 | OCHOCO REACH, BY JIM STEWART Word Hermit Press, 289 pp. September 2015 Mike's unusual strategy was to gently stir the pot and wait for patterns to emerge, but this case was boiling over from the day Willimina showed up at his office ... |
THE STORY
Freelance investigator Mike Ironwood doesn't hesitate for a moment when a lovely stranger asks him to help her get to the bottom of suspicious happenings on her family's cattle ranch. The case is intriguing, and Willimina even moreso.
Six days in, the case has turned up two dead bodies, an alphabet soup of secretive federal investigators, and a client who might be The One. That's when things get complicated.
When a greedy DEA agent and his complex and deadly triggerman kidnap Willy, Mike enlists the help from his brother and sets out to rescue her from the conflicted jefe of a major drug cartel. The trail takes them on a surreal tour that extends deep into Mexico, but they come home with unfinished business.
Ochoco Reach introduces Mike Ironwood, his special ops brother Daniel, and Bucket, a Catahoula leopard dog who is equally at home herding cattle and pinning bad guys to the floor. They have each others' backs, and they have unexpected allies in the natural world, who appear in surprising ways. But they also attract trouble at every turn.
Six days in, the case has turned up two dead bodies, an alphabet soup of secretive federal investigators, and a client who might be The One. That's when things get complicated.
When a greedy DEA agent and his complex and deadly triggerman kidnap Willy, Mike enlists the help from his brother and sets out to rescue her from the conflicted jefe of a major drug cartel. The trail takes them on a surreal tour that extends deep into Mexico, but they come home with unfinished business.
Ochoco Reach introduces Mike Ironwood, his special ops brother Daniel, and Bucket, a Catahoula leopard dog who is equally at home herding cattle and pinning bad guys to the floor. They have each others' backs, and they have unexpected allies in the natural world, who appear in surprising ways. But they also attract trouble at every turn.
REVIEWS
"There is so much emotion in this book, it's heartwarming and not at all overwhelming. Jim Stewart has a way with words, a unique way of describing the feels. A unique way of showing the reader the dynamics in between two living beings." -- Liz Scanlon, Amazon reviewer (5/5 stars)
"I read this on the recommendation of a friend -- and I was not disappointed. I hope this is going to be a series. I loved that it kept me interested in 'what would happen next.' There were parts that may have been unbelievable, but it didn't matter because I still wanted to know what was next and how they were going to get out of their next situation." -- Pamela Beckford, Goodreads reviewer (5/5 stars)
"Ochoco Reach isn't an easy book to classify. There are some of the elements of a typical adventure thriller. The main characters are always in danger and the cast of villains is very typical. There are drug cartel bosses and their soldiers who want them captured or dead, crooked law enforcement officer who wants to put them in jail or kill them, along with the other assorted bad guys that you run into in a story set near the US/Mexican border. But there is something else going on here. This book isn't just a fast-paced action story, it has elements to slow it down. Sometimes it nearly feels like a slow-paced 'American Indian becomes the one with the land story' blended with a fairy tale and a story of true love. But the danger is always there. You can't forget that." -- W. Mackela, Amazon reviewer (4/5 stars)
"I read this on the recommendation of a friend -- and I was not disappointed. I hope this is going to be a series. I loved that it kept me interested in 'what would happen next.' There were parts that may have been unbelievable, but it didn't matter because I still wanted to know what was next and how they were going to get out of their next situation." -- Pamela Beckford, Goodreads reviewer (5/5 stars)
"Ochoco Reach isn't an easy book to classify. There are some of the elements of a typical adventure thriller. The main characters are always in danger and the cast of villains is very typical. There are drug cartel bosses and their soldiers who want them captured or dead, crooked law enforcement officer who wants to put them in jail or kill them, along with the other assorted bad guys that you run into in a story set near the US/Mexican border. But there is something else going on here. This book isn't just a fast-paced action story, it has elements to slow it down. Sometimes it nearly feels like a slow-paced 'American Indian becomes the one with the land story' blended with a fairy tale and a story of true love. But the danger is always there. You can't forget that." -- W. Mackela, Amazon reviewer (4/5 stars)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim was born in Chicago and has memories of living in Buffalo, New York; New England; and Southern California.
Finally, he grew up in Oregon where he has lived and worked for the last four decades. His working life has been eclectic, with time spent as a musician, truck driver, laborer, mechanic (of both vehicles and musical instruments), house painter, business owner, salesman and, through it all, a writer and poet.
Finally, he grew up in Oregon where he has lived and worked for the last four decades. His working life has been eclectic, with time spent as a musician, truck driver, laborer, mechanic (of both vehicles and musical instruments), house painter, business owner, salesman and, through it all, a writer and poet.
