Strong from the Heart

May 11, 2020
Land ably juggles multiple plot threads in his riveting 11th Caitlin Strong novel (after 2019’s Strong as Steel). After determining the origins of a killing agent that wiped out all 288 residents of the Texas border town of Camino Pass, relentless justice-seeker Caitlin, a fifth-generation Texas Ranger, becomes a murder target when attempting to bring down the heinous architects of a massive drug operation. Meanwhile, Caitlin’s rebel lover, Cort Wesley Masters, aggressively investigates pill mills and extensive distribution networks responsible for the near death of his son, Luke Torres. In flashbacks to 1898, past episodes mirror present ones, with Caitlin’s great-grandfather, fearless Texas Ranger William Ray Strong, joining forces with young Mexican bandit Pancho Villa to battle a mighty Chinese drug cartel and locate the abducted children of Camino Pass. Repetition and padded scenes somewhat inhibit the flow, but the subplot concerning Villa and William Ray more than compensates with its historical intrigue. Series fans will be eager for more. Agent: Natalia Aponte, Natalia Aponte Literary.

May 15, 2020
Making her 11th appearance, Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong sets her sights on "the largest drug operation that had ever permeated the planet." The opioid scourge, which can be traced to top branches of government, hits home for Caitlin and her boyfriend, reformed mob enforcer Cort Wesley Masters, when his teenage son, Luke, nearly dies of an overdose. Then, bizarrely, nearly 300 people suddenly die in the border town of Camino Pass. The novel flashes back to 1898, when all of the same town's children are kidnapped just as Texas Ranger William Ray Strong--Caitlin's great-grandfather--is about to deliver the young Pancho Villa to stand trial. Cort Wesley, who is angrily determined to avenge Luke's near death, has a direct connection to the past in the form of an apparition named Leroy who appears in the back seat of his car. As tough as she is, Caitlin has her hands full with the present. The book is stuffed with incident and characters, including Native American activist Yarek Bone, aged Ranger-turned-DEA agent Doyle Lodge, and Caitlin's loose cannon of a half sister, Nola Delgado. A gun for hire whose mother was the feared Mexican crime boss the Red Widow, Nola has gotten involved with Luke's vulnerable college-age brother, Dylan. Both Dylan and Luke have been targeted by bad guys in the past. While some judicious trims would have made the novel less of a slog for some readers--the Pancho Villa storyline is pretty half-baked--fans of the series will be more than happy to indulge in all its trimmings. A sprawling return to well-worn paths.

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May 1, 2020
Caitlin Strong, a fifth-generation Texas Ranger, is not to be trifled with as she proves early on in her latest adventure by going head-to-head with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Representatives from ICE have come to a grade school to pick up six children believed to be in the U.S. illegally. Strong knows that once ICE takes the kids, they will very likely get lost in the system. With protesters outside the school, Strong diffuses the situation by taking the kids into protective custody to keep them away from ICE. For readers unfamiliar with Land's series, this opening scene establishes Strong as cool under pressure and righteous. Later, after her outlaw boyfriend's son nearly dies from an opioid overdose, she decides to bring the supplier and dealer to justice. Strong proves just as tough in dealing with corrupt pharmaceutical companies and equally corrupt politicians and doctors as she was in outflanking ICE. This is a very timely novel in which the good guys are in short supply and drastically underfunded compared to their adversaries. A fine entry in an excellent series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)