Strong Cold Dead

August 22, 2016
As shown by Land’s complex eighth Caitlin Strong novel (after 2015’s Strong Light of Day), the fifth-generation Texas Ranger has the cowboy cool and the gunfighter bravado of a Louis L’Amour hero, just like her legendary great-great-grandfather, Steeldust Jack Strong. In a flashback to 1874, Steeldust Jack inspects the mangled body of a fancily dressed gunman near a Comanche reservation outside Austin. Steeldust Jack’s saga provides counterpoint to the case that Caitlin is working on in the present day, which involves terrorists (both homegrown and foreign), Canadian Mounties, boarding school bullies, Comanches, Bingo-playing old folks, an American president, ghosts, giant bats, and much else in this rich tapestry. Land skillfully pulls all the disparate strands together and delivers a rootin’ tootin’ grand finale. Whether kicking bad guy butt or giving a commencement address, Caitlin gets the job done efficiently and with great aplomb. Agent: Natalia Aponte, Natalia Aponte Literary Agency.

Starred review from September 15, 2016
Caitlin Strong is back and better than ever in this latest in Land's popular series. Her job as a Texas Ranger has always put her in jeopardy, but this time the people she loves are also at risk. Caitlin's boyfriend's son has fallen in love with a Comanche girl with a secret agenda, and the reservation where she lives is at the heart of a conspiracy that has ties to ISIS. At the heart of the plan is a toxin that has the potential to kill millions but could also provide the ultimate cure for cancer. Land is a master of action scenes, and this time the entire novel is really one long action scene that never stops escalating in tension and mystery. Caitlin is the quintessential action hero, both ruthless and unstoppable while at the same time realistic and sympathetic. Thrillers don't get better than this. Readers who love pure action mixed with nicely detailed procedural elements should consider Strong Cold Dead and the previous books in the Caitlin Strong series mandatory reading.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)