Shades of Mercy is perfect for fans of Longmire and Joe Pickett, while they wait for the next book to be released in those series.
Sheriff Beck is investigating a hacked military drone in rural Nevada. His county has a whole lot of land and a dearth of people, including his small police force of only twelve officers. With such a small suspect pool, he zeros in on the sole local hacker. But when she in turn disappears, his mission changes to a rescue operation.
This book is so much fun. Sheriff Beck has unique quirks like night blindness and an in depth knowledge of the locals in his small, but spread out, hometown. His dog, Columbo, is immeasurably cute despite flunking out of both drug and bomb sniffing school. His father, the former Sheriff, is struggling with dementia but still has time for a few snarky asides. All of the characters, including the rural big sky setting that seems like its own character, are fully fleshed out. This is a police procedural so armchair detectives can mostly take a break from detecting and just watch the plot play out.
Overall, Shades of Mercy doesn’t add much to the quirky rural police procedural sub-genre. However, it is a fun read that is a pleasant way to spend a weekend. 4 stars!
Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.