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Dent Miller #1
Rose City Free Fall
Detective Dent Miller doesn't know who he should trust, and who he should kill.
Framed for trying to kill his partner, Dent Miller is a man in free fall. He thinks he's investigating a routine homicide, but instead, he becomes a target for a corrupt human trafficking ring.
Can an honest man win against enemies that are rich, powerful, and willing stop at nothing to hide the truth?
Do you like action that is "non-stop, gritty, and believable?" Do you like thrillers that are "realistic and intense?"
Download this gritty thriller, strap yourself in, and cancel your appointments, because you'll keep turning pages until you reach the explosive end.
Framed for trying to kill his partner, Dent Miller is a man in free fall. He thinks he's investigating a routine homicide, but instead, he becomes a target for a corrupt human trafficking ring.
Can an honest man win against enemies that are rich, powerful, and willing stop at nothing to hide the truth?
Do you like action that is "non-stop, gritty, and believable?" Do you like thrillers that are "realistic and intense?"
Download this gritty thriller, strap yourself in, and cancel your appointments, because you'll keep turning pages until you reach the explosive end.
320 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2017
1020 people are currently reading
704 people want to read
About the author
D.L. Barbur
3 books21 followersDL Barbur lives in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, but regularly ventures into Portland. He’s been a deck seaman, police officer and hamburger flipper. He enjoys blues guitar and black coffee with an oily sheen on top.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
September 20, 2019
Compellingly Unique
Action, humor, suspense and an accurate description of a city I love. Visualizing all the locations helped alleviate my yearning to return and the story was excellent too! Have ordered the next in the series, can't wait to see where Dent goes from here.
Action, humor, suspense and an accurate description of a city I love. Visualizing all the locations helped alleviate my yearning to return and the story was excellent too! Have ordered the next in the series, can't wait to see where Dent goes from here.
August 14, 2019
Rose City
A great read. In depth and imagitive an investigation that has many twists and turns. Get it, I loved it!!
A great read. In depth and imagitive an investigation that has many twists and turns. Get it, I loved it!!
December 5, 2019
Solid thriller
A bit clunky at the start, but once the story gets rolling its so!id gold. Great characters and a whiz bang pace. Looking forward to further adventures of ol Dent.
A bit clunky at the start, but once the story gets rolling its so!id gold. Great characters and a whiz bang pace. Looking forward to further adventures of ol Dent.
November 30, 2019
Great suspense book
Great suspense book. It was hard to put it down. Well written story, interesting and detailed. I look forward to reading more in the series.
Great suspense book. It was hard to put it down. Well written story, interesting and detailed. I look forward to reading more in the series.
December 7, 2019
Beginning of a series featuring a homicide cop. Decent police procedural with some twists and some predictable outcomes. A lot of 'skim over' paragraphs.
February 19, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this gritty crime thriller because a lot of it was believable. Made me wonder who would play Dent in a streaming series.
November 18, 2019
Good Story
Reminds me of Jack Reacher, always fighting for the good. Smart, funny and a really good guy. Can't wait to see how the second book comes out. Want Dent Miller to win.
Reminds me of Jack Reacher, always fighting for the good. Smart, funny and a really good guy. Can't wait to see how the second book comes out. Want Dent Miller to win.
November 15, 2019
Loose ending
I enjoyed the twist and turns, but didn’t like the ending. It was obviously written to peek your interest to get you to read the next book in the series.
I enjoyed the twist and turns, but didn’t like the ending. It was obviously written to peek your interest to get you to read the next book in the series.
August 5, 2018
Dent Miller is the typical, tired and cynical cop of any Film Noir detective story. I first thought this was going to be just another pebble on the pile paperbacks, trying to recreate Humphrey Bogart’s Sam Spade. But just a few pages in, it became apparent there was more to the plot.
Like so many detective stories, this one starts with a body. But finding out “Who Done It,” is not what the tale is about. Miller finds himself at odds with his boss and soon a fugitive from his own bureau as more obstacles are thrown in his way. The powers that be seem determined to prevent him from bringing the killer to justice. This just drives Miller to fight even harder. But it’s not a fair fight and Miller eventually finds himself on the outside looking in, and trying to decide if he can trust the mysterious agency that offers to help. He needs their help, but isn’t sure the price won’t be too high.
The action is non-stop, gritty, and believable. The author describes little details in procedure that make be believe he has experience in both law enforcement, and elite military units. The technical details and descriptions of violence are realistic and intense, but avoid the plethora of errors so common in books and movies written by people who’s only actual experience with violence is books and movies.
This is a good read that leaves me waiting anxiously for the next book in the series.
Like so many detective stories, this one starts with a body. But finding out “Who Done It,” is not what the tale is about. Miller finds himself at odds with his boss and soon a fugitive from his own bureau as more obstacles are thrown in his way. The powers that be seem determined to prevent him from bringing the killer to justice. This just drives Miller to fight even harder. But it’s not a fair fight and Miller eventually finds himself on the outside looking in, and trying to decide if he can trust the mysterious agency that offers to help. He needs their help, but isn’t sure the price won’t be too high.
The action is non-stop, gritty, and believable. The author describes little details in procedure that make be believe he has experience in both law enforcement, and elite military units. The technical details and descriptions of violence are realistic and intense, but avoid the plethora of errors so common in books and movies written by people who’s only actual experience with violence is books and movies.
This is a good read that leaves me waiting anxiously for the next book in the series.
May 5, 2019
Rose City Free Fall is a fantastic introduction to Dent Miller, a Portland detective who gets caught up in high stakes intrigue with some capital-B, capital-P Bad People. Barbur's tale blends a hardboiled urban police tale with the elements of a gritty political thriller, weaving fantastic action in with a realistic examination of the consequences of trauma on law enforcement. This story is really something special. If you want to try some full throttle action featuring characters with real human depth, Rose City Free Fall is the book for you.
February 5, 2018
There is much to like about this gritty crime novel; characters with depth, dialogue that doesn't get in the way, well-written action scenes, and a tension-filled believable plot. This was a real page turner for me and I'm a new fan of this author. I look forward to the next one!
February 15, 2018
Great Book! Rotten Proofing!
I really enjoyed the book, the characters, the story - but it is very disconcerting to be annoyed by all the misspelled words, extra words, not to mention the bad punctuation!
I’d be happy to volunteer as a proof reader.
I really enjoyed the book, the characters, the story - but it is very disconcerting to be annoyed by all the misspelled words, extra words, not to mention the bad punctuation!
I’d be happy to volunteer as a proof reader.
October 6, 2019
This is the next series you should follow.
Homicide cop, former Ranger, born on the wrong side of the tracks in Tennessee and now in Portland. Throw in mysterious CIA adversaries, human trafficking and snipers and you have the ingredients for a good thriller read.
Homicide cop, former Ranger, born on the wrong side of the tracks in Tennessee and now in Portland. Throw in mysterious CIA adversaries, human trafficking and snipers and you have the ingredients for a good thriller read.
October 25, 2020
Detective Dent Miller works in Major Crimes in Portland Police Bureau. His boss Steve Lubbock aka The Seagull has been a constant pain in Dent’s ass and Dent has considered quitting his job because the Bureau doesn’t care about anyone but the Bureau itself.
While getting ready to go to dinner with his girlfriend Audrey to celebrate her birthday, Dent gets a call from his partner, Detective Mandy who informs him that a body of a young woman has been discovered in the park with her hands bound behind her back. Mandy has been working with Dent for two months and this would be her first homicide case.
During the investigation, Dent gets a call from his former boss, Al Pace who tells him more about the father of the suspect in custody and then warns him to watch his back.
Turns out the prime suspect is a son of a powerful businessman who would do anything to get his son to walk and not before long Dent and his partner are suspended from work—ostensibly for Dent’s use of force on a suspect in a different case—and taken off the investigation. Additionally, he’s been given orders not to talk to Mandy during the investigation.
Soon things escalate and Mandy gets attacked in her apartment and Dent becomes a prime suspect. When Dent realizes he’s being set up and can’t trust his colleagues either, he has to find a way to prove his innocence before he goes down for crimes he didn’t commit.
Interesting police procedural. Would recommend.
While getting ready to go to dinner with his girlfriend Audrey to celebrate her birthday, Dent gets a call from his partner, Detective Mandy who informs him that a body of a young woman has been discovered in the park with her hands bound behind her back. Mandy has been working with Dent for two months and this would be her first homicide case.
During the investigation, Dent gets a call from his former boss, Al Pace who tells him more about the father of the suspect in custody and then warns him to watch his back.
Turns out the prime suspect is a son of a powerful businessman who would do anything to get his son to walk and not before long Dent and his partner are suspended from work—ostensibly for Dent’s use of force on a suspect in a different case—and taken off the investigation. Additionally, he’s been given orders not to talk to Mandy during the investigation.
Soon things escalate and Mandy gets attacked in her apartment and Dent becomes a prime suspect. When Dent realizes he’s being set up and can’t trust his colleagues either, he has to find a way to prove his innocence before he goes down for crimes he didn’t commit.
Interesting police procedural. Would recommend.
June 7, 2024
Rose City Free Fall
There are a lot of writers in this genre and it's not always easy to find the good ones. Found one!
Finished this one rather quickly and immediately purchased the rest of the series. And was a bit upset that there was only 3 books attributed to D.L. Barbur. Fortunately, it finally clicked that D.L. Barbur = David Barbur. Now looking forward to finishing the Dent Miller series, and trying some of David Barbur’s other writings.
Regarding Rose City Free Fall: Gritty, well-paced, articulate, little bit of sarcasm, little bit of angst, and a lot of fun. Absolutely worth reading.
OK, so I don't usually do this but, there are some 1 star reviews out there. If you didn't find the book to your taste, so be it. BUT, in reference to those that felt the plot was unrealistic, may I suggest True Crime for your genre? I’m assuming that Mr. Burbur’s intent was to entertain, and with that in mind, I feel he succeeded.
There are a lot of writers in this genre and it's not always easy to find the good ones. Found one!
Finished this one rather quickly and immediately purchased the rest of the series. And was a bit upset that there was only 3 books attributed to D.L. Barbur. Fortunately, it finally clicked that D.L. Barbur = David Barbur. Now looking forward to finishing the Dent Miller series, and trying some of David Barbur’s other writings.
Regarding Rose City Free Fall: Gritty, well-paced, articulate, little bit of sarcasm, little bit of angst, and a lot of fun. Absolutely worth reading.
OK, so I don't usually do this but, there are some 1 star reviews out there. If you didn't find the book to your taste, so be it. BUT, in reference to those that felt the plot was unrealistic, may I suggest True Crime for your genre? I’m assuming that Mr. Burbur’s intent was to entertain, and with that in mind, I feel he succeeded.
October 26, 2020
This is the story of a police officer who gets involved in a case where the son of a very wealthy and powerful man kills a girl, and things go crazy at that point. The writing is solid and it has memorable, distinct characters. Portland is referenced strongly in a way that shows great familiarity and appreciation for the city.
I liked the first, procedural part of the book the most where its solid policework and interaction, with no small amount of grit and honesty. The girlfriend character was a bit tedious and didn't speak particularly well for the main character's judgment, but it gave him a different side.
The big Hollywood story arc and conspiracy stuff I didn't care for as much and would much rather have seen Dent Miller just be a police officer doing a good job
I liked the first, procedural part of the book the most where its solid policework and interaction, with no small amount of grit and honesty. The girlfriend character was a bit tedious and didn't speak particularly well for the main character's judgment, but it gave him a different side.
The big Hollywood story arc and conspiracy stuff I didn't care for as much and would much rather have seen Dent Miller just be a police officer doing a good job
January 24, 2020
The phone jolted me awake. I was groggy, but had the presence of mind to make sure I was picking up the phone, and not the gun before I pressed it to my face.
"Miller," I said. It came out as a croak. My breath tasted like a large animal had been using my mouth for a toilet.
It was Al.
Any author that can write with such assurance you gotta read. This is great stuff. It kind of took a while to lay the groundwork--and even that was good, but by the halfway mark it was firing on all cylinders and became a great, swirling rush of action and suspense. Ima read the whole series.
"Miller," I said. It came out as a croak. My breath tasted like a large animal had been using my mouth for a toilet.
It was Al.
Any author that can write with such assurance you gotta read. This is great stuff. It kind of took a while to lay the groundwork--and even that was good, but by the halfway mark it was firing on all cylinders and became a great, swirling rush of action and suspense. Ima read the whole series.
October 2, 2020
I enjoyed most of this book. It moves quickly. Having lived my whole life in Oregon, it is fun to see familiar places named in the tale.
My objection is: the story was NOT wrapped up, Nor was the incident resolved. The author just stopped the story line. Several aspects were no where near any denouement. Obviously, the author was writing a set of sequels.
I don’t enjoy being left hanging, twisting in the wind.
Will I read the next books. Probably not. I won’t be fooled again.
My objection is: the story was NOT wrapped up, Nor was the incident resolved. The author just stopped the story line. Several aspects were no where near any denouement. Obviously, the author was writing a set of sequels.
I don’t enjoy being left hanging, twisting in the wind.
Will I read the next books. Probably not. I won’t be fooled again.
September 17, 2024
I don't know what to compare this to, but I'm sure there are plenty of action packed detective stories told in first person by a semi-renegade exMarine who gets in over his head and tight ropes sanctions by wielding rat a tat tat justice in a borderline maverick manner. The fact that I am loosely familiar with Portland keeps me tied in, but more so the gun fights and near death escapes that Dent and his "secret" force keep uncovering, or inventing.
September 30, 2019
Dent Miller is a interesting character and the story is very good with lots of twist and turns. Most of the time it is actually believable. Maybe a bit to much ninja behaviour and a very high surviving rate for him. After loosing one girlfriend after the other he might have better luck in book 2......
June 5, 2020
I haven't read a good cop mystery in...
I saw. 5 stars and decided a cop mystery was something I hadn't enjoyed reading in a while. Boy, did I get a surprise! This book had me on go. It was truly a book I couldn't put down. I will follow this author, to the library, as ebooks are springy. TA TA
I saw. 5 stars and decided a cop mystery was something I hadn't enjoyed reading in a while. Boy, did I get a surprise! This book had me on go. It was truly a book I couldn't put down. I will follow this author, to the library, as ebooks are springy. TA TA
July 29, 2020
Who killed a teenage girl & why is it so hard for detective Dent Miller to investigate?
Starts slow but then builds to a terrific read about a seasoned police detective who finds the body of a teenage girl,starts investigating & finds out that her death is far more complicated than anyone could imagine. Worth reading for mystery buffs.
Starts slow but then builds to a terrific read about a seasoned police detective who finds the body of a teenage girl,starts investigating & finds out that her death is far more complicated than anyone could imagine. Worth reading for mystery buffs.
October 6, 2020
Great read! I really enjoyed the pacing and the characters in this book. Barbur does a great job of piecing it all together and expertly weaving in the backstory so without realizing it, you come up to speed on the characters and their lives. Humor was interspersed throughout and gave a nice break to the tension when needed. A solid story well told!
October 20, 2020
Pretty good; will read more of series.
Enough detail to engage readers but not so much that it boughs one down.
This story line involves a police officer fighting crime in Portland, Oregon. He is up against much more than the typical street criminal.
The reference to bedroom activities are limited and gratefully leave room for readers imagination rather than sensual details.
Enough detail to engage readers but not so much that it boughs one down.
This story line involves a police officer fighting crime in Portland, Oregon. He is up against much more than the typical street criminal.
The reference to bedroom activities are limited and gratefully leave room for readers imagination rather than sensual details.
January 30, 2021
Hard Hearted
A detective who is chasing down a killer, Miller does not have much help from his boss. He tries to do the right thing but his girlfriend and boss think it was wrong. Miller pursues his case and doesn't make many friends. A surprise ending that makes you eager for more.
A detective who is chasing down a killer, Miller does not have much help from his boss. He tries to do the right thing but his girlfriend and boss think it was wrong. Miller pursues his case and doesn't make many friends. A surprise ending that makes you eager for more.
February 6, 2021
Detective Dent, a simple guy, with almost a nomad type of living. except for guns and guitars. His girlfriend Audrey they are good for one another, she is accepting his call outs, he hope. I like the author’s way of writing , the plot flowed and one is caught up with Dent, what he is thinking and describing to us. Enjoyed and looking to starting the next book.
February 23, 2021
As a local, I liked it
Dent Miller lives and fights in Portland, Oregon. The story is a good thriller and lots of local sites and territory are covered. I felt that I was riding along with him through his perilous paths. He's an old fashioned good guy, accused of bad he didn't commit and winning in the end.
Dent Miller lives and fights in Portland, Oregon. The story is a good thriller and lots of local sites and territory are covered. I felt that I was riding along with him through his perilous paths. He's an old fashioned good guy, accused of bad he didn't commit and winning in the end.
November 19, 2022
Rose City Free Fall
This was one stupid book. I wanted to quit reading several times but I held on until the end. The 1st half of the book was OK but the last half was improbable and filled with stupid scenarios that would never happen in real life. It's clear that the author knows absolutely nothing about the topic of which he was writing. It was painful to finish.
This was one stupid book. I wanted to quit reading several times but I held on until the end. The 1st half of the book was OK but the last half was improbable and filled with stupid scenarios that would never happen in real life. It's clear that the author knows absolutely nothing about the topic of which he was writing. It was painful to finish.
March 25, 2025
Wow. The ending caught me off guard. I expected a happy ever after and instead got a what in the world will he do now ending. The start was kind of slow but then it picked up & I flew through the end. But not going to lie, I was a teeny bit disappointed with the end. I needed more. But, wow. A bad guys, worse guys, and a good guy I think read.
June 12, 2018
Excellent
Well plotted, realistic characters, good action. A few spelling errors, the fault of the autocorrect, not the writer. Story flowed easily, made it one of those books that cause you to stay up too late reading!
Well plotted, realistic characters, good action. A few spelling errors, the fault of the autocorrect, not the writer. Story flowed easily, made it one of those books that cause you to stay up too late reading!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews