Review of In Harm's Way

In Harm’s Way
Ridley Pearson
G.P. Putnam
389 pages
Sheriff Walt Fleming returns in another shock filled adventure in picturesque Sun Valley Idaho.
Fresh from saving the life of a young girl Walt’s crime scene photographer and recent romantic interest Fiona Krenshaw tries unsuccessfully to stay out of the camera’s view finder, Walt mistaking this for modesty thinks little of it until it’s apparent that there’s something insidious going on. Now he has more crimes to solve than you can shake a stick at, still at war over his ex-wife’s antics including her involvement with his star deputy and trying to raise his twin pre-teen daughters so the last thing he needs is a hot shot homicide dick from Seattle horning in on his territory too, but that’s exactly what he’s got.
There are many things that stand out about the brilliance of Ridley Pearson he’s a master storyteller as evidenced by my refusal to put down this latest thriller and his character development as evidenced by his many, many fans of both his series and his stand a lone novels. Well fans of his Lou Bolt and Walt Fleming series have something extra to love about in “In Harm’s Way” both Lou and Walt are in the house, solving crimes and keeping the streets safer for their residents. Walt as the main protagonist is brilliant as a law officer so it’s especially nice to see him bumbling around like a teenager with his first crush when you bring in the heroine in this case a feisty, independent and yet very vulnerable Fiona who has a slew of secrets of her own. The plot is always interesting as you mix the have and have not’s of Sun Valley while the dialogue is not what you might expect of a crime drama and further evidence of Mr. Pearson’s excellent writing ability because he can ably write a suspenseful, chilling, edge of your seat thriller without dropping the “f” bomb, or for that fact other crude and offensive language, not that I’m opposed to such language, but it is nice to have a refrain from it once in a while. His characters are amazing in their complexity from the one liner all the way to the star of the novel.
This is one read you must not miss, believe me you will be sorry if you do. It will be an instant best seller. It reads well on it’s own but I would strongly suggest starting the series from the beginning to get the full picture.