What do you think?
Rate this book
Leo Waterman #11
Soul Survivor
PI Leo Waterman is back at it—investigating a very domestic crime that turns into a national nightmare in this upbeat page-turner of a mystery.
Why would a teenager with no prior record suddenly assassinate a city councilman? Retired PI Leo Waterman wouldn’t have bothered finding out if an old pal hadn’t asked. And after the man, who is also the boy’s grandfather, offs himself, the request becomes too personal to ignore.
But Leo’s girlfriend, Rebecca, thinks the investigation is too dangerous. Especially after Leo is beaten within an inch of his life. Fortuitously, however, the attack leaves him with a lasting clue about the case that the attackers carved into his chest. Now, this new lead brings Leo into the woods just north of Seattle to infiltrate the dark heart of an impressionable young boy’s sudden, violent turn—a white-power retreat that’s amassing an army for a far-reaching endgame.
What they have planned isn’t only putting Leo’s life at risk. Thousands of lives are going to be at stake. And the deeper Leo gets, the more he fears that he’s totally underpowered to save them.
Why would a teenager with no prior record suddenly assassinate a city councilman? Retired PI Leo Waterman wouldn’t have bothered finding out if an old pal hadn’t asked. And after the man, who is also the boy’s grandfather, offs himself, the request becomes too personal to ignore.
But Leo’s girlfriend, Rebecca, thinks the investigation is too dangerous. Especially after Leo is beaten within an inch of his life. Fortuitously, however, the attack leaves him with a lasting clue about the case that the attackers carved into his chest. Now, this new lead brings Leo into the woods just north of Seattle to infiltrate the dark heart of an impressionable young boy’s sudden, violent turn—a white-power retreat that’s amassing an army for a far-reaching endgame.
What they have planned isn’t only putting Leo’s life at risk. Thousands of lives are going to be at stake. And the deeper Leo gets, the more he fears that he’s totally underpowered to save them.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2018
304 people are currently reading
847 people want to read
About the author
G.M. Ford
34 books219 followersGerald M. Ford was the author of the widely praised Frank Corso novels, Fury, Black River, A Blind Eye, Red Tide, No Man's Land, and Blown Away; six highly acclaimed mysteries, featuring Seattle private investigator Leo Waterman; and the stand-alone thriller Nameless Night. A former creative writing teacher in western Washington, Ford lived in San Diego.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
July 3, 2018
You know how there are crime series that you just love and adore? Well, GM Ford's Leo Waterman's series set in Seattle is one of those for me. I have got to know the offbeat characters over some time, and as soon as I start to read, they begin to come back to me as though they are well loved friends of long acquaintance. This latest offering is a real humdinger of an addition, with Leo finding himself out of his depth, way way out of his depth where the life he lives has a metaphorical earthquake blow it apart, with the pieces flying in every which direction. Matthew Hardaway shoots a socialist councillor and is then shot dead by security. Leo had met the learning challenged and strange Matthew when he was a young boy but only the once. When an elderly crony of his father's, Asa, the grandfather of Matthew asks Leo to look into how Matthew came to commit this act, Leo refuses, he has put his life as a PI behind him. He is shaken and guilt ridden when he finds out Asa commits suicide.
So Leo being Leo, he talks to Martha, Matthew's mother, sees that she is being followed only to find himself with life threatening injuries and a sign carved into his chest. It takes a long time for Leo to even begin to function as a human being again as he embarks on the difficult and painful journey to recovery. The savage and inexplicable act has Leo smouldering with rage and a need to find who did this to him. He is supported by his close coterie of friends, the trio of long term drunks, Joey Ortega, Carl, the rastafarian twins, and the genetically ambiguous Gabriella 'Gabe' Funicello. Rebecca, Leo's long term girlfriend, and King County Medical Examiner, supports Leo but the strains in their relationship are beginning to show as the two come face to face with who they are and whether they really can sustain a long term future given their fundamental differences in character. Leo finds no-one wants him to look in Matthew's life, not the police, not the community, and they are willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure that he does not. Since when did obstacles ever stop Leo? However, he is unprepared for the dark and dangerous hole he falls into as he comes up against the kind of white racist alt right group that poses a threat to the country that no-one could have imagined.
I cannot wait to see where GM Ford takes the series after the earth shattering events that happen here. Leo finds himself under the kind of pressure and danger that is never going to go away, pushing him into thinking of what choices he has and wondering in what direction he should go in. This is a fast paced, action packed thrill ride of a novel which I absolutely loved reading. For me, it is all about the characters, I just cannot wait to reacquaint myself with them again. Fantastic series that I recommend highly. Many thanks to Thomas and Mercer for an ARC.
So Leo being Leo, he talks to Martha, Matthew's mother, sees that she is being followed only to find himself with life threatening injuries and a sign carved into his chest. It takes a long time for Leo to even begin to function as a human being again as he embarks on the difficult and painful journey to recovery. The savage and inexplicable act has Leo smouldering with rage and a need to find who did this to him. He is supported by his close coterie of friends, the trio of long term drunks, Joey Ortega, Carl, the rastafarian twins, and the genetically ambiguous Gabriella 'Gabe' Funicello. Rebecca, Leo's long term girlfriend, and King County Medical Examiner, supports Leo but the strains in their relationship are beginning to show as the two come face to face with who they are and whether they really can sustain a long term future given their fundamental differences in character. Leo finds no-one wants him to look in Matthew's life, not the police, not the community, and they are willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure that he does not. Since when did obstacles ever stop Leo? However, he is unprepared for the dark and dangerous hole he falls into as he comes up against the kind of white racist alt right group that poses a threat to the country that no-one could have imagined.
I cannot wait to see where GM Ford takes the series after the earth shattering events that happen here. Leo finds himself under the kind of pressure and danger that is never going to go away, pushing him into thinking of what choices he has and wondering in what direction he should go in. This is a fast paced, action packed thrill ride of a novel which I absolutely loved reading. For me, it is all about the characters, I just cannot wait to reacquaint myself with them again. Fantastic series that I recommend highly. Many thanks to Thomas and Mercer for an ARC.
June 18, 2018
This is probably the most exciting chapter yet in the life of retired Private Investigator Leo Waterman.
A teenage boy suddenly assassinates a city councilman. He's had no other problems with the law .. so why would he suddenly turn violent to the point of killing someone?
Leo finds a link to a white-power retreat that's amassing an army for a far reaching endgame.
After being physically attacked, will this case be the one case that kills hundreds, maybe thousands, of people ... including Leo Waterman?
As the previous 10 books in this series, it is well written with memorable characters and exciting stories. Although a part of a series, this is read easily as a stand alone. I confess I haven't read the others in the order they were published, but that didn't destroy the pleasure of reading them.
Its fast-paced and full of action. Several twists and turns will keep the reader riveted to each and every page.
Many thanks to the author / Thomas & Mercer / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this crime mystery. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
June 18, 2018
With all the mystery writers crowding the bookstores nowadays, it is difficult to finish a story without some measure of disappointment when considering consider the time lost in reading a substandard tale. Thankfully, the few hours spent with “Soul Survivor” became an unexpected treat.
G. M. Ford has crafted an adventure/thriller, one that begins as a mystery and ends with multiple pulse-pounding climaxes. This book introduced me to former PI Leo Waterman, a man graced with fortune and, at times, incredibly horrible luck. Waterman relates the events, his inner thoughts laced with his dark view of the world. Although he tries not to become entangled in a mystery he initially attempts to avoid, Waterman is dragged along for the ride, eventually a willing player in a scheme even larger than he ever could have imagined.
Mr. Ford keeps us engaged at all times, injecting danger whenever the story hints that it might begin to slow down a bit. The balance of adventure and realism without stepping into the realm of the impossible makes “Soul Survivor” an enjoyable read. Highly recommended. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Publisher Thomas and Mercer for an advance complimentary copy of this book. {Release Date: July 17, 2018}
G. M. Ford has crafted an adventure/thriller, one that begins as a mystery and ends with multiple pulse-pounding climaxes. This book introduced me to former PI Leo Waterman, a man graced with fortune and, at times, incredibly horrible luck. Waterman relates the events, his inner thoughts laced with his dark view of the world. Although he tries not to become entangled in a mystery he initially attempts to avoid, Waterman is dragged along for the ride, eventually a willing player in a scheme even larger than he ever could have imagined.
Mr. Ford keeps us engaged at all times, injecting danger whenever the story hints that it might begin to slow down a bit. The balance of adventure and realism without stepping into the realm of the impossible makes “Soul Survivor” an enjoyable read. Highly recommended. Five stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Publisher Thomas and Mercer for an advance complimentary copy of this book. {Release Date: July 17, 2018}
August 15, 2018
First Sentence: Art Fowler came to me on the last day of January while I was sitting in my front parlor drinking coffee and watching a blizzard blow in the from south.
Retired PI Leo Waterman is asked by Art Taylor, an old friend, to help find answers as to why his grandson would suddenly kill a city councilman and then himself. No one can explain how Matthew got the gun, which belonged to his father, into the City Hall, and what he did during the nine minutes between when he entered and when he shot the councilman. When Art allegedly commits suicide two days after making the request, Leo knows he can't ignore things. Leo's questions nearly cost him his life and take him into a situation he'd never expected.
There is no prologue here, but there is an opening which sets the stage—"Out in the orchard, the drifting snow had harlequined the trees black and white. Looked like every apple and pear had one stubborn leaf, a sole survivor, waving like a drowning sailor as the skeletal branches were slapped to and fro by the wind." Ford also makes a very true observation about guilt—"Guilt's a funny thing. Sort of a phantom feeling, because you don't have to be guilty of anything in order to experience it. You can even feel guilty about not feeling guilty, about stuff you had not one damn thing to do with in the first place. It's like guilt's an equal opportunity abuser. Another funny thing: people who have the most to feel guilty about generally don't."
Ford's voice is reminiscent of 40's noir with sardonic humor. It's not Tarantino graphic, but it is violent. One thing which is very refreshing is to not have a protagonist who is critically injured amazingly be up and ready for action in a couple of days. Ford handles it much more realistically than that, and includes both the physical and emotional recovery, reminding one of Robert B. Parker's book "Small Vices."
There are excellent and interesting secondary characters, including Leo's gang of old men, but the primary sidekick is Gabriella (Gabe) Funicello, a unique character; one becomes very glad he's there. Yet each character plays their part, including Leon Marks, a young AP stringer, being quite heroic, and the barkeep at the oyster bar in Conway.
Ford provides an apt description of not only Everett, Washington, but of so many towns around the country—"These were the people for whom the economic system no longer functions, folks who had voted for "something else," because what they did for a living didn't need to be done anymore." He also understands something some in politics do not—"To make it worse, he told anybody who'd listen he was a socialist, which just drove the locals and the retired military people apeshit. Far as they're concerned, that's the same thing as a communist."
Emotion, sorrow, and anger are all conveyed well, as is gratitude. A very refreshing change from the style of many current authors writing in short sentences and having remarkably short chapters, is to reading Ford with long, complex sentences, and realizing the entire book is split into only four chapters.
The tension ratchets up significantly to a level where one has to remember to breathe when we realize we are dealing with a topic, and a group, very much in today's news. Ford's theory as to why some become involved in radicalized groups makes sense and is one which will be spoiled here. Just when one thinks things are calm, they're not.
"Soul Survivor" presents a very different, and much darker, G.M. Ford than we've ever known. It's not a comfortable read, but it's an honest one with several "wow" moments.
SOUL SURVIVOR (Susp-Leo Waterman-Washington-Contemp) - Ex
Ford, G.M. – 11th in series
Thomas & Mercer – July 2018
Retired PI Leo Waterman is asked by Art Taylor, an old friend, to help find answers as to why his grandson would suddenly kill a city councilman and then himself. No one can explain how Matthew got the gun, which belonged to his father, into the City Hall, and what he did during the nine minutes between when he entered and when he shot the councilman. When Art allegedly commits suicide two days after making the request, Leo knows he can't ignore things. Leo's questions nearly cost him his life and take him into a situation he'd never expected.
There is no prologue here, but there is an opening which sets the stage—"Out in the orchard, the drifting snow had harlequined the trees black and white. Looked like every apple and pear had one stubborn leaf, a sole survivor, waving like a drowning sailor as the skeletal branches were slapped to and fro by the wind." Ford also makes a very true observation about guilt—"Guilt's a funny thing. Sort of a phantom feeling, because you don't have to be guilty of anything in order to experience it. You can even feel guilty about not feeling guilty, about stuff you had not one damn thing to do with in the first place. It's like guilt's an equal opportunity abuser. Another funny thing: people who have the most to feel guilty about generally don't."
Ford's voice is reminiscent of 40's noir with sardonic humor. It's not Tarantino graphic, but it is violent. One thing which is very refreshing is to not have a protagonist who is critically injured amazingly be up and ready for action in a couple of days. Ford handles it much more realistically than that, and includes both the physical and emotional recovery, reminding one of Robert B. Parker's book "Small Vices."
There are excellent and interesting secondary characters, including Leo's gang of old men, but the primary sidekick is Gabriella (Gabe) Funicello, a unique character; one becomes very glad he's there. Yet each character plays their part, including Leon Marks, a young AP stringer, being quite heroic, and the barkeep at the oyster bar in Conway.
Ford provides an apt description of not only Everett, Washington, but of so many towns around the country—"These were the people for whom the economic system no longer functions, folks who had voted for "something else," because what they did for a living didn't need to be done anymore." He also understands something some in politics do not—"To make it worse, he told anybody who'd listen he was a socialist, which just drove the locals and the retired military people apeshit. Far as they're concerned, that's the same thing as a communist."
Emotion, sorrow, and anger are all conveyed well, as is gratitude. A very refreshing change from the style of many current authors writing in short sentences and having remarkably short chapters, is to reading Ford with long, complex sentences, and realizing the entire book is split into only four chapters.
The tension ratchets up significantly to a level where one has to remember to breathe when we realize we are dealing with a topic, and a group, very much in today's news. Ford's theory as to why some become involved in radicalized groups makes sense and is one which will be spoiled here. Just when one thinks things are calm, they're not.
"Soul Survivor" presents a very different, and much darker, G.M. Ford than we've ever known. It's not a comfortable read, but it's an honest one with several "wow" moments.
SOUL SURVIVOR (Susp-Leo Waterman-Washington-Contemp) - Ex
Ford, G.M. – 11th in series
Thomas & Mercer – July 2018
July 22, 2018
Leo Waterman is one of my favorite fictional detectives. Lucky me, I scored this eleventh in the series free courtesy of Net Galley and Thomas and Mercer in exchange for this honest review.
Leo has changed, and yet he hasn’t. He came into his old man’s ill-gotten fortune awhile back, so he doesn’t have to work anymore, and since his knees are going, it’s just as well. But an old family friend comes calling on behalf of a grieving parent who wants to know how her boy, Matthew, turned into a mass shooter. Matthew died too, so nobody can ask him. Waterman goes to the funeral, where hysterical gun law advocates start a ruckus, and somehow Leo finds himself in the middle of it. From there, it’s all downhill.
Waterman runs afoul of some serious thugs, and they nearly kill him. He wakes up in the hospital and learns that his assailants have carved a symbol into his chest, one associated with white supremacy.
At first the plot seemed, once we were past the hospital portion, a little too familiar. Waterman always seems to find himself opposing right-wing nut jobs, and in chasing a resolution, he always ends up leaving Seattle in pursuit of reactionary criminals in some hinterland headquarters or bunker. But upon reflection, I decided I’m good with that, since it matches my own worldview. There are some bad apples in every city, every town, but the most progressive parts of society gravitate toward major population centers. Even an elitist place like Seattle contains more laudable elements than the teeny rightwing enclaves that are established in various rural outposts.
It doesn’t hurt that the Waterman series makes me laugh out loud at least once every single time.
I have read too many mysteries in which the sleuth is shot, stabbed, or whatevered, and when they wake up in the hospital, the first thing they do is rip out their IV, hobble into their clothes, and scoot out the door against doctor’s orders, material reality be damned. This inclination is inching its way onto my hot-button list of stupid plot points I never want to see again, and so I am greatly cheered by the way Ford writes this portion of the book. Leo’s in the hospital for a good long while, because he’s hurt. He’s really hurt. At the outset, he’s in a wheelchair, and then he needs additional surgeries and physical therapy. He leaves when he’s discharged. I’m pretty sure I hollered my thanks at least once here.
Ford’s corrupt cop characters are among the best written anywhere. I also love the intrepid desk clerk named Dylan who uses what little power he possesses for the forces of good.
This story is a page turner, and it’s hilarious in places. Last I looked, the Kindle version was only six bucks. If you love the genre and lean left, you should get it and read it. Your weekend will thank you for it.
Leo has changed, and yet he hasn’t. He came into his old man’s ill-gotten fortune awhile back, so he doesn’t have to work anymore, and since his knees are going, it’s just as well. But an old family friend comes calling on behalf of a grieving parent who wants to know how her boy, Matthew, turned into a mass shooter. Matthew died too, so nobody can ask him. Waterman goes to the funeral, where hysterical gun law advocates start a ruckus, and somehow Leo finds himself in the middle of it. From there, it’s all downhill.
Waterman runs afoul of some serious thugs, and they nearly kill him. He wakes up in the hospital and learns that his assailants have carved a symbol into his chest, one associated with white supremacy.
At first the plot seemed, once we were past the hospital portion, a little too familiar. Waterman always seems to find himself opposing right-wing nut jobs, and in chasing a resolution, he always ends up leaving Seattle in pursuit of reactionary criminals in some hinterland headquarters or bunker. But upon reflection, I decided I’m good with that, since it matches my own worldview. There are some bad apples in every city, every town, but the most progressive parts of society gravitate toward major population centers. Even an elitist place like Seattle contains more laudable elements than the teeny rightwing enclaves that are established in various rural outposts.
It doesn’t hurt that the Waterman series makes me laugh out loud at least once every single time.
I have read too many mysteries in which the sleuth is shot, stabbed, or whatevered, and when they wake up in the hospital, the first thing they do is rip out their IV, hobble into their clothes, and scoot out the door against doctor’s orders, material reality be damned. This inclination is inching its way onto my hot-button list of stupid plot points I never want to see again, and so I am greatly cheered by the way Ford writes this portion of the book. Leo’s in the hospital for a good long while, because he’s hurt. He’s really hurt. At the outset, he’s in a wheelchair, and then he needs additional surgeries and physical therapy. He leaves when he’s discharged. I’m pretty sure I hollered my thanks at least once here.
Ford’s corrupt cop characters are among the best written anywhere. I also love the intrepid desk clerk named Dylan who uses what little power he possesses for the forces of good.
This story is a page turner, and it’s hilarious in places. Last I looked, the Kindle version was only six bucks. If you love the genre and lean left, you should get it and read it. Your weekend will thank you for it.
September 12, 2018
I have adored this series and have followed private detective Leo Waterman and his ragtag pack of characters since the first book, WHO IN HELL IS WANDA FUCA? I have to admit that I enjoyed most of this but poor Leo suffered so much that it was almost painful to read at times. However, the ending seemed to leave it optional to continue the series, but I hope it is continued and we see more of Leo Waterman.
These are perfect for Lee Child, Sue Grafton, and J. A. Jance fans, and anyone who likes a good mystery series set in the appealing city of Seattle.
Thanks to the publisher for the advance digital reading copy.
These are perfect for Lee Child, Sue Grafton, and J. A. Jance fans, and anyone who likes a good mystery series set in the appealing city of Seattle.
Thanks to the publisher for the advance digital reading copy.
April 27, 2021
Perhaps the most exciting book of this whole series, even though it takes almost a third of the book before things really take off. Leo is further out of his depth than ever before and he makes serious mistakes, putting himself into very, very dangerous situations. His sidekick, as in the previous book, is Gabriella Funicello--"Gabe"--a person whose gender is difficult to classify, but whose toughness and loyalty surpass those of just about anybody except Jack Reacher. Several Goodreads reviewers disagreed about whether this book was anti-gun; it seemed to me that it was, beyond a doubt. At one point Leo remembers years ago visiting Europe for the first time, when he was surprised to notice metal road-signs in the middle of nowhere, without bullet holes in them. Apparently Europeans didn't think shooting a road-signs was a suitable way to idly pass the time. That was the first time he ever had doubts about the American way of life. The book was also strongly anti-white-supremacist. And a page-turner to the very last page. And occasionally very funny. My only complaint is about occasional careless mistakes--at one point for example Leo flung a shotgun into the woods, and a page later he somehow had it again.
June 28, 2018
Leo Waterman is back, living in his father's house that he inherited after the old man dropped dead. Leo also inherited a lot of money, but he can't openly use it since the old man was behind a lot of illegal and extra-legal shenanigans. One of his father's old cronies asks Leo to investigate how his grandson could have been responsible for the murder of an Hispanic city council member in a remote town in Washington state. Leo turns him down because he is no longer a PI and is not interested. But, when the old man dies, purportedly a suicide, Leo cannot help getting involved. When he is beaten, almost to death, after following a truck down an alley, things get personal. It takes almost a year for Leo to recover and he is now on the trail of the miscreants. No one wants to be on the bad side of Leo Waterman. White supremacists are a problem in remote parts of Washington, but Leo is a one-man wrecking machine. He discovers the young man was indeed turned into a killing machine by the hateful rhetoric of the alt-right and now they have set their sights on Leo. Another adrenaline-filled ride from G.M. Ford.
April 9, 2019
In this latest installment of the Leo Waterman series Leo finds himself in some deep trouble. He is asked by a friend of his late father's to help figure out why his grandson killed a city councilman in Everett and then was killed. Leo says he can't help but when the man dies and Leo attends his funeral things happen that lead him to look into the case. He is attacked by some people who nearly kill him and it takes many, many months for him to recover and it effects the way he sees himself and thinks.
Leo has some shady friends who help him out and give him a place to recover. One friend, Gabe, stays with him the whole time to also protect him and when he decides to look further into the case and figure out who hurt him and why, Gabe goes along. He encounters lots of resistance to his investigation and runs into a white supremacist group. He follows the group to their camp out in Conway and finds out about their plans for lots of terrorist attacks. He and Gabe barely escape with their lives.
Leo is aided in his investigation by his friend in the Seattle police department. His regular bunch of bums doesn't show up much in this story, just on the fringes helping out a bit. His girlfriend has finally reached her limit when he is almost killed and they split. Lots of action and some stereotypes when it comes to the white supremacists but a good story. A little dark when it comes to Leo's thoughts as he is definitely rattled down deep. The end leaves you wondering if there will be more books.
Leo has some shady friends who help him out and give him a place to recover. One friend, Gabe, stays with him the whole time to also protect him and when he decides to look further into the case and figure out who hurt him and why, Gabe goes along. He encounters lots of resistance to his investigation and runs into a white supremacist group. He follows the group to their camp out in Conway and finds out about their plans for lots of terrorist attacks. He and Gabe barely escape with their lives.
Leo is aided in his investigation by his friend in the Seattle police department. His regular bunch of bums doesn't show up much in this story, just on the fringes helping out a bit. His girlfriend has finally reached her limit when he is almost killed and they split. Lots of action and some stereotypes when it comes to the white supremacists but a good story. A little dark when it comes to Leo's thoughts as he is definitely rattled down deep. The end leaves you wondering if there will be more books.
September 10, 2018
#11 in the Leo Waterman series. This 2018 series entry from author G.M. Ford raises the already high action threshold of this series. Leo reluctantly turns down a request for investigation into a shooting and when the requestor commits suicide a few days later, he thinks it unfortunate. He offers the widow his condolences and would have left the situation there except he noticed a clumsy tail on the old lady's car and idly following is ambushed and left for dead. Leo has a strange sense of honor and he has friends who will help him recover, but recovery is not enough - now Leo wants answers and revenge. I couldn't put this book down.
Why would a teenager with no prior record suddenly assassinate a city councilman? Retired PI Leo Waterman wouldn't have bothered finding out if an old pal hadn't asked. And after the man, who is also the boy's grandfather, offs himself, the request becomes too personal to ignore. But Leo's girlfriend, Rebecca, thinks the investigation is too dangerous. Especially after Leo is beaten within an inch of his life. Fortuitously, however, the attack leaves him with a lasting clue about the case that the attackers carved into his chest. Now, this new lead brings Leo into the woods just north of Seattle to infiltrate the dark heart of an impressionable young boy's sudden, violent turn--a white-power retreat that's amassing an army for a far-reaching endgame.
Why would a teenager with no prior record suddenly assassinate a city councilman? Retired PI Leo Waterman wouldn't have bothered finding out if an old pal hadn't asked. And after the man, who is also the boy's grandfather, offs himself, the request becomes too personal to ignore. But Leo's girlfriend, Rebecca, thinks the investigation is too dangerous. Especially after Leo is beaten within an inch of his life. Fortuitously, however, the attack leaves him with a lasting clue about the case that the attackers carved into his chest. Now, this new lead brings Leo into the woods just north of Seattle to infiltrate the dark heart of an impressionable young boy's sudden, violent turn--a white-power retreat that's amassing an army for a far-reaching endgame.
August 19, 2018
Action? Oh yeah. I am puzzled over why I awarded one of these books just two stars some years ago since I did not make any notes. Now that I have read this one I want to go back to book one and start plowing through all of the Leo Waterman books.
Leo is supposedly retired as a PI, but an old family friend comes to ask for his help over the loss of his grandson who supposedly killed himself after shooting a public figure. Leo drags his feet since the whole scenario seemed clear cut, but then he starts to dig into things.
His first tries at gaining more information disturbed a hornet's nest and Leo was in hospital for close to a couple months. The hornet's nest he battles throughout the remainder of the book is organization of Aryan supremacist fanatics.
Seattle is the base scene and there are well established characters I look forward to reading more about.
Available through Kindle Unlimitetd
Leo is supposedly retired as a PI, but an old family friend comes to ask for his help over the loss of his grandson who supposedly killed himself after shooting a public figure. Leo drags his feet since the whole scenario seemed clear cut, but then he starts to dig into things.
His first tries at gaining more information disturbed a hornet's nest and Leo was in hospital for close to a couple months. The hornet's nest he battles throughout the remainder of the book is organization of Aryan supremacist fanatics.
Seattle is the base scene and there are well established characters I look forward to reading more about.
Available through Kindle Unlimitetd
August 25, 2018
Four and a half stars
This is a great book...as another reviewer stated, it's dark, but for good reason. The subject matter cannot be presented with the typical Leo humor. There's nothing funny about hate.
I did not, as a different reviewer did, get any sense of the novel having an anti-gun message. It's more of an anti-a**hole message. Leo is, after all, a gun owner. Talking smack about irresponsible gun owners is not a condemnation of all gun owners.
I definitely didn't find any Zionist propaganda. I guess that's because I'm not a white supremacist....
I docked half a star for two reasons: The POV switches from first person to third person, something that irritates me, and Ibrahim came back from the dead. If Ford hadn't created such a great character, his books' inconsistencies would have driven me away long go. Even with the memory lapses, he ranks in my top ten favorite authors, simply because he's a fantastic writer.
This is a great book...as another reviewer stated, it's dark, but for good reason. The subject matter cannot be presented with the typical Leo humor. There's nothing funny about hate.
I did not, as a different reviewer did, get any sense of the novel having an anti-gun message. It's more of an anti-a**hole message. Leo is, after all, a gun owner. Talking smack about irresponsible gun owners is not a condemnation of all gun owners.
I definitely didn't find any Zionist propaganda. I guess that's because I'm not a white supremacist....
I docked half a star for two reasons: The POV switches from first person to third person, something that irritates me, and Ibrahim came back from the dead. If Ford hadn't created such a great character, his books' inconsistencies would have driven me away long go. Even with the memory lapses, he ranks in my top ten favorite authors, simply because he's a fantastic writer.
October 28, 2018
I'm a bit worried that we may be seeing, if not the end of our beloved Leo as we know him, then a new chapter for him in a startling new direction.
Leo's life has been inalterably changed in ways no one could have predicted in Soul Survivor then kept getting worse. Soul Survivor began in typical Leo fashion, guilt, a nagging sense to do what's right, and of course carelessness in doing so, but it certainly has a far different ending from that which we've come to expect. I can't imagine how G.M. Ford has a way out of this horrendous predicament for our Leo and with which the ending left us because I know I would miss all the beloved characters we've come to know ... and the city in which I live, but evidently he did because there is another Leo Waterman book listed on Amazon, Heavy on the Dead due out in July 2019. Whew!
Good luck Leo! 5 stars because I enjoyed the story and look forward to Leo's next chapter
Leo's life has been inalterably changed in ways no one could have predicted in Soul Survivor then kept getting worse. Soul Survivor began in typical Leo fashion, guilt, a nagging sense to do what's right, and of course carelessness in doing so, but it certainly has a far different ending from that which we've come to expect. I can't imagine how G.M. Ford has a way out of this horrendous predicament for our Leo and with which the ending left us because I know I would miss all the beloved characters we've come to know ... and the city in which I live, but evidently he did because there is another Leo Waterman book listed on Amazon, Heavy on the Dead due out in July 2019. Whew!
Good luck Leo! 5 stars because I enjoyed the story and look forward to Leo's next chapter
July 11, 2018
Don't hesitate if you haven't read the earlier books in this excellent Seattle based series. Leo Waterman has gotten himself in deeper in what he thought was going to be a casual investigation than he could have imagined. An elderly friend asks him to look into the incongruous actions of his grandson= who killed a city councilman- and then the friend commits suicide. This leads Leo down the rabbit hole of white supremacy, conspiracy and lots of bad acts. He's got a good crew of people who work with him- and Ford has a way of making you know who these people are in just a few sentences. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a neatly plotted, nicely written thriller than sometimes gets a little close to the edge but definitely will keep you turning pages.
July 24, 2018
I just recommended G.M. Ford's Leo Waterman series to three of my friends, triggered by seeing Soul Survivor downloaded to my Kindle last week. Soul Survivor was just as good as the previous 10 books, all 5 stars. I'm happy for my friends in that they can enjoy 11 books as soon as they want. As for me, I'm a little sad because I immediately pre-ordered the 12th book, only to learn that it won't be available until July 2019. Jerry, I'm reading your books in 3 to 7 days each, because I find them so enjoyable. Could you maybe write a little faster so's I don't have to wait a year to find out what going on with Leo?
July 18, 2018
In the book Soul Survivor, author G. M. Ford bring PI Leo Waterman back to discover why a teenager with no record would assassinate a city councilman during the council meeting. But Leo must be onto something as he investigates and is beaten almost to death. Thousands of lives could be affected by what Leo has found!
This was a good fast paced read. The narration from Leo’s point of view could be a bit snarky and bog the story down but it was a good book. I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was a good fast paced read. The narration from Leo’s point of view could be a bit snarky and bog the story down but it was a good book. I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this e-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 21, 2018
Leo Waterman looks into the reason why a troubled teen goes to a city council meeting and kills one of the members of the council. It turns into an investigation of white supremacists. Not really the run of the mill alt right kind, but some do serious damage to the population terrorists.
Earlier in his writing career Ford wrote a number of Waterman novels and then just stopped. Several years later he returned to the series. The way this one ends, I had the feeling that he once again has ended the Waterman character. Too bad, too. Reading this series was really fun.
Earlier in his writing career Ford wrote a number of Waterman novels and then just stopped. Several years later he returned to the series. The way this one ends, I had the feeling that he once again has ended the Waterman character. Too bad, too. Reading this series was really fun.
December 27, 2018
Great action book.
I received this book for free. It was a giveaway with other authors. I really enjoyed this book. I sat up until 1am because I just had to finish it. If you like action in your books you will like this one. I hadn't read any of the Leo Waterman mysteries and now that I have I will need to find more. The main character, Leo Waterman, is a really great guy and I was completely involved with this story. The story is well written and keeps you on edge of your seat. I recommend this book highly. Enjoy.
I received this book for free. It was a giveaway with other authors. I really enjoyed this book. I sat up until 1am because I just had to finish it. If you like action in your books you will like this one. I hadn't read any of the Leo Waterman mysteries and now that I have I will need to find more. The main character, Leo Waterman, is a really great guy and I was completely involved with this story. The story is well written and keeps you on edge of your seat. I recommend this book highly. Enjoy.
July 30, 2018
I have read all of the G.M. Ford books and I have enjoyed his writing and the characters he has created. Soul Survivor was not for me. Why the writer has to fall in with all of the other violent, gun crazy type stories doing the rounds in the USA these last few years is beyond me! he has far greater talent than to join this dreadful mix. Huge mistake on his part, I for one will not recommend this book.
July 23, 2018
I love this series (and the Frank Corso series as well. But where did my “old” Leo go? This just didn’t seem like the same sort of Leo Waterman adventure as usual. Did someone else write this one? A lot of action and a quick and entertaining enough read but somehow just didn’t seem like the same old Leo.
February 1, 2021
This is the 11th Leo Waterman book by G.M. Ford that I have read and have really enjoyed the series. I have just two observations about this book that I would like to share:
1-I really missed the Eastlake Zoo crew.
Page 83: A meeting at Carl's house which includes George, Harold and Ralph.
Page 193: The Eastlake Zoo crew do yard work at Leo's house.
Page 195-197: Leo goes to the Eastlake Zoo and meets the whole gang and buys a couple rounds of drinks.
That's it for the Eastlake Zoo crew. Four pages. I really missed the EZC in this book. In the few pages that they did appear it just seemed that Ford included them just because he had too. They added nothing to the story and it was a shame.
2-This next one is a big one for me:
Pages 212-213: Ibrahim Durka appears at Leo's house along with Rebecca to collect the dead body. He even gives advise to Rebecca about how to identify the body.
But in the previous book, "Family Values", Ibrahim Durka was a big part of the story.
Page 90: "Mr Durka was involved in an accident."
"What kind of accident?" Rebecca asked.
"Hit-and-run," Nelson said.
"Is he okay?"
"No," Krauss said quickly. "Mr Durka was DOA at Harborview."
How was Ibrahim Durka declared dead on page 90 of "Family Values" and the resurfaces on pages 212-213 of "Soul Survivor" to collect a dead body and give advise to Rebecca? Either it's bad writing, bad editing or both.
Other than those two things I liked the book and hope there are more Leo Waterman adventures still to come and I hope Gabe makes a third appearance.
1-I really missed the Eastlake Zoo crew.
Page 83: A meeting at Carl's house which includes George, Harold and Ralph.
Page 193: The Eastlake Zoo crew do yard work at Leo's house.
Page 195-197: Leo goes to the Eastlake Zoo and meets the whole gang and buys a couple rounds of drinks.
That's it for the Eastlake Zoo crew. Four pages. I really missed the EZC in this book. In the few pages that they did appear it just seemed that Ford included them just because he had too. They added nothing to the story and it was a shame.
2-This next one is a big one for me:
Pages 212-213: Ibrahim Durka appears at Leo's house along with Rebecca to collect the dead body. He even gives advise to Rebecca about how to identify the body.
But in the previous book, "Family Values", Ibrahim Durka was a big part of the story.
Page 90: "Mr Durka was involved in an accident."
"What kind of accident?" Rebecca asked.
"Hit-and-run," Nelson said.
"Is he okay?"
"No," Krauss said quickly. "Mr Durka was DOA at Harborview."
How was Ibrahim Durka declared dead on page 90 of "Family Values" and the resurfaces on pages 212-213 of "Soul Survivor" to collect a dead body and give advise to Rebecca? Either it's bad writing, bad editing or both.
Other than those two things I liked the book and hope there are more Leo Waterman adventures still to come and I hope Gabe makes a third appearance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2020
For at least the previous four books, series hero Leo Waterman progressively has been turning into the personification of what D. H. Lawrence called the American soul: hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. This time, an impulsive downtown tail job leaves Leo more badly stove-up than he’s ever been throughout 10 previous Seattle-area adventures. After his body mends (minus 70+ lbs of brawn), and despite his declaration that “closure was for windows” (p11), Leo goes looking for vengeance on his attackers. With SOUL SURVIVOR, laziness (or complacency) has overtaken G.M. Ford as a stylist. He rehashes way too much backstory on frequently-recurring characters. Lots and lots of things in the text “screamed like a panther” (p209), and fortitude of all kinds shrinks “like a dying star” (p101). The best sign of some originality of late is the addition as a continuing character of Leo’s backwatcher Gabriella/Gabe Funicello, a “genetically ambiguous gun monkey” (p56). Without Gabe to help boost the body count out in the boonies of SOUL SURVIVOR, Mister Liberryhead likely wouldn’t have Leo to dis in his next appearance in Ford's diminishing series.
June 20, 2021
I’ve been a fan of this series since the first book but what is going on with bringing a character back to life one book later that was clearly killed in Family values? It really destroys the integrity of the universe created.
Ibrahim is murdered then is suddenly back to life I at the end of this book. Which is it? That was a major plot point in Family values too. Is soul survivor supposed to be taking place at an earlier time than family values chronologically? But then why does Ibrahim say that Leo saved his family? Is a he a ghost? Is this a multiverse now? Just wacky
Other than this major gaff this is a great addition to this classic Pi series but seriously G.M., editors at Harper Collins how can you let an error that big happen?
Ibrahim is murdered then is suddenly back to life I at the end of this book. Which is it? That was a major plot point in Family values too. Is soul survivor supposed to be taking place at an earlier time than family values chronologically? But then why does Ibrahim say that Leo saved his family? Is a he a ghost? Is this a multiverse now? Just wacky
Other than this major gaff this is a great addition to this classic Pi series but seriously G.M., editors at Harper Collins how can you let an error that big happen?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2023
This was the second book in the series that I read. The previous book took place in Lewiston. Idaho. In this book he’s back on the Coast, a lot of people are saying Seattle, but he appears to be West of the city. Leo gets a visit from a guy that he knows. He hears about an execution at a City Council meeting, the shooter was a relative, he asks Leo to investigate. Leo doesn’t want to & the book would have ended. Fortunately for us some people invite Leo to the party. This book could have taken place in Idaho and be like reporting the news, but the author sticks to the Washington Coast.
I enjoyed the book a lot. Leo and Gabe have a tendency to get hurt, but still manage to limp their way through.
I enjoyed the book a lot. Leo and Gabe have a tendency to get hurt, but still manage to limp their way through.
August 17, 2019
A most welcome book, but it was harrowing to read. Nonetheless it was a great change to have a new sidekick, Gabe, as the coroner was not really able to think outside the box as she got older, and Leo's Zoo Gang were slipping off one by one into the great unknown. I think this writer has to top my list of great digital writers. I'm a proofreader by profession. Such a pleasure to read without being smacked with sloppy editing!
I love the surprising open-minded quality of the novel. I've read these Waterman books secretly filing them under 'sinful action pleasures.' This book must have been a challenge to write, and I feel the author just moved up a few notches in his depth and skills.
I love the surprising open-minded quality of the novel. I've read these Waterman books secretly filing them under 'sinful action pleasures.' This book must have been a challenge to write, and I feel the author just moved up a few notches in his depth and skills.
June 15, 2018
What can I say? It’s Leo Waterman and Gabe all the way this time, with Carl and the “reggae twins,” but very little if the Zoo crew. Leo is asked by an old associate of his father’s to look into why the man’s grandson would have snapped and assassinated a politician Leo turns him down, but when the old man kills himself, he has second thoughts and starts turning over rocks. He is very quickly in over his head.
Another exceptional novel by G. M. Ford. I was thrilled to get it from NetGalley, and devoured it in a day.
Another exceptional novel by G. M. Ford. I was thrilled to get it from NetGalley, and devoured it in a day.
July 21, 2018
It has been six years since the last Leo Waterman outing. A lot has changed. Leo is older, richer, retired from the P.I. business, and the series has gotten darker. Much darker. And old friend of Leo's dead asks him to look into why his grandson, a gentle boy on the autism spectrum, should suddenly assassinate a Latino councilman. Leo declines. The old man kills himself. And then the story gets really dark. This is likely to be the last in the series, but I hope not as it is also the very best one yet.
February 11, 2019
Maybe the last of the long running Seattle series after Leo stumbles into a huge neo Nazi terrorist plot. Not bad - the problem is that Leo doesn’t really have a plan - in fact what he does is remarkably foolish - so the second half is basically a gunfight. Aside from general hatefulness, it’s not clear why he gets so savagely beaten in the first place triggering the plot. Or why the Feds aren’t paying any attention to a planning convention of domestic terrorists. But well done to the night clerk who backs down the police.
April 2, 2019
I’ve read the Leo Waterman series in order and I think I’m relieved that the next book isn’t out yet! I need a breather. I have enjoyed the series, but the last few books have just been loaded with violence that at times feels gratuitous. It’s getting harder to believe that Leo can survive the onslaughts that come his way.
Perhaps Leo has the proverbial nine lives. Rebecca’s assistant, Ibreiham, who was murdered in the last book makes an appearance at the end of this book—alive and well, so there’s hope for Leo.
Perhaps Leo has the proverbial nine lives. Rebecca’s assistant, Ibreiham, who was murdered in the last book makes an appearance at the end of this book—alive and well, so there’s hope for Leo.
April 16, 2025
Great New Series for Me
Got the first in the series as a free book. Enjoyed the Leo Waterman character so went o to Soul Survivor. I don’t give out 5s so view my 4 as a 5. Well written, engaging plot. Fun supporting character—Gabriella the “muscle” from Joey Ortega, Tim Eagan the police contact, Ruth his ex-girlfriend and many more. If you enjoy unique leading character, this is likely a series for you. I’m looking forward to #3. Ten or so in the series so some fun reading coming up.
Got the first in the series as a free book. Enjoyed the Leo Waterman character so went o to Soul Survivor. I don’t give out 5s so view my 4 as a 5. Well written, engaging plot. Fun supporting character—Gabriella the “muscle” from Joey Ortega, Tim Eagan the police contact, Ruth his ex-girlfriend and many more. If you enjoy unique leading character, this is likely a series for you. I’m looking forward to #3. Ten or so in the series so some fun reading coming up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews