DRAW A HARD LINE

Murder, meth, and matrimonial discord bedevil a former Texas Ranger in Jimerson’s second series mystery, following White Gold (2022).

Fifty-something E.J. Kane, a former Texas Ranger and now head of security for Devekon Energy, has an arthritic knee, a stressful job, and a damaged family life. The death of his son, Konner, a Marine who died while deployed “half a world away,” marked the beginning of the unraveling of E.J.’s “quilt of a perfect family.” He and his wife, powerful trial lawyer Rebecca Johnson, divorced after the tragedy. E.J. also rescued their daughter, Sharla, a meth addict, after she was abducted and raped by sex traffickers; she now struggles with whether to get an abortion. Because of his difficult family situation, E.J. identifies with the Blakes, whose daughter, Melinda, was murdered a year ago. Crooked Sheriff Benjamin “B.B.” Berryhill can’t be bothered with the Blakes’ unsolved case, but B.B.’s son, a police detective, vows to help, as does E.J. Meanwhile, E.J. is consumed by the fact that Aryan Triangle member and murderer G.H. Burton has been released from prison; his conviction—hard fought by Rebecca—was overturned. This character-driven novel is just as much a tale of family troubles as it is a mystery. A familiar story of meth addiction affectingly spills across the pages, as does the pain of a divorce that one side doesn’t want, in addition to problems of aging. The book’s initial fast pace establishes E.J.’s gruff but helpful character, but he also questions if he’s a lawman who’s outlived his era. The dialogue stays sharp, and descriptions can be strong (“He carried her like a sack of feed swinging wildly”). One flaw is that so much of the story relies on readers knowing what happened in the previous book in the series—or at least requires Jimerson to recap those events. But the author, a Texas attorney, has the real-life experience to back up his storyline, and he gets bonus points for referencing Chuck Norris.

A well-paced thriller that engagingly tangles its hero’s personal and professional lives.