Tim Rangnow

Bounty hunters with souped-up spaceships and smart computers are a space opera staple, but indie writer Tim Rangnow does a good job with this instantiation. Bounty hunter Kole Anwynn is on the chase when he runs into Neela, a streetwise taxi driver who looks 16 but isn’t. Romance and action ensue as they team up to chase an assassin. The apparent age gap between the couple may make some readers go “eew,” but Neela is more mature than she looks, and Kole is in good shape for his age. show more Imagine a movie starring a forty-something Harrison Ford with the ingenue of your choice. One thing made me shake my head: would a master criminal actually hire a high-priced assassin to kill a bounty hunter? Maybe. But Rangnow doesn’t establish its plausibility early enough. show less

In Pirate’s Nest, the third volume of Tim Rangnow’s Rim Jumper series, interstellar bounty hunter Kole Anwyn has to go undercover as a pirate. The plot requires Neela to be offstage. Not to worry. Jaeger, a spunky pirate girl, takes her place as the female lead. I had difficulty suspending my disbelief on some of the plot moves, and I want Neela back, but Pirate’s Nest is a worthy addition to the series. The series deserves more readers than it seems to be getting.

The Rim Jumper series continues to be fun. In Viridian Skies, Neela decides bounty hunting is becoming tedious. She talks Kole into taking a job bodyguarding an archaeologist on a trip to explore an ancient alien artifact that can turn your hair white. If you get out alive, you can attend a music festival to celebrate a rare astronomical event. Bounty hunters on vacay. What could go wrong?