MYSTERY

Shades of Mercy

Minotaur: St. Martin’s. (Porter Beck, Bk. 2). Jul. 2024. 352p. ISBN 9781250848093. $28. THRILLER
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As a government RPA (remotely piloted aircraft) is hijacked and explodes over a birthday party in the high Nevada desert, Sheriff Porter Beck is rushing to the scene of an emergency, but he’s not in time to save a childhood friend from a drug overdose. The next day, an Air Force special agent brings Beck to the ranch of another childhood friend, Jesse Roy. They find Ro standing over a crater where his prize bull was killed by the hacked RPA. The government’s immediate willingness to reimburse Roy for the bull and other incidents makes Beck think he’s not getting the whole story. But when he’s told that a brilliant incarcerated 16-year-old might be the hacker, he believes. Mercy Vaughn has the ability and knowledge, and when she disappears from a road crew all hell breaks loose. Beck is determined to save the teen, but he’s up against the U.S. government, a Mexican cartel, and Chinese agents, none of whom seems as concerned with keeping Mercy alive.
VERDICT The sequel to The Bitter Past is a little disjointed, but it’s an intense thriller capitalizing on current technology, and Borgos writes strong, capable women characters.
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