behind him, rescued from the abyss by a former colleague who offers him a job at his private security firm. Stromsoe's first assignment is to protect local television personality Frankie Hatfield from a stalker. But the further Stromsoe is drawn into this case, the more he finds that the net of intrigue is wide and ultimately leads back to the man who killed his family. As events conspire against him, Stromsoe learns that prison is no safeguard against revenge.

T. Jefferson Parker has been hailed as belonging "in the first rank of American crime novelists" (Washington Post Book World) and praised for "some of the finest writing you'll ever read" (Chicago Sun-Times). Superbly crafted, emotionally complex, and filled with heart-stopping action, Storm Runners proves why the novels of T. Jefferson Parker are impossible to resist.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Crime, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Drama

371 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

T. Jefferson Parker is the bestselling author of 26 crime novels, including Edgar Award-winners SILENT JOE and CALIFORNIA GIRL. Parker's next work is coming-of-age thriller, A THOUSAND STEPS, set for January of 2022. He lives with his family in a small town in north San Diego County, and enjoys fishing, hiking and beachcombing.

Reviews

[James Thane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt Stromsoe and Mike Tavarez played together in their high school marching band. After graduation, Matt became an Orange County detective while Mike took a detour through Harvard before assuming leadership of La Eme, the notorious Mexican gang. The two men eventually became bitter enemies and Tavarez ultimately wound up in a maximum security prison after a bomb meant for Matt kills Matt's wife and son instead.

For two years after the explosion, Matt is in a downward spiral. He is ultimately rescued by a friend who runs a private security firm and who gives Mike a job once he's clean and sober again. Matt is assigned the task of guarding Frankie Leigh, a San Diego weather forecaster. Someone has been stalking her and she needs protection.

Matt succeeds in catching the stalker who insists that he was only following Frankie and photographing her because he's a huge fan. But his story doesn't seem right to Matt who investigates further and discovers that a much deeper conspiracy may be afoot--especially when it turns out that Frankie Leigh is more than just a weather forecaster. Meanwhile, from his prison cell, Mike Tavarez continues to direct the business of La Eme and then suddenly fate puts Mike Stromsoe squarely back in his sights.

This is a good novel with interesting characters. It may not be quite on a par with Parker's brilliant Silent Joe, but then few books are.

[Cathy DuPont · Rating 2 out of 5]

Huuuuuuuuuuuuuoooouuuaaaaaaahaaa, my longest yawn ever.

Storm Runners is not my first foray into TJP’s books, so I know he knows the craft, however had this been my first Parker book, I would hesitate to pick up another.

Elementary plotting with silly premise, a local TV female meteorologist who collects rivers and experiments in her free time by developing a formula started by her grandfather to make it rain more therefore provide more precious water for southern California; and former San Diego detective (now security and sort of PI) who was injured and lost his wife and son to a bomb ordered by gangbanger head and former high school friend. The characters were incomplete, ineffective and elicited no sympathy from me. And the simply boring dialogue such as “I forgot about your jaw. Sorry. But I won’t forget that kiss as long as I live.” Something I would have written in my diary when I was 16, word for word perhaps. Many lines such as this and I grew sleepy. Huuuuuuuuuuuuuoooouuuaaaaaaahaaa, another one.

Hard to believe this book is written by the same writer as The Fallen which I gave a solid four stars and edged into five.

Would write more about my wasting time on reading this book, but wasted too much time as it is. Disappointed, very disappointed but not finished with T. Jeff Parker. I know he knows how to entertain me, so he’s not off my list and his books will remain on my shelf.

Note: Last night before writing review, gave it three stars. After review, decided it was, to me, just a two star; it was ok but again, glad it was not my first Parker book.

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Storm Runners Parker combines more than several well-worn themes with an almost science fiction-ish twist and attempts to spin a suspenseful yarn that is greater than the sum of its parts. I use the word “attempt”, because even with the author’s usual meticulous research and skillful writing, the story and the characters of this novel, after repeated attempts to gain speed for take-off, fall flat.

The core of this story is the “relationship” between Matt Stromsoe and Mike Tavarez. The two were close friends in high school, but subsequently took very divergent paths as adults – Stromsoe becoming a cop; Tavarez, a life of crime, rising to the top of the Mexican mafia. Their initial “contest” is a very personal one as they both fall for the same girl, and as the book opens, this conflict has become very deadly. The “girl”, who is now Mrs. Stromsoe, is tragically killed along with the Stromsoe’s young son in a bomb blast – the bomb intended for Matt and “set” by Tavarez. Stromsoe is severely wounded, but survives and goes on a two year drinking binge. Tavarez is sent to prison for life. (I’m not spoiling anything here – you can read all this on the cover.)

After this 40+ page preamble our story picks up when Stromsoe is rescued from his hand to bottle combat by a good buddy who hires Matt to work in his security firm. Stomsoe’s first assignment is to protect a female weather reporter who is being stalked. In her off hours said meteorologist is attempting to mess with Mother Nature – which we learn is a family tradition – and her experimentation based on a true story. Stromsoe comes out of his grieving funk and falls head over heels for his client/ward; she the same for him. And with a set of coincidences that defies belief – Stromsoe and Tavarez are once again pitted against one another in a life and death struggle.

To the author’s credit the reader is educated on life inside a high-security federal prison – from where Tavarez still runs his criminal empire – and meteorology – as Stromsoe and his new girlfriend attempt to “make rain”. Unfortunately, these informative side-shows can’t disguise or add to this clunky thriller. Besides the aforementioned “coincidences” the secondary cast is all one-dimensional, i.e. Gang-bangers and a power hungry evil business executive, and the inevitable Stromsoe/Tavarez “show-down” is predictable and thus anti-climactic.

An “okay” book - Storm Runners is not one of this author’s better efforts.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading T.Jefferson Parker because his stories take place in and around Orange County,Ca. This story takes place mainly in Fallbrook, but also in Newport and Santa Ana. He combines stories of rainmaking, gangsters, and a large dose of suspense in his story of 2 Orange County boys, while once friends, who took different paths in their lives. It's a story of good vs. evil, with characters you can visualize. He throws in a dash of history, a sprinkle of science, and a lot of page-turner for a fun read!

[Tim Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to settle in to a T JEfferson Parker book. I give this 5 stars because I simply enjoyed the process of reading this book. Parker's good guys are really good-hearted pure and innocent in a world where evil determination shows no mercy to the good guys. I recommend all of his books and cannot understand why he is not more well known. I am starting to worry because I have read nearly all of Parker's outstnading body of work.

[Bob Box · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in 2007. A great read and a fascinating story of rainmaking, friendships, lost love and revenge. One of my favorites that year.

[Sandie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt Stromsoe is putting his life back together. Two years ago, he was happily married with a child. Then, his work as a policeman put him in direct confrontation with his best friend growing up. Mike Tavarez had gone in a different direction than Mike, rising to become the head of one of Southern California's most vicious gangs. Matt's wife had earlier been Mike's girlfriend so there was also a personal rivalry between the two. When things blew up, so did Matt's life. A bomb meant for him instead killed his wife and child and left him scarred physically and mentally.

Now he is trying to put his life back together. No longer able to do police work, he tries to start over by joining a private investigation firm. His first assignment seems like a simple one. A local television weather lady, Frankie Hatfield, has come to the firm about a stalker she has picked up. When Matt takes on the case, he sees that more is going on than a crazed fan. Frankie is a scientist first and a weather reporter second. She is working on a method to enhance rainfall, one that will make her rich while improving lives. But there are those who don't want her to succeed. Before all is done, Matt will be battling a large corporation with ties to his enemy, Mike. Who will win this latest confrontation?

T. Jefferson Parker is an established name in the genre of thriller mysteries. His characters are simple men whose sense of truth and justice makes it impossible for them to let injustices stand without working to fix the situation. This novel is his fourteenth in an impressive career and readers will enjoy learning more about weather as well as watching the interplay between good and evil. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book that is based on fact about rain making in Fallbrook, California. I loved the strong woman in this book as well as Stromsoe, the wounded bodyguard. I thought the writing was excellent and you just had to keep reading one more page or one more chapter.

It was pretty fast paced with several characters. Some you could really like and others, not so much. Stromsoe appeared to be a very intelligent guy, but he had scars from life. He did let those scars rule his life for a short time, but finally saw the light and became a person that anyone could trust and love again even given his deformities.

I am giving this one 5 out of 5 stars.

[jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

the way this man composes sentences, it's as if he were taking you on a tour of the dry bits of california -- arroys, desert, chaparral, avocado trees, dirt roads, hills, coyotes -- while also taking you on a tour into the head of gangsters and cops who bear pain and misfortune and damage with vulnerability, toughness, and dignity. lots of guys, but these are guys i love to read about. maimed guys, hurt guys, gentle guys who are not afraid to blunder and ask. yeah, even the gangsters, who once were kids with ideas and plans for a cool bright future.

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy Parker's writing, but this novel was not up to his usual standard. It was a great story line about a cop losing his family to an ex best friend that blows them up. I just didn't like the way the book unfolded. Definitely worth reading if you are a Parker fan, but not on my top list.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Parker is fantastic usually. Pretty thin plot and character development; must have been on a deadline to get it out. I did enjoy the fact that a lot of the action takes place in the town I live in, Azusa, CA.

[Mommalibrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Los Angeles, water, gangs. Solid.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

What this book has: A wounded and haunted cop turned security guard, an old friend turned gang kingpin, and a meteorologist-cum-rainmaker (literally)

Let's start with me being a fan of each Parker book I had read to this point. He understands and excels at the classic crime/cop/PI story formula. His writing is taut, the chapters a perfect length to keep you reading until you've finished the book much faster that you'd planned. For me, that's about a day.
So with all of that and certain expectations for storytelling going into this read, Storm Runners was something of a disappointment. The story, near as I can figure, arose from a simple germ of an idea: a story about a man named Charles Hatfield who, in the early 20th century, claimed he could make rain fall from the skies. In one case, he caused so much rain to fall in San Diego that he not only filled the Morena Dam reservoir, he caused floods that killed 20 people and caused more than $3 million in damages. Take that and add it to Parker's own rain observations in his town of Fallston and here we are.
Actually, it takes a bit more. Our hero ex cop, Matt Stromsoe lost his wife and young son and was nearly blown up, himself, when a notorious gang leader and high school friend, Mike Tavarez, tried to kill him in his own home. Why? Two reasons. Stromsoe led a task force that was closing in on Tavarez, and Tavarez's love and mistress was killed in a shootout between law enforcement and his gang. Because Stromsoe tried to turn the love interest, the gangster held the cop responsible.
That's all well and good for the formula. Parker's heroes are usually damaged goods in some way, and Stromsoe is damaged physically and emotionally. Nowhere to go but up, really, unless you want to make him a functional alcoholic, but that's not Parker's way. However, beyond that it turns odd, borrowing elements from the movie "Chinatown" and stories about snake oil salesman/"The Music Man."
You see, a now sober Stromsoe gets a security job from an old friend, protecting one Frankie Hatfield, a San Diego TV meteorologist and, yes, maybe even a rainmaker descended from old Charlie there. Buuuuut...the plotting and malevolent head of the local water utility wants Frankie working for him so the people of Southern California will be reliant on the utility for all of its water needs. She won't work for him or sell her magic formula, so he contracts for her murder. And that leads us back to Tavarez, still a kingpin from his prison cell.
The whole rainmaker business and the evil company man takes the story too far. Parker's books are usually an escape for me, but this whole plot is too much to swallow. Pass on this one and try another.

[M D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is about Matt Stomrsoe, an ex-policeman and present day PI, and Frankie the weather lady. Matt is assigned to be her bodyguard when she is harassed by an unknown stalker. Matt’s family was destroyed and he was seriously wounded while he was on the police department in a bomb attack that was intended for him. The mastermind was Mike Tavarez, an old school chum that has turned gangbanger after graduation from high school. Tavarez has a grudge against Mike because of his perceived involvement with the death of Ophelia, the gangster’s wife.
Frankie is trying to make it rain in Southern California with a secret mixture of chemicals vaporized into the sky. The bodyguard and the technical lady are naturally attracted to each other.
This story connected with me after 30 or so pages of backstory at the start of the book. Matt is a scrupulously good cop, or ex-cop. He succeeds in putting Mike away into the infamous Pelican Bay State Prison. But Mike continues to thrive in the confining environment with the help of crooked guards. Soon Mike is ‘El Jefe’, the boss of the notorious gang, La Eme, which is taking over the streets of San Diego. He is an extreme bad guy that is so bad he gave me the creeps. He is so powerful that prison is a only a slight inconvenience for him to reach out to those that he wants eliminated.
I liked the fast pace of the story, the extreme good vs bad theme and the several events that I didn’t see coming. The author is a talented writer that deftly handles many characters and a somewhat complicated plot. My only complaint is that he dips into detail too much from time to time. For example, Tavarez goes through his email every couple of day and he has hundreds, mostly requests from gangbangers on the street. The author goes through many of the missives in detail and they become boring. They have no impact on the storyline and are over the top in detail.

[Susan Beamon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thriller takes every opportunity to jump tracks and have a new crime and set of characters to explore. If you're looking for a simple tale of good verses evil, find another book. This one wants to fight all sorts of evil at once.
Matt Stromsoe met his biggest nemesis in high school, back when they were friendly. His friend went away to college and returned an educated criminal, eventually a crime boss. Matt became a policeman and married. His life was good, a wife and child at home and lots of criminals to chase at work. One of those criminals was his old friend. During an attempt to arrest him, shots were fired and one of his loves was killed. He blamed Matt. He vowed revenge. Only the bomb he set for Matt killed Matt's wife and child instead. He went to prison, still vowing revenge.
After Matt recovered from the death of his family, he started working as private security. His first job is an attractive weather forecaster who has a stalker. The stalker was easy, only the pieces don't fit. Somehow the city Department of Power and Water and Matt's old friend now enemy are mixed up together in making Matt's new life worse than the one he just left.
Like I said, this book moves around a lot. You almost need a scorecard to keep track of all the players. I did like the book. It's possible you will too.
Oh, did I mention that the weather forecaster is a "rainmaker" as in the old time people who claimed they could make it rain? She's a decedent of one of those old time conmen who followed the droughts and made money off the weather.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a 3 and 1/2 star effort, rounded up. A couple weeks ago I read my first thriller by T. Jefferson Parker (The Room Of White Fire, the first of Parker's Roland Ford series), and said at that time I'd be reading more. I picked this stand alone thriller pretty much at random. It was released in 2007, and it's an interesting, reasonably well written thriller about two boyhood friends, one of which, Matt Stromsoe, went into law enforcement while the other, Mike Tavarez, has risen to become El Jefe of the most feared criminal organization in California. Tavarez was subsequently responsible for the death of Stromsoe's wife and young child. Some years later, Stromsoe, now a PI, is assigned to protect a young, attractive TV meteorologist. She's developed a means of increasing rain in draught-inclined San Diego, and there are other interests who want her efforts stopped. While this one isn't as good as Room of White Fire, there are some interesting, fully developed characters and a steady build-up of suspense. While this one probably (hopefully) isn't among Parker's best - he's been awarded two Edgar Awards - and the "boyhood friends choosing different paths" is hardly an original trope, Storm Runners is still a good read. Doesn't seem like you can go too far wrong with a thriller by T. Jefferson Parker.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, the best part being Parker's very accurate references (with some obvious fictitious embellishments) to features of the Southern California setting--especially San Diego's North County (where I live). He sometimes mentions things that I am not aware of, even after living up here for 40 years.

I admire his male protagonists, because they're very capable in challenging situations but are also well-rounded people. The featured female character in this story has a measure of celebrity and some unique interests while still seeming pretty down to earth. The two main characters manage to connect in a fairly measured, thoughtful way--unlike the typical mystery/thriller featuring lots of instantaneous lustful interludes. Shifting focus a bit: I love the way Parker integrates dogs and other domestic animals into his stories.

The one character who did not make complete sense to me was the villain. I didn't really understand how he could transform from a smart, loyal childhood friend of the protagonist into an uber-criminal running a deadly gang from prison and determined to ruin his former friend's life. Admittedly I may be too naive.

Things move along in this story, and I had a couple of late nights turning many pages to get to a place where I felt I could pause.

[MisterLiberry Head · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers should welcome STORM RUNNERS’ Matt Stromsoe to the roster of ex-cops working private personal security and investigations in Los Angeles County. Crime fiction doesn’t offer many one-eyed, nine-fingered, metal-riddled heroes–much less one whose ambition in high school was not to be QB1 of the football varsity, but the drum major of the marching band. Matt’s first assignment working for a former colleague’s security firm is to protect popular local TV meteorologist Frankie Hatfield from a stalker. The stalker turns out not to be a disturbed fanboy and Frankie wants to be “the weather lady who makes rain” (loc.1151) by building on the long-forgotten scientific work of “Great-great-grandpa Charley Hatfield” (loc. 1543). Of course, making rain where and when you want it poses a huge financial threat to powerful interests whose operating philosophy is: ”Only abundance can ruin us” (loc.1523). Rarest of all for most readers is that Matt is a genuinely nice guy–“tired of being a human shipwreck” (loc.2388)–and Frankie is a really nice, smart weather lady. If they both can stay alive in STORM RUNNERS, maybe good things will happen…

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd call "Storm Runners" (2007) middling T. Jefferson Parker. Better than "Silent Joe," not as good as "California Girl." It's a riff on the old chestnut of boyhood friends who grow up on different sides of the law. In this case, Mike Tavarez has not only become a criminal mastermind but he's also killed policeman Matt Stromsoe's wife and child -- and now he wants to do the same to his ex-pal's new girlfriend. Who happens to be a TV weather forecaster. Experimenting with a way to make rain. Which ticks off the water department people. It's not bad, but I couldn't stop thinking about Lewis Black's joke about San Diego TV weatherman being the best job you could ever have: "What's the weather going to be like, Lou?" "Uh ... nice. Back to you."

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

AUTHOR . Parker, T Jefferson
TITLE The Storm Runners
DATE READ 12/14/21
RATING 4/B
FIRST SENTENCE
GENRE/PUB DATE/FORMAT/LENGTH Crime Fiction/2008/Library CD/ 8 hr 34 min
SERIES/STAND ALONE SA
CHALLENGE Good Reads 2021 113/120
GROUP READ
TIME/PLACE 2007/CA
CHARACTERS Matt Stromstoe/detective
COMMENTS I really had a difficult time catching on to this narrator … may have to pick this up in print at another time to appreciate it more.

[David Mc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I am a longtime fan of everything T. Jefferson Parker has written, I had a very difficult time getting into this novel. Along with an unusually weak storyline for a writer who generally knocks things out of the ballpark, the characters came across as one-dimensional cardboard figures. In addition, the overall plot was weakened with far too much focus on the villain, as well as the shaky and uninteresting emphasis on the rain-making aspect of the story. In any event, the novel doesn’t even come close to Parker’s other stellar works.

[Kim Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right as Rain

The 5stars are not enough. Mr Parker gets the setting 100% . I lived in a can go grove in that area for years. Trumped around that river bed and dig ou neighbors during So Nino years. Raised in the Barrio I know the gang life and first hand CSP. Mr Parker is the real deal.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about an insane feud between two high school friends, one who is a drug kingpin and the other a policeman, the police officers family is killed in a bomb blast meant for him. The drug lord goes to prison, but the seeking of revenge doesn’t end there. And then there is the meteorologist that can make it rain,

[Barbara Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical T Jefferson Parker novel - Outstanding

As always Parker has concocted a riveting propulsive narrative featuring great characters and enough suspense to fill two books. An old pro at the top of his form.

[Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parker’s Magnum Opus

All the things a mystery novel can be and more! Compelling story, complex characters, twists and turns, and great pacing. Even some historical AND prophetic elements. Highly recommend this book!

[Bill Pye · Rating 5 out of 5]

He difd it again

I have read slot of Parker's books. And will read more. They scare me as he creates likeable characters under great stress. You wonder if they will.survive. They do but never cut and dry. Keeps me reading

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guy is a great writer. Good plot. Edge of your seat.

[Liesl de Swardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced and intriguing.

[Dhaverma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predictable, boring in parts, interesting in others.

[Dhaverma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was pretty good