JUST ANOTHER GAL FROM CASPER: WHAT I’M READING RIGHT NOW EDITION…
Imagine a train pulling out of the station, picking up speed as it goes until finally, it’s slamming over the tracks like some whack carnival ride. That’s what reading Breakneck, Marc Cameron’s latest novel, feels like. You’re along for the ride, heart skipping a few beats at first, then mirroring the pulse-pounding action.
If you’re a fan of Tom Clancy, CJ Box and Craig Johnson, I encourage you to add Marc Cameron to your list of must-read authors. Cameron’s earned high praise for continuing the Jack Ryan stories; Breakneck is the fifth offering in yet another adventure series, this one featuring U.S. Marshal Arliss Cutter. I haven’t read 1 through 4 yet, but I dug #5 so much that I’m dying to read the previous Arliss Cutter books and all the books that follow.
In Breakneck, Cameron serves up great characters, beautiful settings described in such detail you’ll swear you’ve been transported to the Alaskan wilderness, and loads of action. Cutter’s a man of few words who’s incredibly good at his job. He’s also a guy who knows how to roll with the punches — sometimes literally, which is a really good thing considering the situations he finds himself in (gunfights, fistfights, tumbles off of trains into the glacially chilled waters, etc…). His partner, Lola Teariki, is equally capable and tough. Which is also a really good thing, because these two are about to get beat all to hell. And back.
Breakneck follows several sets of characters, two sets of which are gasoline and matches. The Marshals (Cutter, Teariki and several others), who are tasked with protecting Supreme Court Justice Charlotte Morehouse and her teenage daughter. And, the Bratva (Russian Mob) dudes who are intent on slaughtering Judge Charlotte Morehouse, her daughter and anyone who gets in their way. When they’re all finally face to face, all hell breaks loose on a train ride through the Alaskan wilderness, and Cutter and the Judge are forced to bail out of the train into a freezing landscape that’s almost as intent on killing them as the Russians.
There’s a bonus story arc thrown in as well — the investigation into the death of Cutter’s brother, Ethan. Mim, Ethan’s widow (and the woman Cutter’s loved since he was 16) finds herself up against bad guys and bears (yes, bears) when she asks too many questions. She also discovers some surprising info about Ethan’s past personal connections.
Cameron’s created more than a breathtaking action series; he’s given us a protagonist who’s as much a family man as he is a hero. Memories of Arliss and Ethan being raised by their grandfather (“Grumpy”) are peppered throughout the story. And Cutter’s as much a father figure to Ethan and Mim’s kids as Grumpy was to him. But don’t let the mention of domesticity fool you; Breakneck is filled with one exciting escapade after another.
Speaking of exciting, don’t miss your chance to chat up the New York Times Best-selling author himself when he hits town for a book signing! Wind City Books and Gruner Brothers Brewing are pairing up to bring Marc Cameron to Casper for one night only. Stop by Wind City Books and pre-order your copy of Breakneck. Then, on May 3, head to Gruner Brothers Brewing from 6 to 8, sip s’m suds, and listen to Cameron talk about Arliss Cutter, the Alaskan Wilderness, and how he transitioned from being a U.S. Marshal to creating a fascinating series about a U.S. Marshal. For more info, visit windcitybooks.com, or find ‘em on Facebook.
