I’m going to review two books in one post, mainly because my back is against the wall in terms of getting my next book ready for launch. I read both of R.S. Guthrie’s book several months ago, more or less back to back.  I had downloaded Blood Land to my Kindle at the recommendation of Russell Blake, and let it sit there for weeks, not sure if I’d care for the story. Murder, betrayal and intrigue in Wyoming? It didn’t give me the warm fuzzy feeling I needed to jump right in. Still, Russell Blake’s recommendation stuck with me and I decided to give it a try. I’m really glad I did. There’s nothing better than finding a new author. You can check out R.S. Guthrie’s blog  at www.robonwriting.com or his official website at www.rsguthrie.com

“I was immediately hooked by Guthrie’s sparing prose and the flawless unravelling of an exquisitely layered story. He transported me right into the badlands of Wyoming and planted me firmly in the middle of a slice of Americana I didn’t know existed. You have to read it to believe it, and given the fact that the author grew up in this part of the country, I have no doubt it is authentic. The images and descriptions, all sparingly presented in a style reminiscent of  Cormac McCarthy, left me spellbound, unable to stop the roller coaster ride of twists and turns toward the conclusion. Richly drawn characters, both deeply flawed and stubbornly heroic, with fixed and shifting loyalties or none at all. Guthrie’s protagonist, Sheriff James Pruett, is a character study in contrasts and tragedy, unable to let “sleeping dogs lie” when a murder shatters the tense calm blanketed over Wind River. The results are epic.

Money Land, book two in the James Pruett Mystery series takes place on the not so distant heels of the first novel. With Wind River still healing from the shocking conclusion to Blood Land, a new threat arrives bringing murder and mayhem in its wake, forcing the different factions of Wind River to band together in the ultimate showdown against an evil empire hell bent on their destruction…led by the good Sheriff Pruett. In Money Land, the reader is taken deeper into Pruett’s past, which is full of surprises…surprises for anyone threatening the good people (and bad) of Wind River. A captivating read, with international reach, Money Land continues the saga surrounding one of the most intriguing stretches of land I’ve read about in a long time. Isolated, stark, insulated from outsiders, the Wyoming landscape is a mesmerizing backdrop for Guthrie’s no holds barred thriller, Money Land.”