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Roland Ford #3
The Last Good Guy
In this electrifying new thriller from three-time Edgar Award winner and New York Times bestseller T. Jefferson Parker, Private Investigator Roland Ford hunts for a missing teenager and uncovers a dark conspiracy in his most personal case yet.
When hired by a beautiful and enigmatic woman to find her missing younger sister, private investigator Roland Ford immediately senses that the case is not what it seems. He is soon swept up in a web of lies and secrets as he searches for the teenager, and even his new client cannot be trusted. His investigation leads him to a secretive charter school, skinhead thugs, a cadre of American Nazis hidden in a desert compound, an arch-conservative celebrity evangelist--and, finally, to the girl herself. The Last Good Guy is Ford's most challenging case to date, one that will leave him questioning everything he thought he knew about decency, honesty, and the battle between good and evil...if it doesn't kill him first.
When hired by a beautiful and enigmatic woman to find her missing younger sister, private investigator Roland Ford immediately senses that the case is not what it seems. He is soon swept up in a web of lies and secrets as he searches for the teenager, and even his new client cannot be trusted. His investigation leads him to a secretive charter school, skinhead thugs, a cadre of American Nazis hidden in a desert compound, an arch-conservative celebrity evangelist--and, finally, to the girl herself. The Last Good Guy is Ford's most challenging case to date, one that will leave him questioning everything he thought he knew about decency, honesty, and the battle between good and evil...if it doesn't kill him first.
340 pages, Hardcover
First published August 13, 2019
401 people are currently reading
1486 people want to read
About the author
T. Jefferson Parker
100 books853 followersT. 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
August 22, 2019
The Last Good Guy can be described in the following way - a marine, a boxer, a ballroom dancer, a sheriffs’ deputy and most importantly, a PI.
Roland Ford is that man!
Penelope Rideout places a call to Roland in hopes of hiring him to track down her missing sister Daley. Roland thinks this could be some quick, easy money. Just another misguided runaway teenager. Should be able to wrap this up in no time. But soon he finds himself knee-deep in something much larger than a missing persons’ case. So who exactly can he trust? Penelope? The local preacher? Think again…everyone is telling lies! Everyone has something to hide.
This is book 3 of the Roland Ford series. But easily read as a stand-alone! I jumped into the series right here with no problem following along. I loved all the characters! From Roland himself to his group of lovable misfits who live on his property.
T Jefferson Parker gives us a gritty, crime drama that is fully engaging and definitely difficult to put down. The writing is crisp and clean, the story-line flowing along at a steady pace and never lagged.
I read one other book by T. Jefferson Parker many years ago and for some reason never picked up another. Well, that’s going to change starting right now! I am hooked on this series and cannot wait for the next release! So glad I found my way back to this author.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and T. Jefferson Parker for an ARC to read and review.
Roland Ford is that man!
Penelope Rideout places a call to Roland in hopes of hiring him to track down her missing sister Daley. Roland thinks this could be some quick, easy money. Just another misguided runaway teenager. Should be able to wrap this up in no time. But soon he finds himself knee-deep in something much larger than a missing persons’ case. So who exactly can he trust? Penelope? The local preacher? Think again…everyone is telling lies! Everyone has something to hide.
This is book 3 of the Roland Ford series. But easily read as a stand-alone! I jumped into the series right here with no problem following along. I loved all the characters! From Roland himself to his group of lovable misfits who live on his property.
T Jefferson Parker gives us a gritty, crime drama that is fully engaging and definitely difficult to put down. The writing is crisp and clean, the story-line flowing along at a steady pace and never lagged.
I read one other book by T. Jefferson Parker many years ago and for some reason never picked up another. Well, that’s going to change starting right now! I am hooked on this series and cannot wait for the next release! So glad I found my way back to this author.
Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam and T. Jefferson Parker for an ARC to read and review.
August 5, 2019
A brief history of time and Roland Ford, private eye; he is a former a former Marine, an ex-boxer, and ex sheriff’s deputy. Ford would tell you the most salient fact about himself is that he was widowed after one year of marriage to Justine, when the fuel line of Justine’s Cessna malfunctioned. Justine came from old California money and her parents insisted he keep the large property given to them when they married. The property, located near Encinitas, CA contains six casitas that Roland rents out to people, including his grandparents. His grandparents can’t live together but can’t stand to live too far apart. He rents to a varied group of people who became like family and are known as his irregulars.
In The Last Good Guy Ford is hired by a young woman, Penelope Rideout, who insists her fourteen year old sister, Daley, has been kidnapped. Witness statements and subsequent actions suggest the kidnapping may not be quite as advertised, that some free will might have been involved.
I hope some day in the not to distant future the themes of this story are no longer quite so on-point. That the racism, skinheads, neo Nazi, rip -off Evangelicals and sexual grooming themes are all way in our collective rear view mirrors. I’m writing this the weekend of El Paso and Dayton, so as to my perspective, not bloody likely.
The private eye with the tragic background, his gang of helpers and the beyootiful, but shady dame is not my favorite category of crime story. I make an exception for the Roland Ford books because they are terrific, plus they are written by T. Jefferson Parker.; T. Jefferson Parker, writer extraordinaire and winner of three Edgar awards, a rare accomplishment.
Parker’s plot in The Last Good Guy is complex, starting out as a kidnapping but partially ending as something else. There are many twists to keep you involved and intrigued but nothing that rings false.
Parker’s character’s are nuanced and unconventional, especially his irregulars. Why does one of his newest residents look behind and above her all of the time? The truth of it made me cry.
This book easily reads as a standalone, but not only would I read the first two books, I would read Parker’s entire backlist. There is enough originality in the different series to keep from a reader from being bored.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
In The Last Good Guy Ford is hired by a young woman, Penelope Rideout, who insists her fourteen year old sister, Daley, has been kidnapped. Witness statements and subsequent actions suggest the kidnapping may not be quite as advertised, that some free will might have been involved.
I hope some day in the not to distant future the themes of this story are no longer quite so on-point. That the racism, skinheads, neo Nazi, rip -off Evangelicals and sexual grooming themes are all way in our collective rear view mirrors. I’m writing this the weekend of El Paso and Dayton, so as to my perspective, not bloody likely.
The private eye with the tragic background, his gang of helpers and the beyootiful, but shady dame is not my favorite category of crime story. I make an exception for the Roland Ford books because they are terrific, plus they are written by T. Jefferson Parker.; T. Jefferson Parker, writer extraordinaire and winner of three Edgar awards, a rare accomplishment.
Parker’s plot in The Last Good Guy is complex, starting out as a kidnapping but partially ending as something else. There are many twists to keep you involved and intrigued but nothing that rings false.
Parker’s character’s are nuanced and unconventional, especially his irregulars. Why does one of his newest residents look behind and above her all of the time? The truth of it made me cry.
This book easily reads as a standalone, but not only would I read the first two books, I would read Parker’s entire backlist. There is enough originality in the different series to keep from a reader from being bored.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
November 12, 2019
The third novel in T. Jefferson Parker's Roland Ford series finds the Southern California P.I. sitting in his office when--lo and behold!--an attractive woman walks in looking for help. The woman is Penelope Rideout, and her younger sister, Daley, is missing. Their parents died years earlier and Penelope, who is fourteen years older than Daley, became her sister's legal guardian. Daley, who is now nearing fourteen, has become something of a handful, as teenagers are wont to do. She has fallen in with what Penelope deems to be "bad company," and has now disappeared.
Roland agrees to try to find the girl, which should be a piece of cake for a reasonably competent P.I., but in a book like this, nothing is ever as it seems, and a simple case will quickly turn difficult, confusing and deadly.
Bad things are happening in the Southern California desert, involving white supremacists, a creepy but very popular televangelist, and secrets that go back for years. Somehow, Daley Rideout has gotten mixed up in their plots and schemes. Ford has no idea who he can trust--his own client included--and he's going to have to endure a lot of pain, physical and otherwise, if he's going to survive this mess and complete his assignment.
Roland Ford is an attractive and unique protagonist. Like several other protagonists of his age in books like this these days, he's a veteran of the wars in the Middle East, and has been seriously affected by his experiences there. He's still mourning the death of his wife who was killed in a plane crash and lives in a compound with several other interesting but wounded characters. But like the first P.I. in the first novel where such a character was sitting in his office when a beautiful, troubled woman walked in, Ford will stop at nothing to see that justice is finally served. A good read that should appeal to anyone who enjoys a good hard-boiled P.I. Novel.
Roland agrees to try to find the girl, which should be a piece of cake for a reasonably competent P.I., but in a book like this, nothing is ever as it seems, and a simple case will quickly turn difficult, confusing and deadly.
Bad things are happening in the Southern California desert, involving white supremacists, a creepy but very popular televangelist, and secrets that go back for years. Somehow, Daley Rideout has gotten mixed up in their plots and schemes. Ford has no idea who he can trust--his own client included--and he's going to have to endure a lot of pain, physical and otherwise, if he's going to survive this mess and complete his assignment.
Roland Ford is an attractive and unique protagonist. Like several other protagonists of his age in books like this these days, he's a veteran of the wars in the Middle East, and has been seriously affected by his experiences there. He's still mourning the death of his wife who was killed in a plane crash and lives in a compound with several other interesting but wounded characters. But like the first P.I. in the first novel where such a character was sitting in his office when a beautiful, troubled woman walked in, Ford will stop at nothing to see that justice is finally served. A good read that should appeal to anyone who enjoys a good hard-boiled P.I. Novel.
October 1, 2019
Try as hard as I might, there is minimal enthusiasm in this story. 4 of 10 stars
August 22, 2019
Slow moving and way too politically correct. The author should understand that Conservatives, Evangelical Christians and Republicans in general also buy and read his otherwise excellent crime fiction. We read fiction to escape political polarization, not be confronted with it. How incredibly depressing!
Want to read
July 8, 2019This book is an ARC (Advanced uncorrected proof edition). I purchased this book at a retail outlet. It was not given or sent to me for a review. I wanted to read this book. The publication date is August 13, 2019.
October 24, 2019
Read this compelling thriller in one day. Love PI Roland Ford, one of the most interesting characters around as a marine-turned-boxer-turned-ballroom dancer. And his local crew, the Irregulars are an absolute delight.
July 20, 2019
For the record, this is the third in a series featuring private investigator Roland Ford. I've not read the other two and so was a bit apprehensive at tackling this one, but I needn't have worried - nor should other readers. It stands alone just fine.
That bit of information out of the way, I found it to be just fine in just about every other way as well; interesting, likable characters, intriguing story (not exactly a thrill a minute, but enjoyable and easy to follow) and a satisfying ending. What that means to me is that I don't intend to miss any others in the series; what it means to other readers is that I think you'll enjoy it as well.
Kick-off here is a visit by Penelope Rideout, who wants to hire Roland to find her much younger sister Daley. Roland, you see, is a former G.I. and sheriff's deputy turned private eye practicing in Encinitis, California. Daley, Penelope explains, has run away - apparently with a much older boyfriend. When Roland checks up on the boyfriend, he sees two suspicious - and incongruous - events: First, the young girl leaves the building with two bruiser-type guys, apparently willingly; and second, the boyfriend's dead body inside his home. Is it possible, Roland wonders, that the girl is an accomplice to a murder?
Clues - and information from Penelope that she previously withheld - lead Roland and his cadre of friends to the charismatic pastor of a cash-rich evangelical megachurch and clandestine activities of a very privately held security firm. Roland isn't sure whether to believe Penelope or the pastor or, for that matter, whether Daley's life really is in danger, but he vows to find her come heck or high water. Finally, everything comes together with a bang (actually, several of them, both literal and figurative) and all's right with the world until the next adventure.
All in all, an entertaining read - and a new series to which I'm now looking forward. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.
That bit of information out of the way, I found it to be just fine in just about every other way as well; interesting, likable characters, intriguing story (not exactly a thrill a minute, but enjoyable and easy to follow) and a satisfying ending. What that means to me is that I don't intend to miss any others in the series; what it means to other readers is that I think you'll enjoy it as well.
Kick-off here is a visit by Penelope Rideout, who wants to hire Roland to find her much younger sister Daley. Roland, you see, is a former G.I. and sheriff's deputy turned private eye practicing in Encinitis, California. Daley, Penelope explains, has run away - apparently with a much older boyfriend. When Roland checks up on the boyfriend, he sees two suspicious - and incongruous - events: First, the young girl leaves the building with two bruiser-type guys, apparently willingly; and second, the boyfriend's dead body inside his home. Is it possible, Roland wonders, that the girl is an accomplice to a murder?
Clues - and information from Penelope that she previously withheld - lead Roland and his cadre of friends to the charismatic pastor of a cash-rich evangelical megachurch and clandestine activities of a very privately held security firm. Roland isn't sure whether to believe Penelope or the pastor or, for that matter, whether Daley's life really is in danger, but he vows to find her come heck or high water. Finally, everything comes together with a bang (actually, several of them, both literal and figurative) and all's right with the world until the next adventure.
All in all, an entertaining read - and a new series to which I'm now looking forward. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.
August 15, 2019
“The Last Good Guy” by T Jefferson Parker is the third book in the “Roland Ford” series. Parker gives new readers a brief background, and all the familiar characters eventually make their appearances. The book is a first person narrative by Ford who talks openly to readers. He has a comfortable, conversational style as if close friends were sitting in front of a casita at Rancho de los Robles, enjoying the evening air, sharing thoughts, and reminiscing.
The story opens with homage to every great noir book.
Thus, into Ford’s life walks Penelope Rideout; she needs help; she needs his help. Her sister has disappeared under questionable circumstances. Ford reassures her.
Construction and grammar contribute to the atmosphere as Ford talks to himself and talks to readers sharing random thoughts, conclusions, questions that need to be answered, and ones that will never have answers. The investigation is documented with thorough descriptions and meticulous details as if in a report that readers are perusing after the end of the case. Readers get every observation, every clue, and every detail of Ford’s unconventional investigation strategies such as window washing, and under cover wasps.
The search becomes increasingly more complicated, and the lines between truth and lies become ever more blurred. “You’re beginning to exhaust me, Mrs. Rideout.” A river of unsettling facts run rampant, but the investigative process is careful and detailed because Ford constantly reminds himself of his mission, keeps himself focused, and stays on track; “Roland Ford digs to the bottom of things.”
Parker effectively uses geography and culture to create a sense of place for readers.
Parker gives readers an understanding look into Ford’s existence.
I was given a review copy of “The Last Good Guy” from T Jefferson Parker, Penguin Publishing Group, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publishing. I loved every page, and I cannot wait for the next book, “The Roland Ford Academy of Dance.”
The story opens with homage to every great noir book.
“There’s this scene in the old detective movies where the investigator sits in his office, waiting for someone to come in and hire him. He’s a capable‑looking man. His face has character. His office is functionally furnished and poorly lit. Light and shadow. The top half of the office door is smoked glass and you can read his name in reverse.”
Thus, into Ford’s life walks Penelope Rideout; she needs help; she needs his help. Her sister has disappeared under questionable circumstances. Ford reassures her.
“In my seven years as a PI I’ve never failed to find the person I was hired to find. Not that it’s easy locating someone who doesn’t want to be found. But it’s my specialty.”
Construction and grammar contribute to the atmosphere as Ford talks to himself and talks to readers sharing random thoughts, conclusions, questions that need to be answered, and ones that will never have answers. The investigation is documented with thorough descriptions and meticulous details as if in a report that readers are perusing after the end of the case. Readers get every observation, every clue, and every detail of Ford’s unconventional investigation strategies such as window washing, and under cover wasps.
The search becomes increasingly more complicated, and the lines between truth and lies become ever more blurred. “You’re beginning to exhaust me, Mrs. Rideout.” A river of unsettling facts run rampant, but the investigative process is careful and detailed because Ford constantly reminds himself of his mission, keeps himself focused, and stays on track; “Roland Ford digs to the bottom of things.”
Parker effectively uses geography and culture to create a sense of place for readers.
“Fallbrook is a small, fragrant, old‑fashioned town, a mom‑and‑pop place. We have characters. We have a peaceful side and a rough side. We are awash in classic cars, gleaming old vehicles sailing yachtlike down our country roads. We bill our town as the avocado capital of the world…More woodies than Teslas, more wheelchairs than Segways. It’s got street cred.”
Parker gives readers an understanding look into Ford’s existence.
“And I felt my own aloneness, too -- just a man in a small house beside a great sea, drawn by the simple need to earn a living.”
I was given a review copy of “The Last Good Guy” from T Jefferson Parker, Penguin Publishing Group, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons Publishing. I loved every page, and I cannot wait for the next book, “The Roland Ford Academy of Dance.”
February 23, 2019
Roland Ford returns. The case seemed simple. A teenage girl runaway, a distraught sister looking for her. So far so good. But is the relationship between the “sisters” as advertised? Did the young girl run away, or is she being held against her will? The “simple” case quickly evolves into a life-or-death pursuit that leads Ford into the secretive world of a charter school, an even more secretive Neo-Nazi enclave, and a celebrity evangelist. Oh, and a shady, militaristic security firm and a nuclear power plant. This is Roland Ford at his best. And T. Jefferson Parker at his best. The story is compelling, the plot twists numerous, and the writing impeccable.
DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series
DP Lyle, award-winning author of the Jake Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series
August 14, 2019
Kudos to the author for choosing current issues to center the big crime around, namely racism and calculated hate crimes in the name of white supremacy. Tacking on the additional problem of young people being preyed upon by church leadership results in a story laden with contemporary concerns.
This is an easy read language-wise, the crimes/violent acts are not graphic, and it is a decent page turner. But there is very little tension...
There are untold opportunities for increased sexual tension between the P.I. and his client, the teen's character may have been better crafted if she had at least seemed scared at any point in her long abduction, way too many mentions of a van just driving up or taking off without any action really happening, and it never felt particularly scary or dangerous. Little to no emotion either.
So while a good diversionary read, it did not stand out as an exceptional tale. As an aside, it would appear that the author is not a fan of Trump, but am not convinced that should be so strongly implied in a novel. My two cents...
This is an easy read language-wise, the crimes/violent acts are not graphic, and it is a decent page turner. But there is very little tension...
There are untold opportunities for increased sexual tension between the P.I. and his client, the teen's character may have been better crafted if she had at least seemed scared at any point in her long abduction, way too many mentions of a van just driving up or taking off without any action really happening, and it never felt particularly scary or dangerous. Little to no emotion either.
So while a good diversionary read, it did not stand out as an exceptional tale. As an aside, it would appear that the author is not a fan of Trump, but am not convinced that should be so strongly implied in a novel. My two cents...
August 20, 2019
Five seconds after finishing a Roland Ford novel I am ready for another. A nerve-wracking thriller with moments of high tension and peace, revelations and bone-chilling realizations. May there be many more good guys to join Roland Ford who definitely deserves the title.
August 25, 2019
T. Jefferson Parker writes some neat mystery novels. In this outing, (My first adventure with his hard-boiled Private Investigator) Roland Ford meets (in true genre form) a damsel in distress who come to him to find her sister. True to genre form, she isn't telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but instead a carefully edited version. Throughout the novel Ford seeks to discover how much he can actually trust his client. Soon, of course, he is immersed in a web of intrigue that puts him between his client and a charismatic pastor of great influence (and wealth).
Ford and his entourage are an interesting group of characters. Ford's investigative techniques are a mesh of networking, high-tech spy tools, and old fashioned footwork. Ford, as a former police officer, has an intriguing back story explaining his current career.
However, Parker returns to themes seen in other novels set in Southern California. The possibly crooked minister-- white Supremacists-- He avoids the familiar trappings of dirty politicians this time around.
The novel's pacing is rapid, but if feels like a number of previous novels by this author. The major conflict is whether or not the client has disclosed all pertinent details. As she tells a different story later there our hero has a terrible inner battle as he attempts to wade through her tale in an effort to discern her level of honesty. This turmoil creates most of the tension in the novel.
A good story, but very mediocre compared to previous offerings.
Ford and his entourage are an interesting group of characters. Ford's investigative techniques are a mesh of networking, high-tech spy tools, and old fashioned footwork. Ford, as a former police officer, has an intriguing back story explaining his current career.
However, Parker returns to themes seen in other novels set in Southern California. The possibly crooked minister-- white Supremacists-- He avoids the familiar trappings of dirty politicians this time around.
The novel's pacing is rapid, but if feels like a number of previous novels by this author. The major conflict is whether or not the client has disclosed all pertinent details. As she tells a different story later there our hero has a terrible inner battle as he attempts to wade through her tale in an effort to discern her level of honesty. This turmoil creates most of the tension in the novel.
A good story, but very mediocre compared to previous offerings.
August 25, 2019
(3 1/2). This is my first encounter with Roland Ford and it was quite enjoyable. A solid protagonist, this story has more subplots and agendas than I have socks (and I have lots of socks). A good P.I. story is always fun, and this fills the bill. A nice set of supporting characters, even a supporting living complex. The bad guys are hard to figure, even until the final twist. A simple starting point, and then the game is on. Marilyn Stasio at the Times said this was a good one and she was right. Good stuff.
August 23, 2019
The Last Good Guy was an entertaining representative of its genre. The protagonist, Roland Ford, is an ex military tough-guy private eye, a disillusioned, disenchanted ex police officer with a lot of emotional baggage. I’ve read other books with similar protagonists, Robert Crais’s Joe Pike comes to mind. Roland is less taciturn than Joe, but similar in loyalties and the frequency in which he finds himself involved in violent situations. I like that Roland enjoys and is skilled at ballroom dance, more quirky and imaginative than most heroes of these kinds of novels. He’s a former, and not very successful boxer, and he’s very self-deprecating, in a humorous way, about his fighting career (or lack of), and his prowess in the bedroom as well. All-in-all, a pretty engaging main character. His supporting cast is equally interesting and engaging. He owns a casita in Southern California with a bunch of tenants called the “irregulars”. They’re loyal to him and just as interesting and eccentric.
The plot is politically relevant and inventive. I can't go into too much detail without spoiling some of the best plot twists.
Like the Maltese Falcon, the novel begins with a beautiful, not very trustworthy, woman walking into Roland Ford's office and asking for help. Penelope Rideout has custody of her fourteen-year-old sister, Daley, and the teenager has disappeared. Did she go willingly? Or has she been kidnapped? Or is it a little of each?
Roland runs across some very powerful, evil, well-armed, and dangerous people in his quest to find the answers to these questions. He needs to ensure Daley’s safety, but first he has to find her.
This was a great beach read. It’s the third novel in the Roland Ford series, and I have not read the first two. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. So, thanks, Goodreads, and thank you, T. Jefferson Parker.
The plot is politically relevant and inventive. I can't go into too much detail without spoiling some of the best plot twists.
Like the Maltese Falcon, the novel begins with a beautiful, not very trustworthy, woman walking into Roland Ford's office and asking for help. Penelope Rideout has custody of her fourteen-year-old sister, Daley, and the teenager has disappeared. Did she go willingly? Or has she been kidnapped? Or is it a little of each?
Roland runs across some very powerful, evil, well-armed, and dangerous people in his quest to find the answers to these questions. He needs to ensure Daley’s safety, but first he has to find her.
This was a great beach read. It’s the third novel in the Roland Ford series, and I have not read the first two. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. So, thanks, Goodreads, and thank you, T. Jefferson Parker.
November 4, 2019
I usually enjoy T. Jefferson Parker’s books. but this one was a disappointment. It took almost two weeks for me to get through it although I normally take a day and a half to read a book. Hoping his next book is better.
October 16, 2019
In Parker’s third installment of the Roland Ford series, Roland Ford attempts to become Harry Bosch.
September 23, 2019
Can you ever trust a proven liar? Even against the word of a man of God? That's the moral knot at the center of this excellent crime thriller. Author T. Jefferson Parker has created a very cool character in Roland Ford, a man who follows his instincts and a personal code of justice. (Imagine a west-coast Spenser.) This story has a lot going on: A missing girl. Murder. White supremacists. Terrorists. But Parker ties it all together neatly in a story that flows like syrup and rewards the reader with hours of pure entertainment. Highly recommended.
August 20, 2019
Private investigator Roland Ford takes on a case of a missing fourteen year old girl Daley. Daley's older sister Penelope Rideout suspects Daley has run away with her older boyfriend. Ford finds the boyfriend very quickly. Unfortunately, he's dead. Daley has apparently left of her own will with some other guys. That probably makes her situation even more dangerous.
I read #2 in this series and I like the concept. If you've never read a Roland Ford book, he has a lively background that includes being a Marine. boxer, sheriff's deputy, and he enjoys ballroom dancing. He rents out 6 casitas on his property and the group of eclectics back him up as needed. Ford might do better if he had a full-time partner in his PI business.
Check out the story to see how a charismatic pastor, a hate organization intending harm on Muslims, a militarized security firm, and a nuclear power plant all come together in the plot. I was never sure when Penelope was lying or not.
I read #2 in this series and I like the concept. If you've never read a Roland Ford book, he has a lively background that includes being a Marine. boxer, sheriff's deputy, and he enjoys ballroom dancing. He rents out 6 casitas on his property and the group of eclectics back him up as needed. Ford might do better if he had a full-time partner in his PI business.
Check out the story to see how a charismatic pastor, a hate organization intending harm on Muslims, a militarized security firm, and a nuclear power plant all come together in the plot. I was never sure when Penelope was lying or not.
August 9, 2019
Things are so often not what they seem. Except in the case of Roland Ford, who truly is a good guy with a tortured but admirable past and an ability to find people and fix things. Penelope hires him to find her younger sister Daley, who she claims has been kidnapped. This looks easy on the surface but not so much- Penelope has lied to him, Daley has her own thing going, and there are evil people out there. Parker takes on a number of topical issues such as an evangelical preacher with a bent for corruption and sex, neo-Nazis, and abuse of power. He also takes it on the chin when he's beaten by thugs who work for a security firm. Luckily, Ford has friends of his own who will back him up and, equally importantly, he's committed to seeing things through until he's sure Daley is safe. You might guess the lie Penelope has told but it only adds to the complications. This has great characters, a plot with enough red herrings to keep you guessing, and a good sense of style. It is the third in a series but fine as a standalone. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. Parker fans know this is going to be another nice one; those who are new to his writing will enjoy it just as much.
August 10, 2019
THE LAST GOOD GUY BY T JEFFERSON PARKER is a hard boiled PI/thriller/mystery. Parkers PI Roland Ford is hired by a beautiful woman to find her "sister" who has gone missing. Roland gets more than he bargained for with his current case. Not only does he get the stuffings beat out of him but uncovers Penelope's lies and a mystery that Roland finds is or could be very deadly for not only him but millions of Muslims.
Very entertaining and a very quick read. I got so engrossed in the plot I lost all track of time and missed my bedtime hour!
I really like the way the plot goes from ho hum another missing kid,to Oh MY Gosh,this cant really be happening in our country in a flash! Dont miss this one folks!
I received this book free from goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
Very entertaining and a very quick read. I got so engrossed in the plot I lost all track of time and missed my bedtime hour!
I really like the way the plot goes from ho hum another missing kid,to Oh MY Gosh,this cant really be happening in our country in a flash! Dont miss this one folks!
I received this book free from goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
September 26, 2019
Parker's Roland Ford books are strange.
September 13, 2019
Penelope Rideout hires Roland ford to find her missing younger sister. In the process, Rideout encounters SNR Security, a date orchard, a nondenominational church with a charismatic leader, a closed nuclear power plant, and a bunch of White Supremacists.
August 15, 2019
This one was aptly titled as Roland is a good guy and for much of this book you wonder if Roland got played by his client, heck even Roland realized this himself, yet he couldn't stop working the case. With a teen at risk Roland couldn't let things go. He also realized that there was more going on than just the missing teen as Roland looked into things.
By the end of the book I found myself shaking my head, was horrified at the "more" that was going on, stunned that people would go that far. I was glad that things got resolved with Roland's client, but it seems like Roland was affected quite a bit by the client, it will be interesting if she shows up later on.
By the end of the book I found myself shaking my head, was horrified at the "more" that was going on, stunned that people would go that far. I was glad that things got resolved with Roland's client, but it seems like Roland was affected quite a bit by the client, it will be interesting if she shows up later on.
August 27, 2019
Roland Ford really is a good guy, and I’ll almost certainly read more from this series, probably starting at the beginning. As the cover says, the action here definitely takes place in the contemporary landscape, a factor that often seems missing in Lee Child’s Reacher series. In many aspects this does read like a Reacher book, and I mean that as a compliment. But Roland Ford is firmly situated in Southern California and is has a large supporting cast of “irregulars”. There’s some cliched characters here, but that comes with the territory. All in all, this was sufficiently entertaining to justify reading more T. Jefferson Parker.
May 29, 2021
Effete, slow, cliched. One of the worst books I’ve read. No clue how anyone could like it.
November 28, 2019
A step down from the Charlie Hood series but still much to enjoy.
“The Last Good Guy” by T. Jefferson Parker is the third and probably the last of his Roland Ford series because of the way it ends. This review is really for all three books.
Roland Ford is a former heavyweight boxer whose one professional bout ended in a knockout defeat that left him with a scar that tingles whenever danger approaches. While a soldier, he fought in Iraq, specifically in Fallujah, and saw and experienced more horrific violence than he could have ever imagined, giving him a deep well of pessimism and regret. He was briefly married to his wife, Justine, the daughter of rich parents who bequeathed him and his wife the Rancho de Los Robles in Fallbrook, California as a wedding gift. Justine died in a tragic plane crash a year or so later in her plane, Hall Pass. Having caught the bug of freedom a private plane can provide, Roland purchased another and named it Hall Pass II, using it to fly to various locations in the investigations this series is concerned with.
Ford’s backstory includes his stint in the San Diego Sheriff’s Department where his partner shot and killed a homeless black man, mistaking his wallet for a gun. Roland held fire and his testimony ended his partner’s career, earning him the enmity of the one-time fellow police officers he encounters. This background information is included in each of the three books. While Parker’s writing is very good, I had problems with each of the stories.
In “The Last Good Guy”, Penelope Rideout hires Roland to find her sister, who was seen leaving the site of a murder in the company of members of a mysterious security firm. His investigation takes him to a date farm in the Imperial Valley where he receives a vicious beating at the hands of six heavily armed men who corral him riding ATVs. The rest of the story is about his investigation, Penelope’s changing back-story and the big tent Pastor who’s opened a megachurch near Oceanside.
A truly surprising revelation is made that kicks the story into another gear but when we learn that White Supremacists are the main bad guys, the story veered off the road for me.
We’re treated to a White Supremacist convention where all manner of conspiracy theories and books are for sale, some of them by famous writers (unnamed), and the repulsive beliefs of some of the congregants. This stretched credulity for me and served as a distraction for the rest of the novel. Parker’s writing is strong and the final confrontations are convincing and well written.
Personally, I don’t know any White Supremacists, nor would I have a clue where they might congregate. If I did, I’d avoid them like the plague. My impression of the few meetings of this sort I’m aware of that have been reported in the press, there were more members of the press attending than actual congregants.
The first in the series, “The Room of White Fire”, was concerned with a clandestine government-sponsored torture group that targeted terrorist enemies in Iraq.
The following novel, “Swift Vengeance”, was about a terrorist planning an attack on San Diegans as revenge for his father’s death in Syria at the hands of drone pilot operators in the United States. Much ringing of hands with the finger of guilt pointed at United States Military personnel.
Now I know there are people who will share this moral contempt and he paints his villains as completely contemptuous monsters for the most part. He adds aspects of the compromised characters in “Swift Vengeance” to show them as morally compromised but not evil. Not so the villains in “The Room of White Fire” or “The Last Good Guy”. Whatever shred of decency he might have hinted at matters little at the conclusions.
A positive note are the characters dubbed the Irregulars that stay at the Rancho de Los Robles, rescued by Roland and given a chance to heal. They’re all misfits and yet fit in. One, in particular, is Burt, a man of a mysterious past, a short man, who’s underestimated and always seems to show up at the right time to back Roland Ford up and save his life.
Parker acquitted himself well with his main character, Roland Ford. His back-story is compelling and his interactions with the various characters he comes across are convincing. I read and loved his Charlie Hood series, which is wholly more compelling than this series. He included supernatural elements in that series that were rolled out in a beguiling fashion. The Roland Ford novels contain only a hint of that through the misty character of his dead wife, Justine. The Charlie Hood series was about the gun trade and Mexican cartels and the dangerous characters on both sides of the border. Contemporary and compelling. Roland Ford does misunderstood terrorists, bad Americans and White Supremacists. Some people think White Supremacists are the greatest threat facing society today. I find them marginalized and ridiculous and in far smaller numbers than fear-mongers claim. I’m disappointed that Parker would resort to this sort of villain but much of mainstream entertainment is still obsessed with Hitler’s Germany, the last defeated enemy everyone can agree on. Funny how so many are focused on the past where 20-20 vision is clear, yet see no threats in our current world other than imaginary ones, avoiding obvious threats like ISIS and their ilk, Cartels and Antifa, and, of course the various madmen who hatch their deranged schemes on an unsuspecting populous across the spectrum of beliefs. White Supremacists may fit in with what’s being taught at the University but they too see it as a systematic rather than an immediate, corporeal threat.
As for “The Last Good Guy’s” villains, Parker failed to provide a compelling back-story for the various racist bad guys other than one of them being caught up in a Boko Haram massacre while he was serving as a Christian missionary in Africa. This unexplained transformation shows undeserved hostility toward Christianity by having him become a racist hater.
Stylistically, Parker avoids the use of the final ‘and’ in the last of a compound sentence, a choice that does not bother me. His frequent use of sentence fragments also doesn’t bother me. There’s a dreamy quality to his prose that I admire. All three novels are told in the first person, a choice I’ve loved since I discovered Raymond Chandler.
3.5 Stars.
“The Last Good Guy” by T. Jefferson Parker is the third and probably the last of his Roland Ford series because of the way it ends. This review is really for all three books.
Roland Ford is a former heavyweight boxer whose one professional bout ended in a knockout defeat that left him with a scar that tingles whenever danger approaches. While a soldier, he fought in Iraq, specifically in Fallujah, and saw and experienced more horrific violence than he could have ever imagined, giving him a deep well of pessimism and regret. He was briefly married to his wife, Justine, the daughter of rich parents who bequeathed him and his wife the Rancho de Los Robles in Fallbrook, California as a wedding gift. Justine died in a tragic plane crash a year or so later in her plane, Hall Pass. Having caught the bug of freedom a private plane can provide, Roland purchased another and named it Hall Pass II, using it to fly to various locations in the investigations this series is concerned with.
Ford’s backstory includes his stint in the San Diego Sheriff’s Department where his partner shot and killed a homeless black man, mistaking his wallet for a gun. Roland held fire and his testimony ended his partner’s career, earning him the enmity of the one-time fellow police officers he encounters. This background information is included in each of the three books. While Parker’s writing is very good, I had problems with each of the stories.
In “The Last Good Guy”, Penelope Rideout hires Roland to find her sister, who was seen leaving the site of a murder in the company of members of a mysterious security firm. His investigation takes him to a date farm in the Imperial Valley where he receives a vicious beating at the hands of six heavily armed men who corral him riding ATVs. The rest of the story is about his investigation, Penelope’s changing back-story and the big tent Pastor who’s opened a megachurch near Oceanside.
A truly surprising revelation is made that kicks the story into another gear but when we learn that White Supremacists are the main bad guys, the story veered off the road for me.
We’re treated to a White Supremacist convention where all manner of conspiracy theories and books are for sale, some of them by famous writers (unnamed), and the repulsive beliefs of some of the congregants. This stretched credulity for me and served as a distraction for the rest of the novel. Parker’s writing is strong and the final confrontations are convincing and well written.
Personally, I don’t know any White Supremacists, nor would I have a clue where they might congregate. If I did, I’d avoid them like the plague. My impression of the few meetings of this sort I’m aware of that have been reported in the press, there were more members of the press attending than actual congregants.
The first in the series, “The Room of White Fire”, was concerned with a clandestine government-sponsored torture group that targeted terrorist enemies in Iraq.
The following novel, “Swift Vengeance”, was about a terrorist planning an attack on San Diegans as revenge for his father’s death in Syria at the hands of drone pilot operators in the United States. Much ringing of hands with the finger of guilt pointed at United States Military personnel.
Now I know there are people who will share this moral contempt and he paints his villains as completely contemptuous monsters for the most part. He adds aspects of the compromised characters in “Swift Vengeance” to show them as morally compromised but not evil. Not so the villains in “The Room of White Fire” or “The Last Good Guy”. Whatever shred of decency he might have hinted at matters little at the conclusions.
A positive note are the characters dubbed the Irregulars that stay at the Rancho de Los Robles, rescued by Roland and given a chance to heal. They’re all misfits and yet fit in. One, in particular, is Burt, a man of a mysterious past, a short man, who’s underestimated and always seems to show up at the right time to back Roland Ford up and save his life.
Parker acquitted himself well with his main character, Roland Ford. His back-story is compelling and his interactions with the various characters he comes across are convincing. I read and loved his Charlie Hood series, which is wholly more compelling than this series. He included supernatural elements in that series that were rolled out in a beguiling fashion. The Roland Ford novels contain only a hint of that through the misty character of his dead wife, Justine. The Charlie Hood series was about the gun trade and Mexican cartels and the dangerous characters on both sides of the border. Contemporary and compelling. Roland Ford does misunderstood terrorists, bad Americans and White Supremacists. Some people think White Supremacists are the greatest threat facing society today. I find them marginalized and ridiculous and in far smaller numbers than fear-mongers claim. I’m disappointed that Parker would resort to this sort of villain but much of mainstream entertainment is still obsessed with Hitler’s Germany, the last defeated enemy everyone can agree on. Funny how so many are focused on the past where 20-20 vision is clear, yet see no threats in our current world other than imaginary ones, avoiding obvious threats like ISIS and their ilk, Cartels and Antifa, and, of course the various madmen who hatch their deranged schemes on an unsuspecting populous across the spectrum of beliefs. White Supremacists may fit in with what’s being taught at the University but they too see it as a systematic rather than an immediate, corporeal threat.
As for “The Last Good Guy’s” villains, Parker failed to provide a compelling back-story for the various racist bad guys other than one of them being caught up in a Boko Haram massacre while he was serving as a Christian missionary in Africa. This unexplained transformation shows undeserved hostility toward Christianity by having him become a racist hater.
Stylistically, Parker avoids the use of the final ‘and’ in the last of a compound sentence, a choice that does not bother me. His frequent use of sentence fragments also doesn’t bother me. There’s a dreamy quality to his prose that I admire. All three novels are told in the first person, a choice I’ve loved since I discovered Raymond Chandler.
3.5 Stars.
August 9, 2019
For an avid reader of a wide-ranging assortment of books, a good whodunit serves a role similar to an appetizer compared to an entrée reading of literary fiction or nonfiction, but who doesn’t love a good treat now and then?
I read The Last Good Guy, written by T. Jefferson Parker that goes on sale August 13, in an advance reading copy furnished by Net Galley. Private Investigator Roland Ford gets a missing teenager case from a beautiful but puzzling woman. He soon realizes that she may not be trustworthy herself as the husband she mentions turns out to be fictitious. The teenager, Daley, supposedly her much younger sister left in her custody after the death of their parents, is gone, but other questions arise. Was Daley really kidnapped or did she go willingly as she tries to loosen the strict restraints laid down by an over-protective sister? What is their real connection with the ultra-conservative celebrity evangelist who tells a different story? What is going on at the secretive charter school, and what are the American Nazis, hidden away in their compound, really up to? Then there’s the question of what the SNR group label stands for, with one supposition being Say Nothing Real.
Previous cases come up in the narrative with enough explanatory information for those like me who had not read the earlier books in the series. The recaps are woven into the text well enough that I think they would be not be annoying to those who had. The book will not enrich your understanding or bring great enlightenment, but like relishing the chips and salsa before a Tex-Mex meal, relax and enjoy this fine tale.
I read The Last Good Guy, written by T. Jefferson Parker that goes on sale August 13, in an advance reading copy furnished by Net Galley. Private Investigator Roland Ford gets a missing teenager case from a beautiful but puzzling woman. He soon realizes that she may not be trustworthy herself as the husband she mentions turns out to be fictitious. The teenager, Daley, supposedly her much younger sister left in her custody after the death of their parents, is gone, but other questions arise. Was Daley really kidnapped or did she go willingly as she tries to loosen the strict restraints laid down by an over-protective sister? What is their real connection with the ultra-conservative celebrity evangelist who tells a different story? What is going on at the secretive charter school, and what are the American Nazis, hidden away in their compound, really up to? Then there’s the question of what the SNR group label stands for, with one supposition being Say Nothing Real.
Previous cases come up in the narrative with enough explanatory information for those like me who had not read the earlier books in the series. The recaps are woven into the text well enough that I think they would be not be annoying to those who had. The book will not enrich your understanding or bring great enlightenment, but like relishing the chips and salsa before a Tex-Mex meal, relax and enjoy this fine tale.
October 22, 2019
A missing 14 year old or a Nxivm sex cult?
Page one Penelope walks into the office of P.I. Roland Ford and hires him to search for her younger sister Daley.
By page twelve Roland finds a friend of Daley's dead in his apartment. And off we go.
This was a fast moving effortless read. Started off as a missing person story that quickly turned into a religious cult with a splash of white supremacy. Hmmm ok.
Harry Bosche lite. I found Penelope to be a bit of a creepy predator and the other characters just ok.
Not bad. A book i would recommend if you're in an airport to keep you company.
Page one Penelope walks into the office of P.I. Roland Ford and hires him to search for her younger sister Daley.
By page twelve Roland finds a friend of Daley's dead in his apartment. And off we go.
This was a fast moving effortless read. Started off as a missing person story that quickly turned into a religious cult with a splash of white supremacy. Hmmm ok.
Harry Bosche lite. I found Penelope to be a bit of a creepy predator and the other characters just ok.
Not bad. A book i would recommend if you're in an airport to keep you company.
February 17, 2020
This was a good story. What started off as a kidnapping of a 14 year girl in San Diego grew into so much more. Is her sister actually her mother? Who is her father really? And what are the people that own the date farm actually doing with the nuclear waste plant located next door to their farm? Roland is hired to find the missing girl but he finds a lot more than he was looking for while still mourning the lost of his wife.
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