Scorched: Burn Me Once... (A Tyler Zahn Novel Book 3) - Cam Torrens

After his over-zealous efforts to find his missing Search & Rescue partner fail, Air Force veteran Tyler Zahn is on the outs with Chaffee County law enforcement. When valuable oil paintings are stolen during a heist on a high-altitude pass in the Colorado Rockies, Zahn is ordered to steer clear of the investigation.

But when Laura Coker Long--the artist he's trying to date--has her most famous work stolen too, Zahn can't help but get involved. Trapped by a wildfire in a mountain retreat with a group of art patrons, Laura and her family, and an FBI agent, Zahn's search for the thief is hindered by more heinous crimes.

Zahn can't afford to screw up again. But he has no choice. If he doesn't step forward and lead, people may die.

 

What did I think?

I love the Tyler Zahn novels so I was very excited to read book three and Scorched is every bit as brilliant as I expected it to be.  I think it reads pretty well as a standalone if you're new to the series, but there is a little continuation of a storyline from book two that will have a greater impact if you already know the story.

Tyler Zahn gets a lot more than he bargained for when he starts dating local artist Laura Coker.  Not only does he have to be interrogated by the Coker sisters, he finds himself trapped in a mountain retreat when wildfires prevent people leaving Laura's art show.  It's like herding kittens trying to keep everyone safe and during the panic and confusion Laura's artwork is stolen.

The wildfire scenes are so descriptive that I could almost smell the smoke and Cam Torrens' vivid writing had me on the edge of my seat.  I found it really scary to think how quickly fire can spread and potentially trap people in their homes.  It's also shows the bravery of firefighters and other emergency services as they put their own lives at risk to save others.

With such a gripping multi-stranded story, the pace is blistering fast and I absolutely raced through the novel, finding it increasingly difficult to put down.  I was intrigued by the artwork theft, entertained by the bickering Coker sisters, craving more clues about the unresolved mystery from book two and gripped by the flames burning all around.  

Scorched is a fantastic thriller that left me breathless and desperate to read more.  I'm a Tyler Zahn addict and I can't wait for the next book - no pressure, Cam!  If you've not yet discovered this brilliant Tyler Zahn series then I heartily recommend you do so.  

I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

False Summit (A Tyler Zahn Novel Book 2) - Cam Torrens

Chaffee County Search & Rescue is known for finding lost people in the Rocky Mountain backcountry. But they've never lost one of their own before.

Cam Torrens, author of Stable, has written another psychological thriller that will have readers racing to answer the question...what happened to Kristee Li?

Veteran pilot Tyler Zahn is finally recovering from the tragedies that cost him his family and drove him from the Air Force, when his best friend, Kristee Li, disappears on a remote search and rescue mission. A massive effort to find her fails. No clues. No body. Kristee is presumed dead.

A fellow team member claims the disappearance is no accident and Zahn begins to question what really happened in the mountains. Who would have wanted Kristee dead? More importantly...why? Plagued with grief, Zahn probes for answers while slowly slipping into the familiar depression he's worked so hard to escape.

False Summit proves when it comes to money, sexuality, and cultural norms, the truth is in short supply. 

What did I think?

I absolutely loved the first Tyler Zahn novel, Stable, so I was very excited to read the follow up, False Summit, and I was not disappointed.

Set in the Rocky Mountains, the mountainous location is almost a character in itself as it holds the answer to the question on everyone's lips: what happened to Tyler Zahn's Search & Rescue colleague Kristee Li.

The disappearance of Kristee is the hook that reeled me in immediately but it's the gradual revealing of the days leading up to her disappearance that kept me riveted.  There are so many different strands to her story and I absolutely loved putting her life under a virtual microscope to piece together her last known movements.  

I love Tyler Zahn's dogged determination to never give up, even when the Sheriff warns him to stop investigating.  Kristee is his friend and if you want anyone in your corner, it's Tyler Zahn.  It's clear that there is more to Kristee's disappearance than anyone first thought and a few of the characters in Kristee's life are hiding something so they don't want the police poking around too much.  They didn't bargain on Tyler Zahn though and he's not going to give up until he finds out the truth.

False Summit is a novel that held me in an icy grip from start to finish.  It's so cleverly written that I simply couldn't read fast enough to get to what actually happened on the mountain and it left me on tenterhooks for book 3.

 

Many thanks to Cam Torrens for sending me a digital ARC to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Stable (A Tyler Zahn Novel Book 1) - Cam Torrens

A kidnapper hiding in plain sight.

A rural town with tons of suspects.

From debut author Cam Torrens comes a gut-wrenching suspense novel based on an actual missing person case.

A 911 call sends Search & Rescue on a search for a missing girl in the Collegiate Peaks. They find a child…but not the one they seek.

Air Force pilot Tyler Zahn's life disintegrated when he lost his son. He discarded his family, his career, and his dignity, finding solace in apathy and beer. Eight years later, armed with new confidence, he invites his estranged daughter, Daria, to visit his Rocky Mountain home. Zahn tries too hard to mend their relationship, and as the tension between father and daughter increases, forgiveness seems out of reach. Especially when his Search & Rescue work pulls him away from Daria and she finds romance at the church camp next door.

But Zahn can't get the missing girl he found—and the one he can't find—out of his mind. Someone in this mountain valley is collecting children, and Zahn is gradually drawn into the case while still trying to break through to his daughter.

Then she disappears too.

What did I think?

Wow!  This book is absolutely fantastic!  It's outstanding books like Stable that make me feel very grateful to be a book blogger as I might never have discovered it otherwise.  I'm not sure how debut author Cam Torrens found me but I am delighted that he did.

I have to say that for a debut novel, the quality of writing is exceptional.  I was drawn straight into the story and it felt so realistic, probably because it is inspired by a real missing person case.  It always pulls at my heartstrings when children go missing as there is a lot of evil in the world so although it's distressing that the girls have been abducted, there is no gratuitous violence or graphic abuse in Stable.

Tyler Zahn is one heck of an interesting character and it was heartbreaking to see him try so hard to rebuild his relationship with his daughter, Daria.  Tyler missed so much of Daria's life when he was stuck in his own spiral of grief after his son died, but Daria lost her brother too.  Tyler wasn't there for Daria back then but when she is next to go missing, god help the person who has taken her as Tyler Zahn is coming for them.

Sublimely plotted and incredibly gripping with a blisteringly fast pace, Stable is one of the best thrillers I have read this year, and even more astonishing is the fact that it's a debut novel too.  Getting hooked on the storyline is one thing but getting hooked by a character is another and it doesn't happen often but I am doubly hooked.  I can't wait to read more Tyler Zahn novels and I can't recommend Stable highly enough.  Don't miss this one, thriller fans!

Many thanks to Cam Torrens for sending me a digital ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon