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Lone Jack Trailby Owen Laukkanen Hardcover, 322 Read: September 7, 2020 |
“Deputy.” Hart held up his hand. Then he sighed. “Jess. You haven’t worked a case this big before; I understand that. You’ve got a lot to learn, and sometimes I forget, but—”
“Sheriff—”
“But you’re going to find,” Hart continued, talking over her interruption, “that cases like these, they’re not generally head-scratchers. Most of the murders you’ll see, they’ll wrap up just about the way you expect them to. People get angry, they do something stupid. They, by and large, lack the capacity to cover it up.”
Jess made to speak again, but Hart wasn’t having it. He held his hand up again, palm out toward her.
Yes, that’s the case generally. But, there are exceptions to that rule. If not, there wouldn’t be a whole lot of books available in the Crime Fiction/Mystery/Thriller Genre.
What’s Lone Jack Trail About?
Since, the events of Deception Cove, the County Sheriff has retired and a new one has come in and has cleaned house. As part of Sheriff Hart’s efforts to right the ethical/legal ship, he’s hired Jess as a Deputy. Mason Burke has stuck around, too, and is working for the construction crew building Jess’s new house.
Things are looking up for both of them until another man is released from prison and comes to town. “Bad” Brock and Mason clash instantly and repeatedly, eventually coming to blows. So when Brock is found dead, Mason’s a potential suspect. Evidence starts to pile up and Mason stops being a “potential” suspect and becomes the only suspect.
Mason: The Suspect
He’d wondered, again, if he might not be better off turning himself in, putting his faith in the law and avoiding the possibility of further violence. But Mason knew he couldn’t do it.
If he wanted his name cleared, he would have to do it himself. And he would have to do it in a way that ensured no more innocent people were hurt.
Mason’s struggling with what happened in Deception Cove, but is trying to move on. Given his past, he’s definitely not one to complain about what’s happened to him. He also understands how he became a suspect and doesn’t hold it against Hart for suspecting him. He wishes Jess would help him more—but understands and doesn’t blame her for doing her job.
He’s seen enough, though, to know better than to trust the system. So he does as much of the legwork as he can to dig up evidence to exonerate himself. Sadly, circumstances and the guilty work harder to keep him from getting anywhere.
Jess: The Deputy
Mason Burke wasn’t a killer anymore. Jess simply couldn’t see how he’d do it…she believed he hadn’t killed Brock Boyd either, though in truth, on that count, she couldn’t be as sure.
He killed before, didn’t be? And didn’t you already prove you’re a piss-poor judge of a man’s character? Wasn’t your husband already the plain proof of that fact?
You need proof, she thought. Something concrete.
At the beginning of the novel, Jess is struggling with commitment. She wants to go “all in” with Mason, but after what her husband did to her (and so many others), it’s hard to trust. That’s in addition to the trauma from her service that she’s still dealing with (aided and comforted by Lucy).
Then when Brock’s body is found, she knows she needs to tell her boss about the bad blood between Brock and Mason. She doesn’t doubt in Mason’s innocence (well, maybe a little), but she knows how ex-cons do in the system. So she does what she can to look for other suspects—and eventually has to go beyond her orders to investigate.
“Bad” Brock Boyd: The Victim
I’m not suggesting this man deserved to die. I’m definitely not suggesting that it was good that he was murdered.
But…
Wow, it is hard to muster any sympathy for this victim. The first thing we learn about him is that he was a horrible person—a celebrity athlete who went to jail for dog-fighting. And that right there, is the best, most likable things we learn about him. Again, not someone who deserved to be murdered, but it’s hard not to want to look for excuses for his killer to get away with it. Really, you want the killer to be caught more for Mason’s sake than for justice’s.
Lucy: The Dog
At the end of the day, these books don’t exist without Lucy. She brought Mason and Jess together, she played major roles in the first book and is a significant force in this one.
What she does in this book isn’t nearly as important as what she did in Deception Cove (which is not to say that she doesn’t do anything important), but her shadow is over everything that happens with Mason and Jess—and even Boyd.
But best yet, she’s a good girl, and more books need dogs like that.
So, what did I think about Lone Jack Trail?
It took me a little longer to get into this one than I expected or am used to from a book by Laukkanen. But wow, once I got hooked? That was it, I ignored pretty much everything else going on that day so I could finish.
I love the characters, the plot was compelling and the reveals were gripping. It was hard to see how Mason would stay a free man with the cards stacked against him—and there was plenty of tension and suspense aside from that. It’s also great to watch the fragile relationship between Mason and Jess progress—with the highs and lows, setbacks, and challenges that make it feel real.
Laukkanen did it again. He just knows how to write a thriller that sticks with you.
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