texas rangers, strong writing. and mystery, great combo

Thank you to Library Thing and Red Adept Publishing for giving me a review copy of June Bug. I requested this book because I like mysteries, and because it was set in East Texas, where I grew up. But what a seedy side the author showed me of my old stomping grounds!
What I loved most about this novel was the writing. Bell has a humorous style, full of fresh, creative images and timely metaphors. I also loved the clever banter and sexual tension between the protagonist, Texas Ranger Sam Cable, and his unlikely sidekick--tiny, sassy, New York FBI agent, Rita Goldman.
Initially, the plot seemed a bit far-fetched. Chechen terrorists working with an anarchist professor to produce a bioweapon containing the rabies virus? But in light of the 2020 pandemic, it wasn't that hard to suspend disbelief.
The action is nonstop, maybe a bit too intense, and some of the violence was almost cartoon-like, a la the coyote and the roadrunner. But the ending is satisfying if bittersweet. ( )

A Texas ranger, Sam Cable, is stuck chasing down a suspected wife murderer when he gets a visit from a previous crime-fighting partner, Rita Goldman, a petite female FBI agent from New York who has the hots for him. She recruits him as a local information source to help her track down a Chechnyan terrorist group operating out of Texas. At first, Sam has no interest in pursuing a personal relationship; Rita’s not his type. But as the criminal investigation moves on, he finds himself thinking about Rita more often than he expected to.

As the plot unfolds, they find out that a Chechnyan mafia crime boss is financing and rendering aid to the terrorist whose ambition is releasing an aerosol virus in the US to kill thousands of Americans. With the help of a college virology professor that they dupe into thinking that they are only targeting military and large corporate victims, a weaponized rabies-based virus is created. The terrorists then manage to disperse it in an airport, initially killing several thousand people. Fortunately, they are stopped as they move on to disperse it over a larger area.

After the terrorists are stopped, Rita calls off the relationship with Sam before it’s consummated and heads back to New York leaving Sam heartbroken. More than the plot, it was the sexual attraction that made this book slightly humorous and fully enjoyable. A sequel will no doubt be written as this is the third book in a series and the book’s ending contained no barrier that would make the series’ continuance awkward. Having not read the previous two books, I did not feel disadvantaged. The book is complete and stands alone with very few references to Sam’s and Rita’s prior exploits and familiarity, none of which created holes in the story. ( )

I received June Bug by Scott Bell from the author in return for an unbiased review. I enjoyed this story of a plot by Chechen terrorists to unleash a bioweapon in the US. The story is set in east Texas near Kilgore. The terrorists are aided by the Chechen Organized Crime mob in Texas and a sixties radical biology professor at a small private college in Texas. The professor is out to get the elites in the US. The mob is using him to assist a group of Chechen terrorists.

The interaction between Sam Cable, Texas Ranger, and Rita Goldman, FBI agent, is very good. This is probably the best part of the story. This duo appeared together in the first book in this series, April's Fool. There appears to be the start of a romance between the two of them. They are very different. He is a good old Texas boy and she is a tiny Jewish city girl. It is the conflict and budding relationship between them that makes this story good.

The plot is set in late 2020 when based on this story COVID-19 is on the wane. They become involved with the story when they discover the initial test deployments of the bioweapon in East Texas. The professor has created a virus based on rabies that can be spread as an aerosol. Rabies shots must be given with 12 hours or so or it is fatal.

I enjoyed this novel and the first book in the series, April's Fool. I now want to go back and read the second book, May Day. ( )

Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.

Siren’s Tears is not some over-the-top sappy mythological story about heartbreak. It’s about a bioweapon created by terrorists in Texas and Sam Cable, Texas Ranger, is thrown into the race to find it and the people wielding it before it kills millions. Helping him is his FBI friend Rita Goldman, who first discovered the Chechen connection in Texas and while it may be a year since they last worked together, they are back at it once again as if they've never been apart. The odds are stacked against them and the stakes are sky high, but Cable and Goldman are on the case and they always get their dirt bags. Or do they?

Man, oh, man. This is a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s chock full of terrorists, a bioweapon, action, detective work, and some interesting heat going on between Cable and Goldman. It’s all so very nommy and I devoured the book as fast as real life allowed me. Great plot, awesome characters, excellent action scenes, and a slow build of heat between two very different characters makes this the nommiest of treats. Toss in humor and it’s just a little slice of heaven. Although the ending had me mad-squinting my eyes at the author (just a little), I have faith that the next book will be just as tasty and I can’t wait! ( )