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Annie McIntyre #2
Hard Rain
In shock and found clinging to a tree branch, Bethany Richter is pulled from thrashing floodwaters that have decimated the town of Garnett, Texas and killed a dozen others.
Six months after solving the murder of a local waitress, Annie McIntyre is working as an apprentice P.I. when she's handed her first solo case: uncover the identity of the man who rescued Bethany before he was swept downriver.
When Annie's search turns up a different victim—shot dead, not drowned—Annie questions if the hero they seek is actually a killer.
Flexing her new skills while relying on the wisdom of her eccentric, ex-cop grandfather, the case leads Annie into a web of drug dealers, preachers, and wayward drifters trying to make sense of life after a disaster. Annie's own convictions are put to the ultimate test as long-held secrets, corruption, and violence are exposed like the ruin that lies beneath receding waters.
Six months after solving the murder of a local waitress, Annie McIntyre is working as an apprentice P.I. when she's handed her first solo case: uncover the identity of the man who rescued Bethany before he was swept downriver.
When Annie's search turns up a different victim—shot dead, not drowned—Annie questions if the hero they seek is actually a killer.
Flexing her new skills while relying on the wisdom of her eccentric, ex-cop grandfather, the case leads Annie into a web of drug dealers, preachers, and wayward drifters trying to make sense of life after a disaster. Annie's own convictions are put to the ultimate test as long-held secrets, corruption, and violence are exposed like the ruin that lies beneath receding waters.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 18, 2023
52 people are currently reading
7635 people want to read
About the author
Samantha Jayne Allen
4 books236 followersSamantha Jayne Allen is the author of the Annie McIntyre Mysteries. Her debut novel, PAY DIRT ROAD, won the 2022 Dashiell Hammett Award for Literary Excellence in Crime Writing and the Tony Hillerman Prize for Best First Mystery Set in the Southwest. She has an MFA in fiction from Texas State University and her writing has been published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, The Common, and Electric Literature. Raised in small towns in Texas and California, she now lives with her husband and daughter in Atlanta.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 166 reviews
February 16, 2023
This book doesn't really say it is a series, but as I started reading it I thought "wait a minute - this girl sounds familiar and so does her situation and some of the other characters". I looked up the author and realized this is just a continuation of what happens with Annie McIntyre after Pay Dirt Road! So in Pay Dirt Road Annie had started working in her Dad's private investigation firm with her Dad and his partner. Now she has some experience under her belt and it's time to move forward to get her license.
In this book after a terrible flood leaves Bethany Richter hanging in a tree, lucky to be alive, after being swept into the river, she shares her story with Annie. She wants to hire Annie to find a man who was in the tree and saved Bethany's life before he was swept into the rolling river. With this, Annie gets caught up in a web of drug deals, pill abuse, preachers, and transients while trying to find the nameless man who saved Bethany.
I enjoyed the book and liked the characters. I felt the plot was good and the pacing was well done. There were certainly a few tense moments too. The family drama with Annie's Dad and grandfather was interesting too.
Thanks to Minotaur Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on April, 18, 2023.
In this book after a terrible flood leaves Bethany Richter hanging in a tree, lucky to be alive, after being swept into the river, she shares her story with Annie. She wants to hire Annie to find a man who was in the tree and saved Bethany's life before he was swept into the rolling river. With this, Annie gets caught up in a web of drug deals, pill abuse, preachers, and transients while trying to find the nameless man who saved Bethany.
I enjoyed the book and liked the characters. I felt the plot was good and the pacing was well done. There were certainly a few tense moments too. The family drama with Annie's Dad and grandfather was interesting too.
Thanks to Minotaur Books through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on April, 18, 2023.
March 12, 2023
This is the second in the Annie McIntyre Mystery series. Although I did read the first one, this works well as a standalone.
Annie has returned to her hometown of Garnett in hardscrabble Texas where she has joined her family’s private investigation business. When there is a catastrophic flood, an old school friend contacts her to find a man “who looks like Jesus”and saved her from drowning. Annie’s investigation leads to her discovery of a murder and begins to reveal the underbelly of the town’s drug problems as well as raises questions about the local church leaders.
Well plotted, and a bit of a slow burn, the writing is atmospheric and descriptive. It is a good character study of small town Texas. I could see the river swelling and receding, picture the beautiful bluebonnets, smell the approaching rain and the night blooming jasmine.
It was nice to see Annie growing in her new profession…now, if she would just learn some self defense methods…..
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress #minotaurbooks for the ARC.
Annie has returned to her hometown of Garnett in hardscrabble Texas where she has joined her family’s private investigation business. When there is a catastrophic flood, an old school friend contacts her to find a man “who looks like Jesus”and saved her from drowning. Annie’s investigation leads to her discovery of a murder and begins to reveal the underbelly of the town’s drug problems as well as raises questions about the local church leaders.
Well plotted, and a bit of a slow burn, the writing is atmospheric and descriptive. It is a good character study of small town Texas. I could see the river swelling and receding, picture the beautiful bluebonnets, smell the approaching rain and the night blooming jasmine.
It was nice to see Annie growing in her new profession…now, if she would just learn some self defense methods…..
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress #minotaurbooks for the ARC.
May 14, 2023
“A Hard Rain” opens with the storm of the century taking place in Garnett, Texas. Two couples, Pastor John David and Bethany Richter and Kendall and Youth Pastor Michael Davis, are on a weekend getaway to celebrate Bethany’s birthday. John David was called away by his father to perform last rights, and Bethany woke to a weather alert on her cell phone to see water seeping in the door, even though the cabin was set on twenty-foot pilings. She stepped out to the bedroom balcony to survey the river when it collapsed, plunging her into the rising waters. Repeatedly pulled under and sure she would drown, she was thrown out and landed on a piece of broken concrete. A man appeared, who looked “like Jesus,” repeatedly telling her to swim to him; he threw her to safety where she was able to grab and wrap herself around a tree limb. Already in the water to bring her to safety, he disappeared downstream. Bethany turns to apprentice PI Annie McIntyre for help finding her mysterious savior. Annie is assigned to the case with advice from her PI ex-policeman grandfather Leroy and Mary-Pat Zimmerman, his partner at the agency. Still trying to process and adjust to life after a natural disaster (“Outside, the world had a violent shine to it” location 77 of 4261), Annie will have her core beliefs shaken when the investigation leads her to greed, corruption, drug dealers, drifters, violence, secrets, lies, and more.
After six months of errands and paperwork, Annie McIntyre is assigned her first real investigative case. “Six months into my work as an apprentice investigator, I knew enough about loss—real loss—to be afraid of it, and yet, there was some part of me that kept tempting darkness. That wanted to look at the monster under the bed. Maybe I was a voyeur—why else be drawn to this line of work? Or maybe, I hoped, there was another, better version of me, braver than I felt most days, who would come to life if I dared peer back.” (location 89 of 4261) From the moment the book opens in the process of a dramatic almost-drowning, heroic rescue, and aftermath of death and destruction, the reader becomes enamored with and wants to devour all of the word pictures drawn by the mind of author Samantha Jayne Allen. There are plenty of twists and turns, and an undercurrent of anger and malice throughout that propel the story along at high speed. It’s eye-opening to discover what’s going on in this small-town with characters who pretend to be one thing, but turn out to be something else entirely. If I had known this was Book Two of a series, I might have started with Book One; however, it read perfectly as a stand-alone novel. I highly recommend this book to all fans of murder mysteries and thrillers, and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I’d like to thank NetGalley, Samantha Jayne Allen, and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
After six months of errands and paperwork, Annie McIntyre is assigned her first real investigative case. “Six months into my work as an apprentice investigator, I knew enough about loss—real loss—to be afraid of it, and yet, there was some part of me that kept tempting darkness. That wanted to look at the monster under the bed. Maybe I was a voyeur—why else be drawn to this line of work? Or maybe, I hoped, there was another, better version of me, braver than I felt most days, who would come to life if I dared peer back.” (location 89 of 4261) From the moment the book opens in the process of a dramatic almost-drowning, heroic rescue, and aftermath of death and destruction, the reader becomes enamored with and wants to devour all of the word pictures drawn by the mind of author Samantha Jayne Allen. There are plenty of twists and turns, and an undercurrent of anger and malice throughout that propel the story along at high speed. It’s eye-opening to discover what’s going on in this small-town with characters who pretend to be one thing, but turn out to be something else entirely. If I had known this was Book Two of a series, I might have started with Book One; however, it read perfectly as a stand-alone novel. I highly recommend this book to all fans of murder mysteries and thrillers, and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I’d like to thank NetGalley, Samantha Jayne Allen, and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
December 20, 2022
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
Another one I was just not liking. I am not sure what is going on, but to have three books in a row not pull me into them, and I just kept hoping the story would hurry up and be finished. This was another story that I was just not truly invested in, and that is sad.
First, I did not know this was book two in this series; it was not shown, so I would say this book could be read as a standalone.
The author did a great job of describing the small Texas town and how the flood waters affect people.
Annie is a P.I. I find to be a cool job though I am sure it is not always. She has been tasked with finding a man who resembles Jesus and saved Bethany from the flood. Though what Annie uncovers is more than that; it seems that there is some shady dealing within this small town, the church folks are not always the best folks, and it just goes to show to what depths they will go to keep those secrets dead.
I felt the storyline had great promise, but it sometimes felt like the same thing over and over again. Leroy and her dad are always not getting along (which we find the reason behind it), to her always being in "the bullet," which, by the way, is her car. I do not know if that is the name of the car or what she calls it. A lot of describing the sky, and the talk about the flood all the time. I wanted more action, secrets, and the nitty gritty, but this book did not do that for me. Also, knowing that you have a hutch about some things going on and you are dealing with drug dealers, why are we not carrying a weapon? I mean, come on, like I understand not wanting to shoot anyone, but baby girl, you got to find a way to defend yourself. Also, why in the heck are we not attempting to go to the shooting range? You are a P.I. in training; you must learn how to defend yourself. Now, before I get someone to be like, there are other ways to defend yourself besides a weapon; yep, there is sherlock, and Annie needs to learn both ways.
I have heard she has another book out, and I may read that one, but if it is anything like this, then I just do not know.
I hope someone enjoys this series because I believe it could be good.
Another one I was just not liking. I am not sure what is going on, but to have three books in a row not pull me into them, and I just kept hoping the story would hurry up and be finished. This was another story that I was just not truly invested in, and that is sad.
First, I did not know this was book two in this series; it was not shown, so I would say this book could be read as a standalone.
The author did a great job of describing the small Texas town and how the flood waters affect people.
Annie is a P.I. I find to be a cool job though I am sure it is not always. She has been tasked with finding a man who resembles Jesus and saved Bethany from the flood. Though what Annie uncovers is more than that; it seems that there is some shady dealing within this small town, the church folks are not always the best folks, and it just goes to show to what depths they will go to keep those secrets dead.
I felt the storyline had great promise, but it sometimes felt like the same thing over and over again. Leroy and her dad are always not getting along (which we find the reason behind it), to her always being in "the bullet," which, by the way, is her car. I do not know if that is the name of the car or what she calls it. A lot of describing the sky, and the talk about the flood all the time. I wanted more action, secrets, and the nitty gritty, but this book did not do that for me. Also, knowing that you have a hutch about some things going on and you are dealing with drug dealers, why are we not carrying a weapon? I mean, come on, like I understand not wanting to shoot anyone, but baby girl, you got to find a way to defend yourself. Also, why in the heck are we not attempting to go to the shooting range? You are a P.I. in training; you must learn how to defend yourself. Now, before I get someone to be like, there are other ways to defend yourself besides a weapon; yep, there is sherlock, and Annie needs to learn both ways.
I have heard she has another book out, and I may read that one, but if it is anything like this, then I just do not know.
I hope someone enjoys this series because I believe it could be good.
December 2, 2022
Writing the same Book Report on the first two books in what I can only assume author Samantha Jayne Allen plans to be a long-running series. Found out about them because I had the opportunity to get a complimentary ARC of Hard Rain from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books/NetGalley; realized it was the second Annie McIntyre book and checked out the first one via Libby so I could read in order. Scroll to the very end for a cut-and-paste of the flyleaf copy for Hard Rain if you want to read my thoughts on the books in the context of a summary of the overall story arc (not both mystery/ies proper).
I wanted to like these books so, so much more than I did. I mean, c’mon; a smart young woman graduates from college and moves back to her hometown and realizes she has law enforcement/private investigation in her blood? Me, me, me, me, me, me 30 years or so ago…….if only………maybe in The Multiverse…….
Plus, I have never lived in Texas. Just wanted to, a whole very lot.
Alas, I found both Pay Dirt Road and Hard Rain to be overly thought-y and somewhat awkwardly constructed. To the point that I am writing this to remind myself thusly: DO NOT INVEST ANY MORE TIME IN THIS SERIES, KRISTI.
I mean, maybe some of what all was going on in the main protagonist’s brain could’ve been believable if she were at least in her 30s, but it just didn’t ring true with her at the age she is portrayed as being. So, maybe we’re supposed to think she’s older (maybe even way, way older?) and looking back on her life? If so, then the author did not flesh that concept out enough to make it clear that was what was going on.
There was also an awful, awful lot of foreboding going on, in both books, that did not lead to anything. I mean, c’mon, y'all, not _every_ sky can be full of menace.
Also, here’s a copy editor nit I want to pick: It did not make for reader ease for her to refer to her car as the bullet, vs The Bullet, or even “the bullet.” There were times, given the storylines, that one could be forgiven for thinking an actual gun bullet was in play, instead of said car.
All that said, I am sure there are more people out there who will enjoy this series than not, and good for Ms Allen for writing books. I’m just getting on up in years and don’t have time to invest in a series that, well, frankly, is kinda boring and clunky to me.
FLYLEAF COPY
From the Tony Hillerman Prize-winning author of Pay Dirt Road comes Hard Rain, Samantha Jayne Allen's mesmerizing next novel set in a hardscrabble Texas town dealing with disaster.
In shock and found clinging to a tree branch, Bethany Richter is pulled from thrashing floodwaters that have decimated the town of Garnett, Texas and killed a dozen others.
Six months after solving the murder of a local waitress, Annie McIntyre is working as an apprentice P.I. when she's handed her first solo case: uncover the identity of the man who rescued Bethany before he was swept downriver.
When Annie's search turns up a different victim—shot dead, not drowned—Annie questions if the hero they seek is actually a killer.
Flexing her new skills while relying on the wisdom of her eccentric, ex-cop grandfather, the case leads Annie into a web of drug dealers, preachers, and wayward drifters trying to make sense of life after a disaster. Annie's own convictions are put to the ultimate test as long-held secrets, corruption, and violence are exposed like the ruin that lies beneath receding waters.
I wanted to like these books so, so much more than I did. I mean, c’mon; a smart young woman graduates from college and moves back to her hometown and realizes she has law enforcement/private investigation in her blood? Me, me, me, me, me, me 30 years or so ago…….if only………maybe in The Multiverse…….
Plus, I have never lived in Texas. Just wanted to, a whole very lot.
Alas, I found both Pay Dirt Road and Hard Rain to be overly thought-y and somewhat awkwardly constructed. To the point that I am writing this to remind myself thusly: DO NOT INVEST ANY MORE TIME IN THIS SERIES, KRISTI.
I mean, maybe some of what all was going on in the main protagonist’s brain could’ve been believable if she were at least in her 30s, but it just didn’t ring true with her at the age she is portrayed as being. So, maybe we’re supposed to think she’s older (maybe even way, way older?) and looking back on her life? If so, then the author did not flesh that concept out enough to make it clear that was what was going on.
There was also an awful, awful lot of foreboding going on, in both books, that did not lead to anything. I mean, c’mon, y'all, not _every_ sky can be full of menace.
Also, here’s a copy editor nit I want to pick: It did not make for reader ease for her to refer to her car as the bullet, vs The Bullet, or even “the bullet.” There were times, given the storylines, that one could be forgiven for thinking an actual gun bullet was in play, instead of said car.
All that said, I am sure there are more people out there who will enjoy this series than not, and good for Ms Allen for writing books. I’m just getting on up in years and don’t have time to invest in a series that, well, frankly, is kinda boring and clunky to me.
FLYLEAF COPY
From the Tony Hillerman Prize-winning author of Pay Dirt Road comes Hard Rain, Samantha Jayne Allen's mesmerizing next novel set in a hardscrabble Texas town dealing with disaster.
In shock and found clinging to a tree branch, Bethany Richter is pulled from thrashing floodwaters that have decimated the town of Garnett, Texas and killed a dozen others.
Six months after solving the murder of a local waitress, Annie McIntyre is working as an apprentice P.I. when she's handed her first solo case: uncover the identity of the man who rescued Bethany before he was swept downriver.
When Annie's search turns up a different victim—shot dead, not drowned—Annie questions if the hero they seek is actually a killer.
Flexing her new skills while relying on the wisdom of her eccentric, ex-cop grandfather, the case leads Annie into a web of drug dealers, preachers, and wayward drifters trying to make sense of life after a disaster. Annie's own convictions are put to the ultimate test as long-held secrets, corruption, and violence are exposed like the ruin that lies beneath receding waters.
March 18, 2025
DNF @ 34% .....
April 24, 2023
April 21, 2023
Book Review
Hard Rain
Samantha Jayne Allen
reviewed by Lou Jacobs
readersremains.com | Goodreads
“Hard Rain” is the author’s follow-up to her Tony Hillerman Prize-winning debut book, “Pay Dirt Road.” It provides another mesmerizing chapter in the growth and self-actualization of 25-year-old Annie McIntyre.
Although this is the second installment, it can certainly be devoured and enjoyed as a standalone, as Allen flawlessly supplies the necessary backstory. Fresh out of college, Annie returns to her small hometown of Garnett, Texas, anticipating only a short stay. She does not know where her fortune and future path will lead her. Unexpectedly, her grandfather LeRoy offers her a job in the family firm of McIntyre Investigation as a sort of apprenticeship. The firm is only comprised of elderly LeRoy, on the verge of retirement, and Mary-Pat Zimmerman, his former partner in the sheriff’s office. Annie intends on qualifying for her own license.
The reader is thrown immediately into the tumultuous action. The Geronimo River has crested to record levels of forty feet, and a flood warning alarm goes off on the cellphone of Bethany Richter, proclaiming a record-inducing flash flood. She finds herself on the second floor of a rented cabin. Her husband, preacher John-David, was called away on duty the night before, and her close friends Kendall and Michael are asleep on the first floor. She ventures out onto the balcony, only to be swept into the raging river. She finds herself clinging to a tree branch. She is rescued by a man who is also caught in the swift current, only for him subsequently to be swept away in the torturous current of the river gone mad. Her friends’ bodies are recovered several days later. This flood of biblical proportions caused devastation and chaos to the small, close-knit community. Suffering from shock and survival guilt, Bethany must have peace of mind and find out the identity of her savior. Is he still alive? She must thank him or his surviving family.
Bethany approaches her longtime friend Annie for answers. This will be Annie’s first solo investigation case. She describes her savior as looking sort-of-like a “blue-eyed Jesus.” She recalls him wearing a red t-shirt, proclaiming in large letters: “PAWS Garnett Fundraiser 5K Run” (a local animal shelter), and on one of his forearms, a tattoo of a blue rose.
Annie embarks on a tortuous investigation that meanders through an unexpected underbelly of crime, drug dealing, and abuse, resulting in surprising levels of danger and intrigue. Implications of the local church and its leaders raise concern about their true purpose and motivations. She begins to suspect her missing person may be more of a murderer than a savior.
Samantha Jayne Allen provides a slow-burn small-town mystery with escalating tension and intrigue that is atmospheric and expertly plotted, and crescendos into an unexpected and satisfying denouement. And yet, the reader is left yearning for further insight and travails of Annie McIntyre along her path of self-actualization.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review.
Published at MysteryAndSuspenseMagazine.com ......
Book Review
Hard Rain
Samantha Jayne Allen
reviewed by Lou Jacobs
readersremains.com | Goodreads
“Hard Rain” is the author’s follow-up to her Tony Hillerman Prize-winning debut book, “Pay Dirt Road.” It provides another mesmerizing chapter in the growth and self-actualization of 25-year-old Annie McIntyre.
Although this is the second installment, it can certainly be devoured and enjoyed as a standalone, as Allen flawlessly supplies the necessary backstory. Fresh out of college, Annie returns to her small hometown of Garnett, Texas, anticipating only a short stay. She does not know where her fortune and future path will lead her. Unexpectedly, her grandfather LeRoy offers her a job in the family firm of McIntyre Investigation as a sort of apprenticeship. The firm is only comprised of elderly LeRoy, on the verge of retirement, and Mary-Pat Zimmerman, his former partner in the sheriff’s office. Annie intends on qualifying for her own license.
The reader is thrown immediately into the tumultuous action. The Geronimo River has crested to record levels of forty feet, and a flood warning alarm goes off on the cellphone of Bethany Richter, proclaiming a record-inducing flash flood. She finds herself on the second floor of a rented cabin. Her husband, preacher John-David, was called away on duty the night before, and her close friends Kendall and Michael are asleep on the first floor. She ventures out onto the balcony, only to be swept into the raging river. She finds herself clinging to a tree branch. She is rescued by a man who is also caught in the swift current, only for him subsequently to be swept away in the torturous current of the river gone mad. Her friends’ bodies are recovered several days later. This flood of biblical proportions caused devastation and chaos to the small, close-knit community. Suffering from shock and survival guilt, Bethany must have peace of mind and find out the identity of her savior. Is he still alive? She must thank him or his surviving family.
Bethany approaches her longtime friend Annie for answers. This will be Annie’s first solo investigation case. She describes her savior as looking sort-of-like a “blue-eyed Jesus.” She recalls him wearing a red t-shirt, proclaiming in large letters: “PAWS Garnett Fundraiser 5K Run” (a local animal shelter), and on one of his forearms, a tattoo of a blue rose.
Annie embarks on a tortuous investigation that meanders through an unexpected underbelly of crime, drug dealing, and abuse, resulting in surprising levels of danger and intrigue. Implications of the local church and its leaders raise concern about their true purpose and motivations. She begins to suspect her missing person may be more of a murderer than a savior.
Samantha Jayne Allen provides a slow-burn small-town mystery with escalating tension and intrigue that is atmospheric and expertly plotted, and crescendos into an unexpected and satisfying denouement. And yet, the reader is left yearning for further insight and travails of Annie McIntyre along her path of self-actualization.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review.
Published at MysteryAndSuspenseMagazine.com ......
December 18, 2022
WOAHHHH The first chapter will take your breath away!
Bethany Richter is saved in a flash flood and hires childhood friend to identify the man that saved her.
Annie is still recovering from the adventure of solving a local murder and is working towards her PI license. She has mixed feelings taking on her friend of a friend's case and the feelings intensify as the case becomes incredibly complicated. Set in poor rural Texas, Annie
navigates the church, drug dealers and old timers as she tries to get to the bottom of the case.
This story is brilliantly written and will immerse you in the flood and the people who are left afterwards. If you love a rural mystery, a secretive community or just want to follow a new and spirited young PI, Hard Rain is for you !#StMartinsPress #HardRain #SamanthaJayneAllen
Bethany Richter is saved in a flash flood and hires childhood friend to identify the man that saved her.
Annie is still recovering from the adventure of solving a local murder and is working towards her PI license. She has mixed feelings taking on her friend of a friend's case and the feelings intensify as the case becomes incredibly complicated. Set in poor rural Texas, Annie
navigates the church, drug dealers and old timers as she tries to get to the bottom of the case.
This story is brilliantly written and will immerse you in the flood and the people who are left afterwards. If you love a rural mystery, a secretive community or just want to follow a new and spirited young PI, Hard Rain is for you !#StMartinsPress #HardRain #SamanthaJayneAllen
February 14, 2023
Hard Rain by Samantha Jayne Allen is the second novel featuring Annie McIntyre and opens with a massive, generational flood that hits the area of the small Texas town of Garnett.
Annie is now a licensed private investigator working out of a small private firm tasked with her first paying investigation.
In the opening, in a rented riverside cabin, Bethany, a lifelong friend of Annie’s, has been awakened from sleep by an electronic cellular telephone alarm warning of a flash flood.
Soon, the cabin rented by Bethany, her husband John-David, and another couple, is overtaken by flood waters with Bethany seeking refuge on the cabin’s balcony. She is then thrown into the raging water when the flash flood destroys the cabin.
Bethany is able to cling to a section of concrete through the night and when daybreak arrives, the continuing raising water threatens her perch. She then overhears someone calling to her and sees from a distance through the fast-moving water a handsome young man clinging to a tree and hears him yelling to her to swim to him before the river overtakes the concrete. Bethany swims to the tree and when she gets there, the handsome stranger has disappeared.
Later, after Bethany is rescued by emergency personnel and when the stranger is not among rescued or recovered bodies, she hires Annie to find her savior.
With a good description of the stranger, including his wearing of regional clothing and a distinctive tattoo on one of his arms, Annie then starts her investigation into the identity of the man. In her search, she soon is thrown into the dangerous underbelly of the area of Garnett, which includes an underworld as murky and dangerous as the slowly receding flood waters. With each step bringing her closer to the identity of the stranger, her investigation becomes more and more dangerous to Annie while spiraling into directions not safe to go.
I would describe Hard Rain as a slow-burn read and not a rapid, page-turning thriller, nor do I think it was meant to be. Hard Rain is instead a crime novel with a rural flavor and with seemingly the intent on character and plot development at a methodical and gingerly pace.
Though Hard Rain depicts a novel of crime and murder, Samantha Jayne Allen’s writing is never exploitative or gratuitous in her inclusion of violence or sex within her storytelling.
Hard Rain is recommended to those that enjoy stories that rely upon a slower unfolding with more meaningful character exploration to tell the tale rather than slam-bang action.
Netgalley provided an ARC upon the promise of a fair review.
Annie is now a licensed private investigator working out of a small private firm tasked with her first paying investigation.
In the opening, in a rented riverside cabin, Bethany, a lifelong friend of Annie’s, has been awakened from sleep by an electronic cellular telephone alarm warning of a flash flood.
Soon, the cabin rented by Bethany, her husband John-David, and another couple, is overtaken by flood waters with Bethany seeking refuge on the cabin’s balcony. She is then thrown into the raging water when the flash flood destroys the cabin.
Bethany is able to cling to a section of concrete through the night and when daybreak arrives, the continuing raising water threatens her perch. She then overhears someone calling to her and sees from a distance through the fast-moving water a handsome young man clinging to a tree and hears him yelling to her to swim to him before the river overtakes the concrete. Bethany swims to the tree and when she gets there, the handsome stranger has disappeared.
Later, after Bethany is rescued by emergency personnel and when the stranger is not among rescued or recovered bodies, she hires Annie to find her savior.
With a good description of the stranger, including his wearing of regional clothing and a distinctive tattoo on one of his arms, Annie then starts her investigation into the identity of the man. In her search, she soon is thrown into the dangerous underbelly of the area of Garnett, which includes an underworld as murky and dangerous as the slowly receding flood waters. With each step bringing her closer to the identity of the stranger, her investigation becomes more and more dangerous to Annie while spiraling into directions not safe to go.
I would describe Hard Rain as a slow-burn read and not a rapid, page-turning thriller, nor do I think it was meant to be. Hard Rain is instead a crime novel with a rural flavor and with seemingly the intent on character and plot development at a methodical and gingerly pace.
Though Hard Rain depicts a novel of crime and murder, Samantha Jayne Allen’s writing is never exploitative or gratuitous in her inclusion of violence or sex within her storytelling.
Hard Rain is recommended to those that enjoy stories that rely upon a slower unfolding with more meaningful character exploration to tell the tale rather than slam-bang action.
Netgalley provided an ARC upon the promise of a fair review.
May 16, 2023
Second in the Annie McIntyre series. I've read and enjoyed both and found Annie to be an utterly original character. She's young, slight and not at your stereotypical private eye. The sense of place makes Texas one of the more prominent characters in the book. As the book opens, a hard rain after a drought turns into a destructive flood with a number of lives lost. Bethany, a high school friend of Annie's, hires her to find the man who saved her life in the flood. Well done mystery that keeps you guessing. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 8, 2022
Private investigator Annie McIntyre is twenty-five working at her elderly Grandpa’s agency with his partner Mary-Pat. Annie still hangs out with high school friends, dates a safe guy and isn’t sure what she wants. Her best friend Nikki's getting married and Annie can’t commit to a dinner date with her boyfriend. Annie returned to her small Texas hill country home town after college. The area is a one diner sorta place where everybody is up in your business. Her family dynamics are strained.
Annie’s working a missing person case by herself for the first time. The new client nearly lost her life when a flash flood caused the river to flood at hundred year depths. Bethany needs to know the identity of the man who rescued her. The clues are few in the aftermath of the devastating flood. When Annie revisits the river the case turns into a murder investigation. The unknown stranger proves almost impossible to put a name to much less to find. As Annie keeps asking questions and following dead ends someone in a red pickup truck is stalking her.
The biggest thing in town is a church complex rivaling those in a metroplex. Bethany married the pastor’s son, John David, also a preacher. He’s devoted and full of hidden secrets. Before Annie can solve the missing man’s identity, she’ll need to protect herself and decide if she’s on the professional and personal path she really wants.
The case was full of unexpected discoveries, people aren’t what you assume, kept me guessing. This was second in the series, could be read as a standalone, by an author I enjoy. The setting is very realistically small town Texas and enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “Hard Rain” by Samantha Jayne Allen and to St. Martin’s Publishing, Minotaur Books. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.
Annie’s working a missing person case by herself for the first time. The new client nearly lost her life when a flash flood caused the river to flood at hundred year depths. Bethany needs to know the identity of the man who rescued her. The clues are few in the aftermath of the devastating flood. When Annie revisits the river the case turns into a murder investigation. The unknown stranger proves almost impossible to put a name to much less to find. As Annie keeps asking questions and following dead ends someone in a red pickup truck is stalking her.
The biggest thing in town is a church complex rivaling those in a metroplex. Bethany married the pastor’s son, John David, also a preacher. He’s devoted and full of hidden secrets. Before Annie can solve the missing man’s identity, she’ll need to protect herself and decide if she’s on the professional and personal path she really wants.
The case was full of unexpected discoveries, people aren’t what you assume, kept me guessing. This was second in the series, could be read as a standalone, by an author I enjoy. The setting is very realistically small town Texas and enjoyable.
Thank you to NetGalley for the digital advance reader copy of “Hard Rain” by Samantha Jayne Allen and to St. Martin’s Publishing, Minotaur Books. These are all my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.
December 9, 2022
Thank you to Minotaur Book and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on April 18th, 2023
Second in the series about budding PI, Annie McIntyre.
Small town Garnett, Texas is suffering from a (very) wet natural disaster as heavy rain causes the river to jump its banks and bring massive floods. Preacher’s wife and old friend Bethany Richter hires Annie to find the man who rescued her from the flood while being swept off himself. The case gets muddied when the trail leads to a woman who is found dead in her truck, floating in the river. But she didn’t drown — she was shot. Nice and convoluted, with a wide variety of characters from drug dealers to preachers to drifters to Annie’s atypical family and its ties to law enforcement.
For me it was a little too long — I favor a more spare prose — but if you’re enjoying the story you night appreciate all of the novelistic commentary on scenery, character background, and fully fleshed out experiences. Annie suffers from occasional bouts of self-doubt which I hope she has less often in the future (I like to see characters grow!)
Second in the series about budding PI, Annie McIntyre.
Small town Garnett, Texas is suffering from a (very) wet natural disaster as heavy rain causes the river to jump its banks and bring massive floods. Preacher’s wife and old friend Bethany Richter hires Annie to find the man who rescued her from the flood while being swept off himself. The case gets muddied when the trail leads to a woman who is found dead in her truck, floating in the river. But she didn’t drown — she was shot. Nice and convoluted, with a wide variety of characters from drug dealers to preachers to drifters to Annie’s atypical family and its ties to law enforcement.
For me it was a little too long — I favor a more spare prose — but if you’re enjoying the story you night appreciate all of the novelistic commentary on scenery, character background, and fully fleshed out experiences. Annie suffers from occasional bouts of self-doubt which I hope she has less often in the future (I like to see characters grow!)
November 28, 2022
In Hard Rain, Annie McIntyre has her first solo assignment as a private investigator for her grandfather’s firm. She is trying to find someone who might have drowned after a flood decimates part of Garnett, TX. It takes a while to sort out all the town’s characters, but then picks up the pace to rocket the reader to a surprise ending. I received an ARC from Net Galley and the opinions expressed are my own.
May 13, 2023
MINI REVIEWS FOR BOOKS #1-2
𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱
𝗕𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻
𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟭 - 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲 𝗠𝗰𝗜𝗻𝘁𝘆𝗿𝗲
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮
Annie is home from college working a waitressing job at a local diner while she does some soul searching. When a fellow waitress is found murdered, Annie - with the help of her family's PI firm - dives headfirst into figuring out what happened. What she doesn't expect is how personal the case will become, or the parallels to her own life and past. Set in Garnett, Texas, this debut novel is atmospheric, gritty and everything I love in a small-town southern thriller! Pay Dirt Road earned the 2019 Tony Hillerman award. 🏆
𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻
𝗕𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻
𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟮 - 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲 𝗠𝗰𝗜𝗻𝘁𝘆𝗿𝗲
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯
Thank you #partner @minotaur_books for the #gifted copy.
Back in Garnett, Hard Rain starts with a bang! The reader is immediately dropped into a suspenseful, nail-biting scene in which a woman is being swept away by a flood before being rescued by a mystery man. But in the blink of an eye, he's gone. The woman, Bethany, turns to PI apprentice Annie McIntyre to help her find her hero. Annie, with her grandfather's wisdom, works to uncover his identity, and finds herself unraveling a web of corruption, violence and long-held secrets. Allen's sophomore novel is just as captivating as her first! I hope we see more in this series.
The unbelievably talented Sandy Rustin narrates both books, and in my opinion, enhances them. They're very good in their own right, but Rustin's performance makes them even better! It was like a movie in my ears! 🙌🏻 Stellar performance!
𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱
𝗕𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻
𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟭 - 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲 𝗠𝗰𝗜𝗻𝘁𝘆𝗿𝗲
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮
Annie is home from college working a waitressing job at a local diner while she does some soul searching. When a fellow waitress is found murdered, Annie - with the help of her family's PI firm - dives headfirst into figuring out what happened. What she doesn't expect is how personal the case will become, or the parallels to her own life and past. Set in Garnett, Texas, this debut novel is atmospheric, gritty and everything I love in a small-town southern thriller! Pay Dirt Road earned the 2019 Tony Hillerman award. 🏆
𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗥𝗮𝗶𝗻
𝗕𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗮 𝗝𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻
𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 #𝟮 - 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲 𝗠𝗰𝗜𝗻𝘁𝘆𝗿𝗲
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯
Thank you #partner @minotaur_books for the #gifted copy.
Back in Garnett, Hard Rain starts with a bang! The reader is immediately dropped into a suspenseful, nail-biting scene in which a woman is being swept away by a flood before being rescued by a mystery man. But in the blink of an eye, he's gone. The woman, Bethany, turns to PI apprentice Annie McIntyre to help her find her hero. Annie, with her grandfather's wisdom, works to uncover his identity, and finds herself unraveling a web of corruption, violence and long-held secrets. Allen's sophomore novel is just as captivating as her first! I hope we see more in this series.
The unbelievably talented Sandy Rustin narrates both books, and in my opinion, enhances them. They're very good in their own right, but Rustin's performance makes them even better! It was like a movie in my ears! 🙌🏻 Stellar performance!
April 10, 2023
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Mystery / Suspense
*Rating* 3.5
*Thoughts*
Hard Rain, by author Samantha Jayne Allen, is the second installment in the authors Annie McIntyre Mysteries series. After an intense flood hits their small Texas town of Garnett, Bethany Richter, the wife of the local pastor, and best friend of her cousin Nikki, is nearly swept away after falling into the river only to be rescued by an unknown savior who disappears. Two weeks later, Bethany approaches Annie McIntyre who is working towards getting her own Private Investigator license so she can replace her grandfather Leroy.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
*Genre* Mystery / Suspense
*Rating* 3.5
*Thoughts*
Hard Rain, by author Samantha Jayne Allen, is the second installment in the authors Annie McIntyre Mysteries series. After an intense flood hits their small Texas town of Garnett, Bethany Richter, the wife of the local pastor, and best friend of her cousin Nikki, is nearly swept away after falling into the river only to be rescued by an unknown savior who disappears. Two weeks later, Bethany approaches Annie McIntyre who is working towards getting her own Private Investigator license so she can replace her grandfather Leroy.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...
May 12, 2023
I enjoyed the first book in this series and was happy to receive the second book, which finds us back with Annie in Garnett, TX. This can be read as a standalone with no issue, but I was happy to see what Annie would find herself up to next. She is working as an apprentice P.I. for the family business, and I enjoyed the freedom she had as a P.I., along with the roadblocks she faced given she is in a place that she grew up. The case itself is also interesting, Bethany Richter is pulled from a river by someone that cannot be found and “looked like Jesus” and Annie is tasked with finding them based on that description.
The pacing is steady, which worked well with this story. It is atmospheric, and I enjoyed following along with Annie as she worked to solve this case, which turned into a lot more than just what it seemed. I always love a small town Texas story and definitely recommend this one.
Thank you to Minotaur Books for the free copy to review.
The pacing is steady, which worked well with this story. It is atmospheric, and I enjoyed following along with Annie as she worked to solve this case, which turned into a lot more than just what it seemed. I always love a small town Texas story and definitely recommend this one.
Thank you to Minotaur Books for the free copy to review.
October 22, 2023
Second in the Annie McIntyre series. I've read and enjoyed both and found Annie to be an utterly original character. She's young, slight and not at your stereotypical private eye. The sense of place makes Texas one of the more prominent characters in the book. As the book opens, a hard rain after a drought turns into a destructive flood with a number of lives lost. Bethany, a high school friend of Annie's, hires her to find the man who saved her life in the flood. Well done mystery that keeps you guessing.
December 17, 2022
Annie McIntyre is back and working in her grandfather’s PI agency. She gets her first solo case helping a childhood friend find a Good Samaritan who saved her life. Lots of twists and turns as Annie hunts for this man. And lots of growth with Annie as she comes to some realizations in her investigation. Great mystery that keeps you guessing. Looking forward to more in this series.
*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
March 29, 2023
After reading the debut, Pay Dirt Road, I have been eagerly awaiting the second book. So big thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy 🥰.
Hard Rain brings us back to Garnett, Texas where floodwaters just decimated the small town and killed dozens of people. Annie has been hired by Bethany to find a man who rescued her before disappearing downriver. While searching for the missing man Annie turns up another victim, shot not drowned. As the investigation progresses, the missing man is beginning to look more like a murderer than a saviour.
I think this one was even better than the first. A character driven slow burn murder mystery that unfolded perfectly the more you read. I love her writing which manages to fully envelop me in the atmosphere and surroundings of a rural small town. Expect lots of hidden/buried secrets, familial ties and plenty of characters you never fully trust and a great conclusion. Definitely a fan of this series and looking forward to more. 4.5⭐️
Hard Rain brings us back to Garnett, Texas where floodwaters just decimated the small town and killed dozens of people. Annie has been hired by Bethany to find a man who rescued her before disappearing downriver. While searching for the missing man Annie turns up another victim, shot not drowned. As the investigation progresses, the missing man is beginning to look more like a murderer than a saviour.
I think this one was even better than the first. A character driven slow burn murder mystery that unfolded perfectly the more you read. I love her writing which manages to fully envelop me in the atmosphere and surroundings of a rural small town. Expect lots of hidden/buried secrets, familial ties and plenty of characters you never fully trust and a great conclusion. Definitely a fan of this series and looking forward to more. 4.5⭐️
November 6, 2022
I didn't know there would be a sequel to Pay Dirt Road so I was pleasantly surprised to see this book on NetGalley. I'm glad I got approved because this book was just as good as the first one. Annie McIntyre, who is now working full time at her grandfather's investigations firm, is given her first solo case. A woman who was rescued during a recent flood asks Annie to find the man who helped her to safety before he was swept away by the floodwaters. When Annie's initial search turns up a different person- a murder victim- she realizes the case is more complicated than she initially thought. Her determination to find the missing man gets her closer to the truth but also closer to an unseen danger that is closer than she realizes. I enjoyed this second adventure with Annie, who is a fascinating character. She keeps digging for the truth even while she struggles with her personal family drama. Samantha Jayne Allen has written another tense, slow burning story that keeps you rooting for Annie the whole way. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
April 13, 2023
I think I liked the first book (Pay Dirt Road) a bit better - the mystery, anyway. There wasn't enough tension for me in this storyline. Annie definitely has started to grow as a PI in this book, but she is still so wishy-washy in general. I get that she's ambivalent about being home in her small town in her 20s, but the ambivalence is not done well, and just reads as indecisive. I did enjoy learning more about the family relationships and other supporting characters.
In shock and found clinging to a tree branch, Bethany Richter is pulled from thrashing floodwaters that have decimated the town of Garnett, Texas and killed a dozen others.
Six months after solving the murder of a local waitress, Annie McIntyre is working as an apprentice P.I. when she's handed her first solo case: uncover the identity of the man who rescued Bethany before he was swept downriver.
When Annie's search turns up a different victim—shot dead, not drowned—Annie questions if the hero they seek is actually a killer.
Flexing her new skills while relying on the wisdom of her eccentric, ex-cop grandfather, the case leads Annie into a web of drug dealers, preachers, and wayward drifters trying to make sense of life after a disaster. Annie's own convictions are put to the ultimate test as long-held secrets, corruption, and violence are exposed like the ruin that lies beneath receding waters.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.
In shock and found clinging to a tree branch, Bethany Richter is pulled from thrashing floodwaters that have decimated the town of Garnett, Texas and killed a dozen others.
Six months after solving the murder of a local waitress, Annie McIntyre is working as an apprentice P.I. when she's handed her first solo case: uncover the identity of the man who rescued Bethany before he was swept downriver.
When Annie's search turns up a different victim—shot dead, not drowned—Annie questions if the hero they seek is actually a killer.
Flexing her new skills while relying on the wisdom of her eccentric, ex-cop grandfather, the case leads Annie into a web of drug dealers, preachers, and wayward drifters trying to make sense of life after a disaster. Annie's own convictions are put to the ultimate test as long-held secrets, corruption, and violence are exposed like the ruin that lies beneath receding waters.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.
March 12, 2023
There's been a tragic flood that wiped out a bunch of Garnett, Texas. Some dying in the flood. Bethany has lost her family but is determined to find out who the man was that saved her.
The story starts off strong. but I found it dragged a bit however I could really feel what the characters were going through. I was not expecting the end twist to be honest. But all in all it wasn't too bad of a read just not my favorite.
The story starts off strong. but I found it dragged a bit however I could really feel what the characters were going through. I was not expecting the end twist to be honest. But all in all it wasn't too bad of a read just not my favorite.
December 12, 2022
Multiply storys going on. Author does a pretty decent job tying it all together . There are times it can get confusing.
Looking forward to more books or posable series for this author .
Thanks to NetGalley for advance copy
Looking forward to more books or posable series for this author .
Thanks to NetGalley for advance copy
April 28, 2023
Another great small town mystery that was well executed.
August 25, 2023
A rookie private investigator gets her first solo case to find a missing Good Samaritan in her small town. Along the way, she runs across a growing drug problem and finds disturbing evidence it may be connected to her case. Author Samantha Jayne Allen brings back the brooding young woman from her first book in this follow-up novel that plods along in her new release Hard Rain.
Six months after Annie Garnett solved the murder of a local waitress in Garnett, Texas, she’s starting to find her groove as a private investigator under the watchful eye of her grandfather, Leroy, and his business partner, Mary-Pat. She’s an apprentice at their PI firm and spends a lot of time chasing down small insurance claims and other busy work. With Leroy slowly easing into retirement and Mary-Pat the big gun in the office, Annie has to settle for the smaller cases.
Until one walks into the office begging for her—literally. Shortly after a major rain event causes disastrous flooding in Garnett, Bethany Richter comes to the PI firm looking for help. Despite the threat of the storm, Bethany and her married friends, Michael and Kendall, went to a cabin close to the river for the weekend. The heavy flooding washed out the cabin, leaving Bethany stranded in the river’s forceful currents. A man popped up out of nowhere and saved Bethany. When she reached the bank of the river, he’d disappeared.
Michael and Kendall lost their lives in the flood, and Bethany is beside herself with grief. Now she’s determined to make some good come of it. Bethany wants Annie’s help to find the man so she can thank him for saving her life. If he died saving her, she says, she wants to find his family so she can show them her gratitude.
With only a vague description that the man “looked like Jesus,” Annie sets out to track him down. As she sifts through the little evidence on hand, it forces her to consider the deaths of Michael and Kendall. Michael was the youth pastor at Hillview, the church where Bethany’s husband and father-in-law lead worship every Sunday.
Oddly enough, no matter where Annie turns, everything leads back to Hillview in some way. During her investigation, she runs across a dead body and discovers the woman, Jacinda, was a former member of Hillview. Strong rumor had it Jacinda was into drugs in some way or the other, although no one knows for sure whether she was dealing, using, or both.
Also strange is the fact that Bethany’s husband, John David, was supposed to join the others for the weekend away at the cabin. Bethany explains he was pulled away at the last minute by pastoral duties, but after interviewing him Annie is sure he’s hiding something. As she interrogates old friends and acquaintances, she also has to come to terms with the hardships of small-town life and the dreams she once had for herself that she’s given up.
Author Samantha Jayne Allen’s descriptions and settings will impress with deep authenticity the weight of the Texas heat and how small town life moves in it. With detailed prose, Allen has no trouble making readers see the landscape and feel the glacial pace of Garnett’s residents. Of note is the way the river acts almost as a character in and of itself in the book.
Unfortunately, the story’s pacing also moves glacially. Allen’s thoughtful, methodical approach in the first book featuring Annie reminded readers to pause for the story. Here, the same approach doesn’t work. Instead, it seems like much of the description is filler for what is actually a small case.
Annie often reflects on how everyone in Garnett seems to know everyone else and, subsequently, everyone’s business. It’s somewhat baffling, then, that the case takes as long as it does to figure out. At one point late in the book, a chapter starts to pick up momentum only to have it completely stopped on the next page that states “one month later” with absolutely no explanation given for the time gap or even what Annie was doing during it.
The resolution feels rushed and almost of a different tone than the rest of the book. It comes so late, in fact, that most savvy readers will have figured out the case for Annie long before she does. Those who enjoy a book heavy on elements of literary fiction with some thriller features might like this one.
Six months after Annie Garnett solved the murder of a local waitress in Garnett, Texas, she’s starting to find her groove as a private investigator under the watchful eye of her grandfather, Leroy, and his business partner, Mary-Pat. She’s an apprentice at their PI firm and spends a lot of time chasing down small insurance claims and other busy work. With Leroy slowly easing into retirement and Mary-Pat the big gun in the office, Annie has to settle for the smaller cases.
Until one walks into the office begging for her—literally. Shortly after a major rain event causes disastrous flooding in Garnett, Bethany Richter comes to the PI firm looking for help. Despite the threat of the storm, Bethany and her married friends, Michael and Kendall, went to a cabin close to the river for the weekend. The heavy flooding washed out the cabin, leaving Bethany stranded in the river’s forceful currents. A man popped up out of nowhere and saved Bethany. When she reached the bank of the river, he’d disappeared.
Michael and Kendall lost their lives in the flood, and Bethany is beside herself with grief. Now she’s determined to make some good come of it. Bethany wants Annie’s help to find the man so she can thank him for saving her life. If he died saving her, she says, she wants to find his family so she can show them her gratitude.
With only a vague description that the man “looked like Jesus,” Annie sets out to track him down. As she sifts through the little evidence on hand, it forces her to consider the deaths of Michael and Kendall. Michael was the youth pastor at Hillview, the church where Bethany’s husband and father-in-law lead worship every Sunday.
Oddly enough, no matter where Annie turns, everything leads back to Hillview in some way. During her investigation, she runs across a dead body and discovers the woman, Jacinda, was a former member of Hillview. Strong rumor had it Jacinda was into drugs in some way or the other, although no one knows for sure whether she was dealing, using, or both.
Also strange is the fact that Bethany’s husband, John David, was supposed to join the others for the weekend away at the cabin. Bethany explains he was pulled away at the last minute by pastoral duties, but after interviewing him Annie is sure he’s hiding something. As she interrogates old friends and acquaintances, she also has to come to terms with the hardships of small-town life and the dreams she once had for herself that she’s given up.
Author Samantha Jayne Allen’s descriptions and settings will impress with deep authenticity the weight of the Texas heat and how small town life moves in it. With detailed prose, Allen has no trouble making readers see the landscape and feel the glacial pace of Garnett’s residents. Of note is the way the river acts almost as a character in and of itself in the book.
Unfortunately, the story’s pacing also moves glacially. Allen’s thoughtful, methodical approach in the first book featuring Annie reminded readers to pause for the story. Here, the same approach doesn’t work. Instead, it seems like much of the description is filler for what is actually a small case.
Annie often reflects on how everyone in Garnett seems to know everyone else and, subsequently, everyone’s business. It’s somewhat baffling, then, that the case takes as long as it does to figure out. At one point late in the book, a chapter starts to pick up momentum only to have it completely stopped on the next page that states “one month later” with absolutely no explanation given for the time gap or even what Annie was doing during it.
The resolution feels rushed and almost of a different tone than the rest of the book. It comes so late, in fact, that most savvy readers will have figured out the case for Annie long before she does. Those who enjoy a book heavy on elements of literary fiction with some thriller features might like this one.
December 30, 2023
This 2nd in the Annie McIntyre series continues from the promise shown in her first, Pay Dirt Road (2022). Read more about that in my review from last year. Annie’s CH and URN voice continues to develop as does the supporting cast, especially her cousin Nikki, grandfather Leroy, and his detecting partner, Mary Pat. More information about family and the town emerge, especially details about the Christian church and that environment. Still second-guessing herself, Annie takes on the case of a missing person for an old friend, the pastor’s wife, and stumbles on a murder that may be related. What shines in this novel for me is Allen’s portrait of the town and her use of weather and topography (the river) to amplify Tone and setting. In her first set in Garnett, TX, she used the river as a panacea for the bone-dry, hot, dusty grit of drought; and in this one, she contrasts that frame with a post-flood swollen and damaged landscape that roils with humidity, mildew, and rot. As a sucker for good H2O imagery, she reeled me in. Satisfactory Pace and ending to this adventure, promising a threat on the horizon, perhaps new beginnings for soon-to-be licensed PI Annie and her boyfriend Wyatt. Fans of Jane Harper, Greg Buchanan and Brian Freeman may want to look into this author. You can begin with this book but for CH background begin start with the first. RED FLAGS: Violence; drug use; vulgarity
September 9, 2023
Lots of mysteries in Garnett, TX. And Annie is in the middle again. She searches for a missing person and gets more than she bargains for.
April 18, 2023
Thank you to Minotaur Books, St. Martins Press, and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.
A follow up to Pay Dirt Road, I enjoyed this slow burn mystery. A terrible flood has devastated small town Texas, leaving several dead and months of repairs ahead. The night of the flood Bethany Richter found herself sitting on a rock as the river pulses around her. A man in the tree next to her persuades Bethany to take his hand and move higher by sharing the tree with him. After pulling her into the safety of the tree, he is suddenly swept away in the flowing river.
Annie McIntyre is just getting her feet wet as a new member of her family's private investigation firm, when Bethany contacts her to find the missing man who saved her life. As Annie searches for the man, she finds herself mixed up with other dead bodies, the local church, drug deals gone bad and lies upon lies.
While this is a slow burn, it was very well written and kept me intrigued until the last page throwing in some surprising plot twists along the way. While this is the second book in the Annie McIntyre Mystery Series, it could be read as a stand alone, but I would recommend reading the first just to have the full back story. Both books are extremely quick reads!
A follow up to Pay Dirt Road, I enjoyed this slow burn mystery. A terrible flood has devastated small town Texas, leaving several dead and months of repairs ahead. The night of the flood Bethany Richter found herself sitting on a rock as the river pulses around her. A man in the tree next to her persuades Bethany to take his hand and move higher by sharing the tree with him. After pulling her into the safety of the tree, he is suddenly swept away in the flowing river.
Annie McIntyre is just getting her feet wet as a new member of her family's private investigation firm, when Bethany contacts her to find the missing man who saved her life. As Annie searches for the man, she finds herself mixed up with other dead bodies, the local church, drug deals gone bad and lies upon lies.
While this is a slow burn, it was very well written and kept me intrigued until the last page throwing in some surprising plot twists along the way. While this is the second book in the Annie McIntyre Mystery Series, it could be read as a stand alone, but I would recommend reading the first just to have the full back story. Both books are extremely quick reads!
October 3, 2024
A good sophomore story, Annie McIntyre is settling in as a private investigator in her home town and her fist solo case takes her into danger and in the middle of a hornets nest. The deadly flood that precipitates the case is chilling.
February 17, 2023
Samantha Jayne Allen’s debut novel “Pay Dirt Road” deservedly won a Tony Hillerman prize for best first mystery set in the Southwest. Now the author has returned with her initially reluctant investigator, Annie. Annie has “no law enforcement experience, no special training…. [just] equal parts circumstance and sheer will” that propel her to be part of her retired Grandfather’s detective agency. Bethany, the preacher’s son’s wife, was saved in a devastating flash flood by a stranger who looked like a blue-eyed Jesus. Bethany wants to thank him and Annie gets the job of trying to locate him.
Ms. Allen’s writing is incredibly atmospheric — you can feel the temperature, see the sky, hear the crickets, and witness the aftermath of the floodwaters during each scene. It’s a solid story — Annie is following leads to identify the mystery man until she finds a dead body in the river — but of a woman. Is this connected to her missing person?
I’ll definitely be back for Annie’s next investigation. Annie is complicated and still finding herself, but I want to get to know her better. I also want the recipe for the Dr. Pepper cake. 4 stars!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): SORT OF Some yellow (Tate/Tater Tot, the cat) and reddened ones, but the light has to hit Wyatt’s hazel eyes the right way to bring out the green.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO It’s spring and the cedar is scrubby, the cacti showing new growth, and bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush (the earliest spring flowers in Texas) are dotting the hillsides.
Ms. Allen’s writing is incredibly atmospheric — you can feel the temperature, see the sky, hear the crickets, and witness the aftermath of the floodwaters during each scene. It’s a solid story — Annie is following leads to identify the mystery man until she finds a dead body in the river — but of a woman. Is this connected to her missing person?
I’ll definitely be back for Annie’s next investigation. Annie is complicated and still finding herself, but I want to get to know her better. I also want the recipe for the Dr. Pepper cake. 4 stars!
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press/ Minotaur and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): SORT OF Some yellow (Tate/Tater Tot, the cat) and reddened ones, but the light has to hit Wyatt’s hazel eyes the right way to bring out the green.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO It’s spring and the cedar is scrubby, the cacti showing new growth, and bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush (the earliest spring flowers in Texas) are dotting the hillsides.
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