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Delia Chavez #1
River Run
An explosive debut mystery for readers of Christine Carbo and Paul Doiron featuring a newly minted deputy thrust into the cutthroat world of hunting.
This waterfowl season, the hunters become the hunted.
Newly promoted sheriff’s deputy Delia Chavez has worked hard to get where she is. Without any family to speak of, law enforcement is all she has. But just a few days into her new job, Delia finds the body of a hunter washed up on the bank of the Willamette River missing his trigger finger. Soon, more bodies are found—all hunters without their trigger fingers. Waterfowl season often means clashes between hunters and animal rights activists, but could someone be killing to make a statement? Petrified, but invigorated by the opportunity, Delia dives head first into the case. Soon, she catches a whiff of something foul and it’s not the dead bodies—man or bird.
What starts off looking like a simple case of a ruthless vigilante quickly devolves into something much more complex. Facing evasive killers who stop at nothing to conceal their crimes, Delia must bring the criminals to justice because everyone knows, if you’re not the predator, you’re prey.
This waterfowl season, the hunters become the hunted.
Newly promoted sheriff’s deputy Delia Chavez has worked hard to get where she is. Without any family to speak of, law enforcement is all she has. But just a few days into her new job, Delia finds the body of a hunter washed up on the bank of the Willamette River missing his trigger finger. Soon, more bodies are found—all hunters without their trigger fingers. Waterfowl season often means clashes between hunters and animal rights activists, but could someone be killing to make a statement? Petrified, but invigorated by the opportunity, Delia dives head first into the case. Soon, she catches a whiff of something foul and it’s not the dead bodies—man or bird.
What starts off looking like a simple case of a ruthless vigilante quickly devolves into something much more complex. Facing evasive killers who stop at nothing to conceal their crimes, Delia must bring the criminals to justice because everyone knows, if you’re not the predator, you’re prey.
327 pages, Hardcover
Published November 12, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 9, 2019
Thank you publisher and netgalley for this book to review.
I walked away from this book without any book guilt. This book started out really good and I was getting excited about finding another good book on netgalley to review. But that excitement started to fizzle after the 4th chapter. It was dragging out to much to get to the mystery crime that was described in the description. It just dragged and got bored and found myself skimming the book.
I walked away from this book without any book guilt. This book started out really good and I was getting excited about finding another good book on netgalley to review. But that excitement started to fizzle after the 4th chapter. It was dragging out to much to get to the mystery crime that was described in the description. It just dragged and got bored and found myself skimming the book.
October 3, 2019
River Run by J.S. James is a taut and action-packed thriller with a good number of twists. Despite the lukewarm reviews, I trudged on with this one and found that really liked it. The book has a good number of thrills and chills and I found certain parts of the book to be absolutely chilly. Det. Delia Chavez is one badass cop to watch out for! I found myself easily hooked to the book!
When bodies of hunters with their trigger fingers missing begin to surface on the Williamette, the newly promoted detective Delia Chavez must find out who's killing these men and why. Despite the protests from the animal rights group, hunters continue to enjoy the game during waterfowl season while a silent killer takes them down, one-by-one. To make matters worse, the Sherrif asks Delia to hunt down a wanted fugitive known to be hiding around the same river. Sherrif Grice has had it in for Delia from day 1, finding fault with the minutest of things. As the body count of the hunters begins to grow, Delia must put a stop to the killings while also finding and bringing a wanted fugitive to justice. Are the two cases connected? Is the fugitive the one killing the hunters? And why is Sherrif Grice so secretive and receiving calls from a navy officer?
All characters of this book were explained well and the plot was exciting and thrilling to uncover. Detective Delia Chavez is the newly minted detective, looking to prove her worth unbeknownst to her in a department filled with corruption. Following her journey on a personal and professional level, I couldn't help but be drawn to this new heroine. Even the supporting characters, however, twisted or plain weird, were explained very well To be honest, I found the writing style and lingo to be a tad bit difficult to follow, also due to the fact that this book has a lot of content on hunting and boats, two things that I have absolutely no clue about. The dialogues laced with sarcasm were a delight to read. I really like it when characters emote with sarcastic thoughts and words. But all said and done, this book managed to keep my interest going and am glad I picked this one up. This book laid a good foundation for the next books to follow in the series. I can't wait to learn more about Delia & Jerzy. Maybe see Enrique too. I loved the ending in this one and am looking forward to the next in the Delia Chavez series. This was a great debut mystery by J. S. James!
Thank You, NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and J. S. James for an arc!
When bodies of hunters with their trigger fingers missing begin to surface on the Williamette, the newly promoted detective Delia Chavez must find out who's killing these men and why. Despite the protests from the animal rights group, hunters continue to enjoy the game during waterfowl season while a silent killer takes them down, one-by-one. To make matters worse, the Sherrif asks Delia to hunt down a wanted fugitive known to be hiding around the same river. Sherrif Grice has had it in for Delia from day 1, finding fault with the minutest of things. As the body count of the hunters begins to grow, Delia must put a stop to the killings while also finding and bringing a wanted fugitive to justice. Are the two cases connected? Is the fugitive the one killing the hunters? And why is Sherrif Grice so secretive and receiving calls from a navy officer?
All characters of this book were explained well and the plot was exciting and thrilling to uncover. Detective Delia Chavez is the newly minted detective, looking to prove her worth unbeknownst to her in a department filled with corruption. Following her journey on a personal and professional level, I couldn't help but be drawn to this new heroine. Even the supporting characters, however, twisted or plain weird, were explained very well To be honest, I found the writing style and lingo to be a tad bit difficult to follow, also due to the fact that this book has a lot of content on hunting and boats, two things that I have absolutely no clue about. The dialogues laced with sarcasm were a delight to read. I really like it when characters emote with sarcastic thoughts and words. But all said and done, this book managed to keep my interest going and am glad I picked this one up. This book laid a good foundation for the next books to follow in the series. I can't wait to learn more about Delia & Jerzy. Maybe see Enrique too. I loved the ending in this one and am looking forward to the next in the Delia Chavez series. This was a great debut mystery by J. S. James!
Thank You, NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and J. S. James for an arc!
January 22, 2020
3.25 to 3.5 stars
I enjoyed River Run but found some of the characters a little weak. Delia Chavez (the main character) really had a chip (or more like an entire woodpile) on her shoulder, but overall wore it fairly well. It was an engaging and fast paced read for me. While there were some "plot holes", overall the action of the story carried me beyond them and made up for them with some interesting characters. I'll be keeping my eye out for Delia's further adventures.
I enjoyed River Run but found some of the characters a little weak. Delia Chavez (the main character) really had a chip (or more like an entire woodpile) on her shoulder, but overall wore it fairly well. It was an engaging and fast paced read for me. While there were some "plot holes", overall the action of the story carried me beyond them and made up for them with some interesting characters. I'll be keeping my eye out for Delia's further adventures.
April 29, 2020
An intriguing start to a new mystery series. I was curious when I saw that this book was set along the Willamette Valley in Oregon, since I went to school in Corvallis. I guessed at a few things part way through, but there was still enough action to make me want to keep reading to find out what would happen. Just a warning that there is some explicit language ( I didn't feel like it was overdone) and I know that can turn off some readers.
December 2, 2019
Really good book!! Delia is going to be a truly interesting new character. Loved this.
July 30, 2019
A murder mystery set in the Pacific Northwest. A newly assigned detective. A corrupt sheriff. Duck hunting. Should be a good story, right? Not so in this case.
Too many characters, none of who are really "fleshed out", so you feel like you know them. Too many unrealistic details. Sheriff's department employees who use their own personal cars for patrol? Using said vehicles to drive 110 mph, blowing through city intersections? "Thumbing off the safety...she steadied the chunky revolver"? Sheriff's department employees, the corrupt and the honest, hired without background checks? Multiple murders, stretching across multiple jurisdictions, all kept "secret" under the control of one sheriff? No. Just no.
I finished this book, but was left feeling cheated and disappointed.
Too many characters, none of who are really "fleshed out", so you feel like you know them. Too many unrealistic details. Sheriff's department employees who use their own personal cars for patrol? Using said vehicles to drive 110 mph, blowing through city intersections? "Thumbing off the safety...she steadied the chunky revolver"? Sheriff's department employees, the corrupt and the honest, hired without background checks? Multiple murders, stretching across multiple jurisdictions, all kept "secret" under the control of one sheriff? No. Just no.
I finished this book, but was left feeling cheated and disappointed.
May 9, 2020
I like the characters and story, but I think it needed more editing. I also read a digital ARC so perhaps the is the cause of punctuation errors.
November 13, 2019
This was a book that I finished not because I was enjoying it, not because I was curious, but because it wasn't bad enough to warrant giving up on. This has a police procedural TV show feel about it: every little plausible plot point was forced onto the small cast of characters until it completely stopped being plausible. We have an awkward forced romance, we have woman with a sordid past, we have the crooked cops, we have the accidental millionaire, we have trigger-happy vigilante, we have the "functioning alcoholic", we have the only good cop in town... And that's only 3 people!
By the time I finally untangled all the tropes, the resolution was obvious and I just wanted to make it to the end. There's little to no description of what could have been a very present setting. One of the main female characters is literally a walking sex joke. It just... Wasn't worth all the time I spent on it.
It didn't make me angry (which is why it gets 2 stars instead of 1) and it wasn't particularly offensive, but you can definitely find a better police procedural with a Latina main character.
{Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review}
By the time I finally untangled all the tropes, the resolution was obvious and I just wanted to make it to the end. There's little to no description of what could have been a very present setting. One of the main female characters is literally a walking sex joke. It just... Wasn't worth all the time I spent on it.
It didn't make me angry (which is why it gets 2 stars instead of 1) and it wasn't particularly offensive, but you can definitely find a better police procedural with a Latina main character.
{Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review}
July 31, 2019
I couldn't finish this one. Too many details were unbelievable. The characters didn't make me feel invested. It took way to long to get to the case that starts the big mystery. I thought from the first chapter that it was going to be a great read. Unfortunately, after that it seemed to go into left field.
October 7, 2019
While River Run gets off to an interesting start with Deputy Sheriff Delia Chavez working to become Detective, the pace stalls with distracting subplots and a couple of unbelievable characters. In fact, the characters and situations offered so little appeal that the book was difficult to finish. The premise really hooks reader interest, but the execution does not deliver.
October 17, 2020
If I were to describe RIVER RUN as a river ride, I'd say that it is chock-full of the kind of scenery that swamps the senses, that it's full of attention-getting twists, turns and thrumming turbulence, and that I'm in the hands of an authoritative guide with a colorful, colloquial style. It's clear that J.S. James knows western Oregon's Willamette River, knows its twists and turns, its flora and fauna, its hunting-and-fishing culture, and the conflicts that churn in its eddies.
I'd also say that there are a lot of hazards in this river — a lot of chunky descriptions and florid prose that work on the reader like cold and wet clothing on a boat ride. (Examples: "She swallowed and sat back, her doubts crumbling like the dried mud pies of her dreams" and "Now the safety belt was a liability. She felt compacted, as if struggling inside a body-size Chinese finger cuff" and "Sixty yards. Her white knuckles looked like Dollar Tree pearls." Especially cringey are the blessedly few bodice-ripper moments: "As Matusik knelt in Jackie's cockpit and checked the connections, his khakis were stretched tighter than tree bark. Also impressive" and "The he rose slowly, his hair smelling of rain forest and red cedar.") Taken as a whole, it's a ride that bangs up against a lot of floating logs, leaving me with jarred and hurting cerebral joints,
I'd also say that I found the craft in which I was riding to be less than reliable the minute we left the dock — the story, ostensibly told in the close-third-person voice of Delia Chavez, the main character, swerves in and out of omniscience in the early pages, with Delia introducing herself as "sheriff's deputy Delia Chavez." Such craft wobbles left my wary for the remainder of my reading ride, and had a soggy-sponge effect on my enjoyment of the story.
And speaking of soggy, RIVER RUN's plot will leave you drenched and wringing out your socks for days, so dense it is with damp story. It wants to be a law-enforcement procedural, an outdoor mystery, a secrets-of-the-past suspenser, and a military thriller, and the story's small-scale frame, like a boat loaded down with too many people and equipment, shouldered by a handful of semi-rural characters, can't comfortably carry all that weight.
That said, Delia Chavez is a likable, engaging ride companion, and it seems unseemly to penalize a first-time author too much for sins of excess ambition and excess execution. RIVER RUN is no lazy-river ride. There's enough good stuff here that I'd be willing to take a second ride, if I see evidence that the tour operator sees the flaws in his business and gets them smoothed out (a suggested start would be eliminating similes from his tour patter). Despite the blahs of the first ride, the scenery was worth seeing.
I'd also say that there are a lot of hazards in this river — a lot of chunky descriptions and florid prose that work on the reader like cold and wet clothing on a boat ride. (Examples: "She swallowed and sat back, her doubts crumbling like the dried mud pies of her dreams" and "Now the safety belt was a liability. She felt compacted, as if struggling inside a body-size Chinese finger cuff" and "Sixty yards. Her white knuckles looked like Dollar Tree pearls." Especially cringey are the blessedly few bodice-ripper moments: "As Matusik knelt in Jackie's cockpit and checked the connections, his khakis were stretched tighter than tree bark. Also impressive" and "The he rose slowly, his hair smelling of rain forest and red cedar.") Taken as a whole, it's a ride that bangs up against a lot of floating logs, leaving me with jarred and hurting cerebral joints,
I'd also say that I found the craft in which I was riding to be less than reliable the minute we left the dock — the story, ostensibly told in the close-third-person voice of Delia Chavez, the main character, swerves in and out of omniscience in the early pages, with Delia introducing herself as "sheriff's deputy Delia Chavez." Such craft wobbles left my wary for the remainder of my reading ride, and had a soggy-sponge effect on my enjoyment of the story.
And speaking of soggy, RIVER RUN's plot will leave you drenched and wringing out your socks for days, so dense it is with damp story. It wants to be a law-enforcement procedural, an outdoor mystery, a secrets-of-the-past suspenser, and a military thriller, and the story's small-scale frame, like a boat loaded down with too many people and equipment, shouldered by a handful of semi-rural characters, can't comfortably carry all that weight.
That said, Delia Chavez is a likable, engaging ride companion, and it seems unseemly to penalize a first-time author too much for sins of excess ambition and excess execution. RIVER RUN is no lazy-river ride. There's enough good stuff here that I'd be willing to take a second ride, if I see evidence that the tour operator sees the flaws in his business and gets them smoothed out (a suggested start would be eliminating similes from his tour patter). Despite the blahs of the first ride, the scenery was worth seeing.
January 17, 2025
J.S. James’s debut novel, River Run, introduces readers to Delia Chavez, a compelling young cop navigating the complexities of a small-town police force in Oregon. This first book in the Delia Chavez series caught my attention after a recommendation from Paul Doiron, one of my favorite authors, and I’m glad I gave it a chance.
Set against the backdrop of Oregon’s Willamette River, River Run weaves a dark, suspenseful narrative. The initial chapters present seemingly disconnected events, which left me concerned about potential disjointedness, but as the story progressed, the pieces began to fall into place, revealing a cohesive and engaging plot.
Delia herself is a richly developed character, haunted by a traumatic childhood event where her two-year-old brother was kidnapped while under her care. This tragedy has left her with a deep-seated fear of rivers and flowing water, a poignant psychological struggle that adds depth to her character and tension to the narrative. Her boss, Gus Grice, stands in sharp contrast—he’s a character readers will love to hate, embodying all the worst traits of a leader.
One aspect that occasionally slowed my reading was the author’s use of specialized language related to guns, boating, and hunting. While this added authenticity to the story, it also required me to reread certain passages to grasp their meaning fully. However, this minor challenge didn’t detract significantly from my overall enjoyment of the book.
River Run is a promising start to the Delia Chavez series. James demonstrates a strong ability to craft a suspenseful and atmospheric mystery, and I look forward to seeing how the series and Delia’s character evolve in future installments. Fans of gritty, character-driven mysteries will likely find much to enjoy in this debut.
Set against the backdrop of Oregon’s Willamette River, River Run weaves a dark, suspenseful narrative. The initial chapters present seemingly disconnected events, which left me concerned about potential disjointedness, but as the story progressed, the pieces began to fall into place, revealing a cohesive and engaging plot.
Delia herself is a richly developed character, haunted by a traumatic childhood event where her two-year-old brother was kidnapped while under her care. This tragedy has left her with a deep-seated fear of rivers and flowing water, a poignant psychological struggle that adds depth to her character and tension to the narrative. Her boss, Gus Grice, stands in sharp contrast—he’s a character readers will love to hate, embodying all the worst traits of a leader.
One aspect that occasionally slowed my reading was the author’s use of specialized language related to guns, boating, and hunting. While this added authenticity to the story, it also required me to reread certain passages to grasp their meaning fully. However, this minor challenge didn’t detract significantly from my overall enjoyment of the book.
River Run is a promising start to the Delia Chavez series. James demonstrates a strong ability to craft a suspenseful and atmospheric mystery, and I look forward to seeing how the series and Delia’s character evolve in future installments. Fans of gritty, character-driven mysteries will likely find much to enjoy in this debut.
November 4, 2020
Oregon’s Willamette River is such a strong presence in this novel that it almost becomes the main character. Sheriff’s Deputy Delia Chavez is obsessed with fear of the river, which took her baby brother away from her when she was five years old. But murders are happening on the river, and she has to deal with it to solve them.
As a character, Delia is messed up and angry, but I liked her. The author does a good job of giving insights into both good and bad actors in the story. A good plot kept my attention through to the end.
As a character, Delia is messed up and angry, but I liked her. The author does a good job of giving insights into both good and bad actors in the story. A good plot kept my attention through to the end.
December 4, 2021
I received a free electronic copy of the ARC of this novel from Netgalley, J S James, and Crooked Lane Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. J S James writes a fast, incredibly detailed story with personable characters and an intricate mystery. You will be right there, in Williamette Valley, Oregon with the Polk County Sheriffs officers as they work through the ins and outs of this story. I thoroughly enjoyed Delia Chavez, and hope there are more books featuring her. She is a strong, intelligent, and dedicated woman, one who stands for law and order and is a good role model for women in the ranks of the policing forces of the USA.
Reviewed on November 28, 2021, at Goodreads, Netgalley, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, Kobo and GooglePlay
Reviewed on November 28, 2021, at Goodreads, Netgalley, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, Kobo and GooglePlay
November 6, 2023
I read several chapters before the story really began to grip my attention. The action and development of the characters took awhile but once they did, the story was an exciting read. This was the author's first book, set in NW United States, with duck hunters being killed in bizarre ways and a sheriff that was crooked tossed into the storyline. Killers, drug runners, crooked authorities, long lost relatives - it was like the author tried to toss everything possible into the story and sometimes it didn't work for me as the reader.
April 18, 2020
I recently read River Run: A Delia Chavez Mystery by J. S. James.
The book had a very strong narrative arc that kept me engaged. The characters were believable and the narrative portions were very good. The action scenes were the strongest part of the book, but the overall narrative arc is what most impressed me. Without that I tend to give up on books. The mystery part was strong enough to keep me guessing about the outcome. I look forward to reading the next story.
The book had a very strong narrative arc that kept me engaged. The characters were believable and the narrative portions were very good. The action scenes were the strongest part of the book, but the overall narrative arc is what most impressed me. Without that I tend to give up on books. The mystery part was strong enough to keep me guessing about the outcome. I look forward to reading the next story.
September 8, 2020
I enjoyed "River Run". Delia Chavez is a fine protagonist that I would be interested in reading more of. The depictions of the Willamette Valley were spot on. The story itself was good too. I did somehow find myself a bit confused or lost at a few points, though I was compelled to keep treading. There was enough to keep me going but also enough ambivilance that I rushed to the end a bit. I will be inclined to pick up another novel by James, especially with Delia Chavez.
June 29, 2020
This was a great book. A pager turner with lots of unexpected turns. It’s 245am I couldn’t put the book down on the second half. Noted a couple grammar errors, are there still editors? Also a line at the end about the global warm hoax was a big turn off, otherwise I would have given it five stars.
October 14, 2021
I wasn't fully committed until almost halfway through. At that point the mystery (vs character development) took over and was an enjoyable whodunnit. I always have a problem with male authors with female protagonists as they are almost always written poorly. I won't be back for #2.
September 2, 2022
Needed a better editor. Several parts repeat, characters are ill-defined, scenes lake clarity, and the plot is given away by about page 40.
Still, Mr. James has a way with words, and keeps you turning pages.
Still, Mr. James has a way with words, and keeps you turning pages.
May 24, 2024
Incredibly slow start but did get better towards the end!!
March 22, 2025
Solid murder mystery. I did enjoy the outdoor setting and twists along the way.
March 17, 2020
Loved this #1 of a new series set in Oregon- Delia Chavez is a kickass police detective- well worth reading-
October 22, 2019
Northwest flavor with the tang of wild game is on the menu for this book about a woman dealing with sexism in her workplace, a boss who wants to keep her at the back of the promotional line, and lands smack in the middle of a Macho-rural culture she knows little about since she's a Vegan and duck hunting isn't something she would choose as a personal hobby. Yet, the murders of several local men and her friend and coworker means she will have to involve herself with a group of people she'd rather not spend her free time with. You just know the lead character would rather eat a Banana Slug than let her suspects, her boss or her fear of water get the better of her. She has to make a choice about facing the cold, early morning discomfort of sitting in boats and bushes, peeing in the out-of-doors while searching one of the biggest rivers in Oregon for a murderer of duck hunters with a penchant for pinkies or letting her biggest foes send her back to the end of the line, back to policing the backroads of the Willamette Valley. You can feel that she won't anyone send her back to handing out speeding and texting tickets. I found "River Run" to be a downhome folksy pulp-fiction romp with blue collar characters straight out of Polk County backwoods culture. This rustic read leads its readers to the wet and clammy, uncomfortable places where the lead character must face her past and her present demons as well as the one's trying to lead her on a wild goose chase. Is she going to find the "Trigger Happy" killer, preserve her career in law enforcement and prevail over a self-serving Chauvinist, or will she miss another opportunity like she did when her brother disappeared. The Red Herrings abound in this river read and one can't help wanting to find out who done it? The question is, can a Vegan save a duck hunter? or two?
December 20, 2019
#1 in the Delia Chavez series. This 2019 series (and writing) debut by author J.S. James is auspicious, if flawed. Chavez is a deputy in the Polk County (OR) Sheriff's Department. She is Hispanic in a department ruled by a comically prejudiced and corrupt Sheriff. Her job seems to be similar to that of a game warden, though that may be a necessary consequence of the overwhelming presence of the Willamette River and the arrival of waterfowl season. She is in search of the serial killer of hunters and it takes a suspension of disbelief to believe her quarry is actually two distinct people. A takes a greater suspension to bring the reappearance of her brother, abducted as a three year old, some twenty five years earlier into the mix. Definitely on the plus side is the evocation of the Oregon atmosphere including her rented farm house and her dispatcher friend, Annie. I look forward to a sequel.
Newly promoted sheriff's deputy Delia Chavez has worked hard to get where she is. Without any family to speak of, law enforcement is all she has. But just a few days into her new job, Delia finds the body of a hunter washed up on the bank of the Willamette River missing his trigger finger. Soon, more bodies are found--all hunters without their trigger fingers. Waterfowl season often means clashes between hunters and animal rights activists, but could someone be killing to make a statement? Petrified, but invigorated by the opportunity, Delia dives head first into the case. Soon, she catches a whiff of something foul and it's not the dead bodies--man or bird. What starts off looking like a simple case of a ruthless vigilante quickly devolves into something much more complex. Facing evasive killers who stop at nothing to conceal their crimes, Delia must bring the criminals to justice because everyone knows, if you're not the predator, you're prey.
Newly promoted sheriff's deputy Delia Chavez has worked hard to get where she is. Without any family to speak of, law enforcement is all she has. But just a few days into her new job, Delia finds the body of a hunter washed up on the bank of the Willamette River missing his trigger finger. Soon, more bodies are found--all hunters without their trigger fingers. Waterfowl season often means clashes between hunters and animal rights activists, but could someone be killing to make a statement? Petrified, but invigorated by the opportunity, Delia dives head first into the case. Soon, she catches a whiff of something foul and it's not the dead bodies--man or bird. What starts off looking like a simple case of a ruthless vigilante quickly devolves into something much more complex. Facing evasive killers who stop at nothing to conceal their crimes, Delia must bring the criminals to justice because everyone knows, if you're not the predator, you're prey.
December 4, 2021
I received a free electronic copy of the ARC of this novel from Netgalley, J S James, and Crooked Lane Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. J S James writes a fast, incredibly detailed story with personable characters and an intricate mystery. You will be right there, in Williamette Valley, Oregon with the Polk County Sheriffs officers as they work through the ins and outs of this story. I thoroughly enjoyed Delia Chavez, and hope there are more books featuring her. She is a strong, intelligent, and dedicated woman, one who stands for law and order and is a good role model for women in the ranks of the policing forces of the USA.
pub date November 12, 2019
Crooked Lane Books
Reviewed on November 30, 2021, at Goodreads, Netgalley, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, Kobo, and GooglePlay.
pub date November 12, 2019
Crooked Lane Books
Reviewed on November 30, 2021, at Goodreads, Netgalley, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, Kobo, and GooglePlay.
November 8, 2019
3.5 stars - A sheriff desperate to be reelected, a department in disarray and Sheriff’s Deputy Delia Chavez trying to make a difference. Is it murder or suicide when an elderly couple are found dead on their porch? As department staffing is at an all-time low, Delia is hoping to be promoted to detective when the first body is found, a body missing the trigger finger. It is waterfowl season and soon more bodies are found the same way. Is someone killing them to protest hunting? Meanwhile, the department is on alert for an AWOL soldier who may be in the area. Who is this mystery soldier and why the urgency to locate him? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
November 7, 2019
Great book for first novel although I was not a total fan of the style. The story line was excellent but was in my view overdone with local content related to river life, using many strange colloquialisms and slang to describe events and places. This aside plot is very good and executed with a good amount of thrilling action. You may have to be a hunter appreciate this fully as in this part of Oregon it appears to be all that matters to some. The author also clearly shows the flaws in the local policing system system in the US with little or no oversight on their operations. All in all I think this is a great book for your first attempt, if only I had that talent.
November 8, 2019
An interesting start to a new series. Delia Chavez, a new detective, finds herself on the spot when she's assigned to the case of hunters being found dead with their trigger finger removed. Then the evil Sheriff Grice also assigns her to find a fugitive. Honestly, one or the other plot lines would have been enough. This packs a lot without giving much sense of Delia, who while she comes off as a tough officer, doesn't shine as much as she should. There's also a fair amount of unrealistic stuff. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans of the Pacific Northwest procedural might enjoy this for the local color.
December 12, 2019
I picked this book up at the library on the 'new mysteries' bookcase. It is a really good read, and I had trouble putting it down, which is a good thing. There is an interesting cast of characters with some having good chemistry and some bad characters you can really dislike. The story mostly takes place 'outdoors' so if you're a fan of Mother Nature, mysteries, boats, and flowing water, you will probably enjoy it too. I certainly hope there is 'A Delia Chavez Mystery #2."
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews