Long Way Home

Matthew Riker #3

by J.T. Baier

When Matthew Riker returns to Iowa to attend the funeral of his high school wrestling coach, he finds a lot has changed since he last set foot in his hometown. His best friend may be involved in moving drugs, and his cousin is struggling to help at-risk teens. Worst of all, there may be more to his coach's death than the random carjacking the newspapers are reporting. As Riker gets closer to the truth, he decides that the best way to honor Coach's memory is to find out who killed him and bring them to justice. Before long, Riker discovers there is a lot more going on in this small town than he first assumed. To save the people he cares about most, he will have to lay it all on the line. Evil has arrived in Kingsport, Iowa, and it's calling in reinforcements. Kingsport's only chance for redemption is Matthew Riker.

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Action, Mystery

314 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 2, 2021

Reviews

[Sabrina S · Rating 4 out of 5]

J.T. Baier does a nice job. Easy Listening by Jay Snyder - he always does an excellent narration.

[Trish R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew Riker is right up there with Jack Winchester and Court Gentry and Jonathan Quinn. Another awesome killer with a heart of gold.

This time he went back to his home town for the funeral of his wrestling coach, from years ago. He took on 12 bad guys from the cartel then he and 5 others took on the 50 men the leader of the cartel sent to kill Riker. It was exciting from beginning to end.

No romance and the F-bomb was used 6 times.

As for the narration: There are about 5 male narrators that I absolutely love, and Jay Snyder is one of them. He's awesome.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even if I find Riker's ability to insert himself into impossibly troublesome situations is rather absurd, I find this series entertaining.

I must confess, I wouldn't stay with this series if it weren't for the narrator. The content isn't 100% my cup of tea, really, but I do find it to be very light and fast to just breeze through.

[Jonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I liked this book and found it an entertaining. The storyline was decent and it was a quick read. Sometimes I found the dialogue was a little too simple and almost syrupy in a few places, but it wasn't enough to distract from the main story.

This is the second book where the author has allowed completely untrained people (Riker's cousin and the town drunk) to help Riker during an operation. I find it hard to believe that someone with Riker's training is going to let unskilled, ill-prepared people work with him on dangerous operations. It jeopardizes the operation as well as the people. Hopefully in future books Riker will rely on more skilled support to accomplish his operation/mission.

All that said, I like the Matthew Riker series and look forward to more books. Based on the ending of this book, it definitely looks like there will be a fourth book.

[Tracy T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book was not nearly as good as book 2. It was okay, not great, not bad. (audible review)

I struggled a bit with the characters and the direction the story went a bit. I think the story line and plot could have been better.

I like Riker a lot. But.... this book and they things he said just made him seem overly cocky. I hope the author knocks that attitude down some. It was getting kind of annoying.

There is a lot of action and I did like Megan's character.

I do hope there is another in the series, I will read/listen to it. This just wasn't a favorite.

As for the narration, it was amazing!!!! I love Jay Snyder, he does a fantastic job on all the voices, gives everyone their own distinct voice and reads with emotion. Love him!

[Michaeljhylton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite installment so far in the adventures of Matthew Ricker! Setting the story in Ricker's home town was a great way to make the stakes personal. This time he's not fighting for strangers! I loved seeing Riker interact with people he already knows, including relatives and old friends. It was fun to see how his confidence affects the other characters. As always, the pace is "full speed ahead" and the action scenes are fantastic! There are some surprises and clever plot twists along the way, including a real shocker from his backstory. "The Lion" is a world class villain. Riker is as likeable as he is capable and I can't wait for what comes next. Can anyone else picture Stephen Amell playing Riker in the movie?

[Ajitabh Pandey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Matthew Riker series and the review is of the audible edition.

In this book Riker returns to his home town to attend the funeral of his coach who dies under suspicious circumstances and uncovers the operations of a Colombian drug cartel in the town. When he decides to take the matters into his own hands, the plot develops into a fast paced thriller filled with action.

The narration of the audible version is by Jay Snyder and his awesome performance captures the suspense and emotional depth of the story creating an engaging and fast paced narrative.

[Pam E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonstop action

Riker is a great character with a big heart. He makes things right in the face of near impossible odds. I love that the action keeps going. One thing however, don't have this highly trained former Seal making 2 or 3 rookie mistakes in one novel! One makes him human, too many takes him down a notch. Keep him up there with Superman! I really enjoy the series, exceptional!

[Sue Fuschak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series just finished 3rd book

I found the books in the Matthew Riker series focused on success no matter the odds. Pulling together as a team and utilizing all tools available even when all members are not professionally trained. The goals of all missions were always aimed at doing the right thing to make our world a better place.
This series was my first read by this author. Well done!

[KIRK CHANG · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is becoming quite the series.

Had to push the pause button on the latest David Rivers novel- the Matthew Riker novel finally dropped! The death of an old mentor allows us to learn more of Riker’s backstory, and sets up what promises to be more excitement ahead. Hats off again to the author for keeping up the high quality plot and writing style.

[Morris D · Rating 5 out of 5]

A somewhat generous 5 stars

There are two scenes with specific plausibility holes involving speed of attack, cerebral blood flow and autonomic human startle behavior that disrupt the plot and derail ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ for awhile. Otherwise, it is a very enjoyable book.

[Tammy aka Gus · Rating 5 out of 5]

realistic action

I’ve read all three of the Matthew Riker series-so far. I like that Riker is fallible but strong. He doesn’t make many mistakes but he’s not super-human either. All the action is quite realistic. All three stories have been solid and I would like to meet Riker to buy him a beer!

[Susan Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long way home

Wow, these stories of Matthew Riker’s life just keep getting better and better. Each one is a complete story but still wants you to read the next one. Bauer is a master storyteller.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Really Good Trilogy

I really enjoyed J.T. Baier’s Matthew Riker trilogy. Great characters, great plot, and a masterful story teller. I will be reading more of Baier’s books… even if Riker doesn’t become a franchise.

[Cokebeetle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Very enjoyable... this is your somewhat typical spec op "retired" good guy novel. Well written. recommend this to any one who enjoys a Seal/delta type of operative making bad guys miserable.

[Stewart Everard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Enjoyable Series

If you enjoy Jack Reacher and Baldacci novels, this is another author to enjoy. I enjoy novels that have a series featuring the same main character

[Karen Rasmussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like Riker

[Kathy Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Long way Home

FABULOUS BOOK! The Matthew Riker series is well worth the read! There is continuous action. This is one of the best series I have read! J. T. Baier is GREAT!

[Katie Komo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I absolutely love this series. JT Baier is in league with some of the genre greats- Flynn, Greaney, Thor… Seriously, it’s a great ride.

[John Karlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequels rule!

Good one, like this author - yep I recommend the series and look forward to many more like this one.

[Steve Latham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good entertaining read. I like the way these books move along bringing in characters to develop the storyline and action to keep it interesting. Look forward to the next edition.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I couldn't help but think of how my husband would feel reading a romance novel, as this felt very much like a tough guy's favorite read.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Salwa Alqallaf · Rating 3 out of 5]

ماثيو جندي يرجع لمدينته لأن مدرس البدنية ومدرب المصارعه في نفس الوقت مات وراح يحضر جنازته ، لكن يكتشف انه انقتل وفي قصه كبيره ورا قتله
الرواية عجبتني وحلوه حق تضييع الوقت

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book and series.