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sprouted's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Two years after the death of Sheriff Ross, Sheriff Chris Cherry has another body on his hands and a gang of white supremacist bikers living in a nearby town...
[b:The Far Empty|27272425|The Far Empty|J. Todd Scott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1448309236s/27272425.jpg|43391749] wound up being fantastic so I scooped this up when it popped up on Netgalley.
The second book set in the sleepy Texas border town of Murfee packs almost as big of a punch as the first. When a man winds up dead outside a bar, Chris Cherry picks up the trail and it leads him to a family of white supremacist bikers in a nearby town. However, nothing is as cut and dry as it seems.
Much like the last book, it's the ensemble cast that powers the story forward. Chris has a mentor in Ben Harper, a widowed lawman that's Chris' right hand and a capable deputy in America Reynosa. The Earl family is a horrible reflection of the makeshift family Chris has in the Murfee PD. Aside from the undercover cop in their midst, that is...
There are wheels within wheels in this one. Lots of people are lying and keeping secrets and more than one person ends up in the ground because of it. Once I got over the 50% hump, it was a hard book to put aside.
Once again, J. Todd Scott did a great job with the scenery and location, making Murfee and the surrounding areas almost a character in the story. Chris Cherry, however, is probably the least interesting character in the book. If the supporting cast wasn't so rich, I don't think I'd rate this or The Far Empty as highly.
The ending wound up being an even bigger trainwreck than I thought. The Murfee PD went through the flames and none of them came out without at least minor burns. While satisfying on its own, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
While I didn't like it quite as much as The Far Empty, High White Sun was quite a read. Four out of five stars.
[b:The Far Empty|27272425|The Far Empty|J. Todd Scott|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1448309236s/27272425.jpg|43391749] wound up being fantastic so I scooped this up when it popped up on Netgalley.
The second book set in the sleepy Texas border town of Murfee packs almost as big of a punch as the first. When a man winds up dead outside a bar, Chris Cherry picks up the trail and it leads him to a family of white supremacist bikers in a nearby town. However, nothing is as cut and dry as it seems.
Much like the last book, it's the ensemble cast that powers the story forward. Chris has a mentor in Ben Harper, a widowed lawman that's Chris' right hand and a capable deputy in America Reynosa. The Earl family is a horrible reflection of the makeshift family Chris has in the Murfee PD. Aside from the undercover cop in their midst, that is...
There are wheels within wheels in this one. Lots of people are lying and keeping secrets and more than one person ends up in the ground because of it. Once I got over the 50% hump, it was a hard book to put aside.
Once again, J. Todd Scott did a great job with the scenery and location, making Murfee and the surrounding areas almost a character in the story. Chris Cherry, however, is probably the least interesting character in the book. If the supporting cast wasn't so rich, I don't think I'd rate this or The Far Empty as highly.
The ending wound up being an even bigger trainwreck than I thought. The Murfee PD went through the flames and none of them came out without at least minor burns. While satisfying on its own, I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
While I didn't like it quite as much as The Far Empty, High White Sun was quite a read. Four out of five stars.
abibliofob's review against another edition
4.0
This was in my opinion the best one so far. Unfortunately have I been reading them in the wrong order. But I think the story and characters in High White Sun were great. I am eagerly waiting for the next one by J. Todd Scott.
bookmason's review against another edition
4.0
Second in the series, a modern day western.
South Texas - The Law, Bike Gangs and Drug dealers combine in a terrific tale.
Like his first it takes a little time to get going but Scott really brings it here.
Loved his first and this is better.
South Texas - The Law, Bike Gangs and Drug dealers combine in a terrific tale.
Like his first it takes a little time to get going but Scott really brings it here.
Loved his first and this is better.
schwelo's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A strong second book in the series, this one centering around the murder of a man and suspects with ties to a white suprematist group and the death of a law enforcement officer years before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Trafficking, Racism, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Blood, Alcoholism, Pregnancy, and Medical content
yallbetta's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
alexcarbonneau's review against another edition
5.0
J Todd Scott isn't just playing a part in the Modern Western genre.
He owns it.
He could take anyone to a standoff and get out of it walking tall while the competition bites the dust.
He is a born storyteller who will never know the meaning of Sophomore Slump. In his second novel, Scott once again shows he's a force to be reckoned with when it comes to entangling a spiderweb of intrigues and slowly connecting the dots, only to finish the reader with a punch in the gut sensation. Like the jacket cover says: Welcome back to the Big Bend.
Although High White Sun is the sequel to The Far Empty, it has a personality of its own. A feel that its predecessor didn't have. With TFE, I felt like Scott focused on the characters first, whereas in HWS, the reader can almost feel like he's part of every dark and dusty corner of Murfee and the Big Bend. Scott achieved what few can where he managed to make the setting of his novel a stand-alone character as important as Chris or Amé, making the story even richer and managing to have the reader feel rooted in that God forsaken place.
The real-life experience of Scott as a DEA agent lives through the pages of High White Sun as he takes the reader inside a bound to crash Sheriff's office loaded with newbies and the occasional vet who try their hands at an ABT biker crew and a White Supremacist wannabe preacher. Meanwhile, the fifteen-year-old murder of a police officer is about to be avenged and of course, everything is connected.
A Molotov cocktail mix that can only end in blood, or more blood.
Sangre exige sangre.
Scott's prose is lyrical and flows like a river at thaw, yet he also manages to pack the almost 500 page novel with enough action sequences to make sure the reader feels every gunshot, every explosion, every punch. Just like he was under the baking sun of Murfee, TX.
With High White Sun, Scott sets the bar high for anyone willing to try his hands at the modern western genre, let alone a series.
The table is set for what I hope will be a long Big Bend series and the challenge will now reside in coming up with something as good as this one.
La perfección exige la perfección
He owns it.
He could take anyone to a standoff and get out of it walking tall while the competition bites the dust.
He is a born storyteller who will never know the meaning of Sophomore Slump. In his second novel, Scott once again shows he's a force to be reckoned with when it comes to entangling a spiderweb of intrigues and slowly connecting the dots, only to finish the reader with a punch in the gut sensation. Like the jacket cover says: Welcome back to the Big Bend.
Although High White Sun is the sequel to The Far Empty, it has a personality of its own. A feel that its predecessor didn't have. With TFE, I felt like Scott focused on the characters first, whereas in HWS, the reader can almost feel like he's part of every dark and dusty corner of Murfee and the Big Bend. Scott achieved what few can where he managed to make the setting of his novel a stand-alone character as important as Chris or Amé, making the story even richer and managing to have the reader feel rooted in that God forsaken place.
The real-life experience of Scott as a DEA agent lives through the pages of High White Sun as he takes the reader inside a bound to crash Sheriff's office loaded with newbies and the occasional vet who try their hands at an ABT biker crew and a White Supremacist wannabe preacher. Meanwhile, the fifteen-year-old murder of a police officer is about to be avenged and of course, everything is connected.
A Molotov cocktail mix that can only end in blood, or more blood.
Sangre exige sangre.
Scott's prose is lyrical and flows like a river at thaw, yet he also manages to pack the almost 500 page novel with enough action sequences to make sure the reader feels every gunshot, every explosion, every punch. Just like he was under the baking sun of Murfee, TX.
With High White Sun, Scott sets the bar high for anyone willing to try his hands at the modern western genre, let alone a series.
The table is set for what I hope will be a long Big Bend series and the challenge will now reside in coming up with something as good as this one.
La perfección exige la perfección
mcf's review
5.0
This series is awfully good. Scott is immensely skilled and this, his second novel, is even better than his first (which was excellent in its own right). The POV shifts regularly without being jarring, and Scott allows his characters to have their secrets, correctly assuming that his readers will be patient enough to accept uncertainty as they wait for the story to play out. Along somewhat similar likes, something at which he is particularly good is giving even the worst of his characters humanity. We're often able to see inside their heads and learn a little about them and, even as we despise them, we have an uncomfortable understanding of why they are who they are, and why they've made the choices they have.
Honestly, I feel like I'm basically going to say the same thing everything Scott writes. These books are great, and whether or not you're into stories about border towns and law enforcement, they're worth savoring.
Honestly, I feel like I'm basically going to say the same thing everything Scott writes. These books are great, and whether or not you're into stories about border towns and law enforcement, they're worth savoring.
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