Shades of Mercy - (Porter Beck) by Bruce Borgos

Book Synopsis

In the usually quiet high desert of Nevada, Sheriff Porter Beck faces one of his greatest challenges--a series of unlikely, disturbing and increasingly deadly events of unknown origins.

Porter Beck is the sheriff in the high desert of Nevada, doing the same lawman's job his father once did now that he's returned home after decades away. With his twelve person department, they cover a large area that is usually very quiet, but not of late. One childhood friend is the latest to succumb to a new wave of particularly strong illegal opioids, another childhood friend--now an enormously successful rancher--is targeted by a military drone, hacked and commandeered by an unknown source. The hacker is apparently local--local enough to call out Beck by name--and that means they are Beck's problem.

Beck's investigation leads him to Mercy Vaughn, the one known hacker in the area. The problem is that she's a teenager, locked up with no computer access at the secure juvenile detention center. But there's something Mercy that doesn't sit quite right with Beck. But when Mercy disappears, Beck understands that she's in danger and time is running out for all of them.

Review Quotes

"An intense thriller capitalizing on current technology, and Borgos writes strong, capable women characters." --Library Journal

"Borgos is here to stay in the thrillerverse with awesome stories that vividly capture life in a desert town with cool new scenarios and dangerous threats to keep the good guys and gals busy with action and suspense...[Shades of Mercy] is fast-paced, twisty, and highly entertaining." --Best Thriller Books

"A timely procedural that packs a subtle wallop." --Kirkus

"Borgos's vivid local color calls to mind Craig Johnson's Longmire series, but his clever plotting and well-rounded characters stand firmly on their own. This series deserves a long life." --Publishers Weekly

"A heady brew of police procedural, rural noir, and international espionage...begins on a high note that elevates to a rousing finale." --Shelf Awareness

"A complex, terrifying, action-packed thriller..." --Gumshoe Review

About the Author

Bruce Borgos is the author of The Porter Beck Mystery series and two other novels. He lives in the Mohave Desert with Pam, his wife of 40 years, and their golden retriever, Charlie Blue Horse. He has a lifelong obsession with words and stories and a fascination with how anyone can prefer white wine over red.