The Lewis Pass

Dylan Harper #2

by Justin Warren

On his last case, Dylan Harper strayed too close to a secret government operation and needed to be silenced. For three years, planted evidence has kept him in prison. But he's just got out and he wants justice.

In The Lewis Pass Harper returns to the scene of the crime to face the cops who set him up, while in the shadows, political forces are on his tail, determined to shut him up once and for all.

A fantastic international thriller set on the beautiful West Coast of New Zealand. A great read in the time-honoured tradition of hard boiled crime fiction that will transport you back to the glory days of when Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett were at their moody best.

351 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 17, 2020

About the author

Justin Warren was born in Westport, New Zealand on the 21st of January 1976. He is the eldest of three sons. Growing up Justin spent much time working at his father's newspaper, eventually working his way up to become a journalist. After graduating from the University of Canterbury in 1998 he pursued a career in teaching. One of the inspirations for his return to writing came from reading the Michael Connelly novel "Blood Work". His first novel "The Forgotten Lands" was released on the 1st of August 2017, exactly one year to the day from laying down the first words.

Justin now lives in Christchurch New Zealand with his wife and two young sons. He is currently working on his next novel "The Lewis Pass" due for release in 2018.

Reviews

[Hastings75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoy these local crime novels and this second novel of Warren’s did not disappoint.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE LEWIS PASS is the second book in the Dylan Harper series - the first being THE FORGOTTEN LANDS (I believe aka DEAD GROUND but that needs confirmation - they sound like the same book but it could be a rewrite). Anyway, it's an interesting little series, although it's probably one that would be best read from the start especially given the premise of this one hangs 100% on the happenings in the earlier book.

As the blurb puts it:

"On his last case, Dylan Harper strayed too close to a secret government operation and needed to be silenced. For three years, planted evidence has kept him in prison. But he's just got out and he wants justice."

There's action aplenty in this traditionally styled thriller, set on the West Coast of New Zealand. It's styling is on the noir side as well, which absolutely never hurts for this reader at least, and there's plenty of intrigue - political, governmental and criminal to keep you turning the pages. The only downside is one of those endings that sort of reeks of "and in the next book", which may drive some readers bats, and might mean others are standing by in anticipation. All in all though, a series well worth keeping an eye on (from the very start if you can).

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...

[Bill Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

enjoyable read!

Interesting plot, good flow of the story. Good character development on the hole.
Would recommend this as a short, enjoyable mystery

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realise it was book 2 when I started it but there were enough references to the backstory of book 1 for this to not be a problem. I also liked that the references were not overdone, the way some authors seem compelled to give a blow by blow recap. This was a fast and enjoyable read.

[Susan Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lewis Pass

I really enjoyed the fact that it was set in my home country.
It was generally a good yarn with plenty of excitement.
After being set up and jailed, Dylan is recruited by a former Police colleague to find a meth lab in Westport. If he succeeds an investigation into his being set up will get his conviction quashed.
Unfortunately the ending didn’t satisfy me. There was something other than the meth lab hinted at in the story that Government officials were involved in. This was not resolved nor the outcome for the injured hostess or Hollis or even Dylan’s case. A couple of chapters tying everything up would have meant an extra star from me.

[Pete Ffrench · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well thought out and written with good characters and settings. Dylan is out for revenge or more to the point, justice for his framing and imprisonment. I liked this book and didn't realise I had the first in the series so I will read that and probably have to read this one again. He is a tough character and does have some bad luck but at the end his luck turns and saves him. I'm glad Hollis survived as well.

[Viragored · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent story, well paced and engaging. Well worth four stars.
But - the author needs an editor, proof-reader, or other help to get rid of all the spelling errors that litter the book. I've knocked off a star because of the number of times my reading flow was interrupted by a wrong word that passed a spell check, but not a nonsense check.

[Gene Metz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable police novel occurring in New Zealand. This book moved a little slower then book one of this series so I rated it a four star. The plor was decent and for the most part keeps the readers interest.

[Peter Beard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast easy read

A well plotted story with twists and turns through to the end. Some nice use of language but there were a few overdetailed action scenes that seemed to just string out the story.
Worth a read and enjoyable nonetheless.

[Barbara Birchall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid four stars. Flawed characters and a touch of humour. Lots of Action I felt I was there driving around New Zealand with Dylan. Now I have to do a bit more research into the meth land of Christchurch.

[patricia sendelbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this author. #3 is on my list to read.

[Dov · Rating 5 out of 5]

good read

Nice character development and good plot with twists but very good flow and pace. I’de like to read another of this series.

[Mo Allard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely don't pass on Lewis pass

Great read. Never guessed what was happening until I read it. Would recommend to mystery and suspense readers. Will read more by this author!

[Brand Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite Good!

I found this to be a great page turner. The story kept my interest throughout. I enjoy books by relatively unknown authors who have a great imagination!

[Marie Price]

High expectations?

I'm definitely hooked! Excellent plots and so much action it was hard to put it aside! Harper's life is quite intriguing as is his methodology. Excellent!

[Dawn Gehler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspenseful

Cop accused of dealing drugs finds out who set him up. Lots of twists and turns loved it. Thought it was a very good who done it read.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setup Twists

Enticed by the proverbial you can’t say no to deal, the reader follows a detective trying to clear his name.