Ralph Gilly, the owner of a fishing resort in Montana where Chris and Matt vacationed together years ago has a neighbor in trouble, and he's reached out to Matt and Chris for help. Clint Davidson's prize bull has been slaughtered and his foreman, Shorty McMann, has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. The cattleman has been warned that any involvement by the FBI or other law enforcement agencies will result in the death of his ranch hand. Desperate, the ranch owner offers to pay all expenses if Matt and Chris can fly out together to help. Reluctantly, Roscoe mayor Harold Swenson agrees to let Matt go, with dire consequences promised if he isn't back on time, and he and Chris head West.
Meanwhile, back home in Roscoe, Rick Dawley becomes acting chief, and he, Bobcat Walker, and Pete Richards have their hands full with a crazed arsonist who is setting local barns on fire.
Among the things I like are the short chapters. As you read along, there is a comfortable certainty in knowing the action will shift when you reach the end of a chapter. The scene either shifts from protagonist to antagonist, or re-opens the action, either in Montana or Upstate New York.
Although part of a series, Deadly Ransom has a strong enough plot and character development to allow it to stand on its own. In fact, your curiosity might be piqued enough to return to the scene of the crime and work your way through the first four books in the series."-GREG MILLER, Production Manager, Thomson Reuters; author of Springsteen-A Notion Deep Inside (2016-www.BossScribbler.com)
