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Knife River
A sheriff fighting to keep the peace in 1970s Oregon faces a shocking secret from his town’s past, in this crime thriller from the author of Reckoning .
There are rules in the West no matter what era you were born in, and it’s up to lawman Ty Dawson to make sure they’re followed in the valley he calls home. The people living on this unforgiving land keep to themselves and are wary of the modern world’s encroachment into their quiet lives.
So it’s not without some suspicion that Dawson confronts a newcomer to the a record producer who has built a music studio in an isolated compound. His latest project is a collaboration with a famous young rock star named Ian Swann, recording and filming his sessions for a movie. An amphitheater for a live show is being built on the land, giving Dawson flashbacks to the violent Altamont concert. Not on his watch.
But even beefed up security can’t stop a disaster that’s been over a decade in the making. All it takes is one horrific case bleeding its way into the present to prove that the good ol’ days spawned a brand of evil no one wants to revisit . . .
Praise for the Ty Dawson Mysteries
“The novel combines the mystery and honesty of Craig Johnson’s Longmire with the first-person narration of a fiercely independent Oregon character.” —Sheila Deeth, author of John’s Joy
“A masterful work of a time gone by. . . . Ty Dawson is a cowboy, lawman, father and philosopher like none other.” —Neal Griffin, Los Angeles Times –bestselling author of The Burden of Proof
There are rules in the West no matter what era you were born in, and it’s up to lawman Ty Dawson to make sure they’re followed in the valley he calls home. The people living on this unforgiving land keep to themselves and are wary of the modern world’s encroachment into their quiet lives.
So it’s not without some suspicion that Dawson confronts a newcomer to the a record producer who has built a music studio in an isolated compound. His latest project is a collaboration with a famous young rock star named Ian Swann, recording and filming his sessions for a movie. An amphitheater for a live show is being built on the land, giving Dawson flashbacks to the violent Altamont concert. Not on his watch.
But even beefed up security can’t stop a disaster that’s been over a decade in the making. All it takes is one horrific case bleeding its way into the present to prove that the good ol’ days spawned a brand of evil no one wants to revisit . . .
Praise for the Ty Dawson Mysteries
“The novel combines the mystery and honesty of Craig Johnson’s Longmire with the first-person narration of a fiercely independent Oregon character.” —Sheila Deeth, author of John’s Joy
“A masterful work of a time gone by. . . . Ty Dawson is a cowboy, lawman, father and philosopher like none other.” —Neal Griffin, Los Angeles Times –bestselling author of The Burden of Proof
342 pages, Paperback
Published April 23, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 1, 2024
Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
KNIFE RIVER (The Sheriff Ty Dawson Crime Thriller Series) by Baron Birtcher is an intricately plotted crime thriller with buried appalling crimes and secrets from the sheriff’s small town’s past that are about to be revealed and become the cause of a horrific crime in the present. This is the fourth book in the Ty Dawson series, but each is easily read as a standalone story.
Sheriff Ty Dawson is a Korean War veteran, rancher, and sheriff in the 1970’s small town of Meridian, Oregon. Ty discovers a new music studio compound has been built outside town. A famous young rock star is recording a new album and filming his sessions. It will culminate in the filming of a live concert built in a new outdoor amphitheater. Ty does not want the headaches and crimes related to a large intrusion of outsiders, but he has no choice.
What Ty does not know is the singer has ulterior motives for picking this location and is in danger from someone who does not want crimes from the past to resurface.
This is a story that pulled me in, and I did not put the book down until the end. I enjoy that it is set in the 1970’s and I especially like the references regarding the music scene and musicians. The flashback scenes to the buried secrets were interwoven throughout the present in the story and just kept ratcheting up the tension to the climax when the two collide. Sheriff Ty Dawson is a fully developed character of moral conviction with a love of his family, friends, and town, but he is not blind to the changes happening in the world. There is just something in Mr. Birtcher’s writing style that pulls me into each book in this series and makes me believe Ty is real and could walk right off the page.
I highly recommend this exceptional crime thriller addition to the series, the entire series, and this author!
KNIFE RIVER (The Sheriff Ty Dawson Crime Thriller Series) by Baron Birtcher is an intricately plotted crime thriller with buried appalling crimes and secrets from the sheriff’s small town’s past that are about to be revealed and become the cause of a horrific crime in the present. This is the fourth book in the Ty Dawson series, but each is easily read as a standalone story.
Sheriff Ty Dawson is a Korean War veteran, rancher, and sheriff in the 1970’s small town of Meridian, Oregon. Ty discovers a new music studio compound has been built outside town. A famous young rock star is recording a new album and filming his sessions. It will culminate in the filming of a live concert built in a new outdoor amphitheater. Ty does not want the headaches and crimes related to a large intrusion of outsiders, but he has no choice.
What Ty does not know is the singer has ulterior motives for picking this location and is in danger from someone who does not want crimes from the past to resurface.
This is a story that pulled me in, and I did not put the book down until the end. I enjoy that it is set in the 1970’s and I especially like the references regarding the music scene and musicians. The flashback scenes to the buried secrets were interwoven throughout the present in the story and just kept ratcheting up the tension to the climax when the two collide. Sheriff Ty Dawson is a fully developed character of moral conviction with a love of his family, friends, and town, but he is not blind to the changes happening in the world. There is just something in Mr. Birtcher’s writing style that pulls me into each book in this series and makes me believe Ty is real and could walk right off the page.
I highly recommend this exceptional crime thriller addition to the series, the entire series, and this author!
April 26, 2024
Ty Dawson is. back, and better than ever! Author Baron R. Birtcher’s iconic Western lawman has been described as a cross between Longmire and Yellowstone (I’d probably throw a bit of Matt Dillon in there too.) In this latest book in the award-winning series, Dawson discovers that a record producer and young rock star who have come to his town in Oregon are hiding secrets from the past that lead to a shocking tragedy. The book is set in the 1970s (like the rest of the Ty Dawson series) - with dramatic flashbacks to a terrible murder case that happened in 1964. Birtcher’s own long career working in the music industry gives the reader a reality that puts you back in the ‘70s music scene. And his writing, as always, is eloquent and masterful in setting the scene for this fascinating mystery. I recommend it highly.
April 29, 2024
Birtcher takes us to 1970s Oregon where cowboys are tough and the lawmen have to be tougher. Tyler Dawson is both. He's a rancher who reluctantly allowed himself to be elected sheriff. He is quick to action, borders on uncontrolled anger and reminds me of Longmire.
Birtcher emphasizes the emotions of Dawson so this novel will appeal to readers who like to get a good idea of the inner turmoil through which the hero struggles. A lesson Dawson learns in this novel is the possible error of judging people by initial impressions.
The mystery aspect of the novel has roots in a death years ago. I like how Birtcher gives a few vignettes leading up to the earlier death, preparing us for how it relates to the current death. The villain is truly an evil individual and worthy of Dawson's intense investigation.
Birtcher's writing style is clear and a pleasure to read. While the narrative has much of Dawson's emotional state and thoughts, there is plenty of action that kept me reading. I recommend this novel to readers who like a forceful man keeping the law in a rough and tumble area of the not so old west.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Birtcher emphasizes the emotions of Dawson so this novel will appeal to readers who like to get a good idea of the inner turmoil through which the hero struggles. A lesson Dawson learns in this novel is the possible error of judging people by initial impressions.
The mystery aspect of the novel has roots in a death years ago. I like how Birtcher gives a few vignettes leading up to the earlier death, preparing us for how it relates to the current death. The villain is truly an evil individual and worthy of Dawson's intense investigation.
Birtcher's writing style is clear and a pleasure to read. While the narrative has much of Dawson's emotional state and thoughts, there is plenty of action that kept me reading. I recommend this novel to readers who like a forceful man keeping the law in a rough and tumble area of the not so old west.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
May 1, 2024
Baron Birtcher is a really unique writer. Everyone I know who is familiar with his books (most of them also writers) shares my reverence for his special talent. I’ve read most of his novels at this point, and all have filled me with the same awe at his way with words, ability to create atmosphere, and the deep thinking he brings to his storytelling. Knife River, like all Birtcher’s Ty Dawson books, is a totally engaging, multi-layered mystery centering around a sheriff/rancher in a small Oregon town in the early Seventies, all of it drawn so skillfully that you can smell the air, feel the breeze, and marvel at the skies as you simultaneously suffer the evil that inevitably invades the town of Meridian and calls Sherriff Dawson into service. To say the least, Knife River is not just another run-of-the-mill mystery or detective story. Like everything written by this author, it is truly a work of art.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews