Superior Position

Sheriff Bill Tatum #1

by Evan McNamara

Former Army sniper Bill Tatum likes his new job. As Deputy Sheriff of Mineral County, Colorado, he gets to ride a horse and wear a cool hat, but he never expected to find a dead woman in the hills behind his cabin. Tatum never expected to find himself on the wrong side of the crosshairs, either. The woman with the bullet hole in her temple was a reporter from the Rocky Mountain News, and her journal brings to life the big-city intrigue simmering in his small mountain town, but it brings him no closer to her murderer. The dead woman's shorthand reveals secret affairs, political corruption, and a pending environmental disaster, but Tatum has little time to ponder motive, because the bullets are flying. No one is safe from the deadly accurate vengeance of a well-placed rifle bullet. As Tatum muddles through the deception and lies in his once-innocent alpine village, the sniper stays one step ahead of him, killing mercilessly, then disappearing into the Colorado wilderness, eliminating carefully chosen targets with impunity. Tatum cannot overcome the sniper's meticulous planning and penchant for public assassinations. When his suspects fill up the county morgue instead of the jail, Tatum realizes he must fall back on his training as an Army sniper to regain Superior Position and stop the terror from the ridge above.

Genres: Mystery

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2004

About the author

Evan started his writing career in 2005 with the publication of his first novel, Superior Position, and continued with the sequel, Fair Game. After writing four more novels and earning his MA in creative writing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Evan moved to New York City and took up screenwriting. Evan now lives in Los Angeles with his wife, their dog, The Dude, and four cats.

Evan is a 1993 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and served as an infantry officer in the 82nd Airborne Division and the 1st Infantry Division.

Reviews

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hoky book, with the people all named like Sheriff Dale, Deputy Bill, Dr. Ed. I think the book was very well detailed as far as what a sniper goes through to accomplish his task. The narrator left a little bit to be desired. I am not sure that I would read another one by this author unless it was by a different narrator. The narrator in this book was Barrett Whitener.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This outdoor action mystery novel takes place in the fictional town of Belmont, CO.( based on a real town ) in southern Colorado ( the state where I reside! ), Deputy Bill Tatum, former sniper in the Army, searches for a sniper in the mountains that surround the town.

[Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting story that takes place in Colorado but involves meth drugs and seemingly realistic descriptions of sniper tactics.
I really liked Barett Whitener as the narrator of the audio book!!!

[Mystery Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great suspense tale that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit too much technical sniper info for my taste, but some really interesting plot twists.

[Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting story that takes place in Colorado but involves meth drugs and seemingly realistic descriptions of sniper tactics. I really liked the narrator Barrett Whitener!!

[Max Rudenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, lacking more precise GR rating system I gave this book 3 stars but actually IMHO it deserves something closer to 4 like 3.75.

[Gary Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like C.J. Box, or other modern westerns, you will like this one. A deputy sheriff in Colorado who used to be a sniper. I recommend listening to the audio version from Audible.com.

[Lisa Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good murder mystery thriller. Nicely crafted and full of suspense.