Hard Cash Valley (by Brian Panowich)
For a book that is filled with characters struggling to make it through life, hard core brutality, and greed, Brian Panowich delivers a beautiful story about love and loss. Panowich writes about people, places, and circumstances that are real. There are no healthy families living in pretty houses with white picket fences in his stories. The Bull Mountain series takes place in the southern mountains where the people living there are struggling with drug addictions, criminal lifestyles, and unhealthy relationships. His main characters are good people, working on the right side of the law, and willing to help those who don’t know how to help themselves.
Hard Cash Valley is book three in the Bull Mountain series. Dane Kirby, former arson investigator now working for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), is asked to consult on a murder in Jacksonville, Florida. He is ordered to team up with Special Agent Roselita Vasquez of the FBI. The case quickly leads the new partners to Hard Cash Valley. Their investigation becomes dangerous and more deadly as they learn the Filipino Mafia is involved. Dane reaches out to local criminals to help him find a missing boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. Dane not only has to find the murderer of the man in Jacksonville, he also needs to find the murdered man’s younger brother to keep him safe.
In addition to working this time sensitive case, Dane is battling his own personal struggles. He’s a grieving man trying to navigate his committed relationship. As much as I enjoy a gritty, dark murder mystery with all of the evil players, the heart of this book is Dane. Learning Dane’s character, the relationships with his family, and observing his journey through pain and heartache was my absolute favorite part of this story. Panowich created a beautiful story with Hard Cash Valley.
I borrowed the audiobook version from my local library via Hoopla. The narration by Brian Troxell was perfect!
If you’re interested in Brian Panowich and the Bull Mountain series, you’re welcome to check out my previous book review blog posts linked below.
As I mention in my previous blog post for Like Lions, I’m a fan and supporter of the independent bookstore, The Poisoned Pen, in Scottsdale, Arizona. They consistently have amazing author events and are gracious in posting them on YouTube. Below is a video of Brian Panowich’s author event for Hard Cash Valley. Enjoy!
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