Mark Young (6)

Shouldering responsibility for the death of a witness, Travis Mays walks away from police work and settles into the scenic mountains of Idaho accepting a job as a criminology professor. Content with teaching and learning to kayak with the help of a lovely instructor, Jessie White Eagle from the local Nez Perce tribe, Travis has no desire to return to the life of an investigator. However, when trouble strikes Jessie's family and a deadly sniper seems to have targeted Travis and his loved show more ones, Travis may have no choice but to confront his past and a killer set on Revenge.

Action packed from the very beginning, Mark Young builds layers of suspense and subterfuge into his story and he does a fabulous job weaving great characters into this fast-paced thriller. Travis was an original lead hero and Jessie was far from a sniveling damsel in distress stereotype. I am always impressed when the female lead can hold her own and Jessie was as interesting and complex a character as Travis. The supporting characters were also well drawn and the identity of the killer was as unpredictable as the next victim.

Along with realistic characters and an intricate mystery, Young excels at painting a scenic and varied setting for the story. From whitewater rapids in Idaho, to gritty California city streets, and capturing the culture clash of tradition and modernity among the Nez Perce people; details bring the narrative fully to life. Reminiscent of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series or Tony Hillerman's Jim Chee books - Revenge, the first Travis Mays novel, is a solid work that promises great things for future mysteries by Mark Young. show less

Just when you thought you figured it all out, you’re thrown for a twist.

Revenge follows ex-detective, Travis May. As bodies keep piling up the clues all seem to point to the case that caused Travis to leave the force. As they rush to figure out who the killer is, Travis is faced with the ghosts of his past.

I loved this story from the beginning. First off, I love a good mystery and Revenge delivered on that. Even though I thought I had it all figured out, the author threw a curve ball in show more the end and added a completely different layer that I did not see coming. I had to read the sentence a few times to confirm that my eyes were not playing tricks on me.

Secondly, Revenge is one of the few self-published novels that I found refreshing to read. Sometimes, self-published books are littered with mistakes and continuity errors - possibly due to lack of proper editing - however, Revenge read as though it had a good editor. I did notice two things, but they were so minor I got past them without being pulled out of the narrative.

Finally, I enjoyed the way the narrative moved from one point of view to the next. You got to see the killer’s moves without revealing too much for you to know who the killer is, at least until it was necessary. Revenge is a great book to read if you have a hankering for a mystery. show less

Once again I broke out of my reading box and dived into a "suspense" novel. Revenge is the total embodiment of suspense. A page turner indeed. Travis Mays is an ex-cop turned professor due to his love interest, Michelle Scarsbourgh,being murdered on his watch. This tragedy sent Mays into the mountains and into rivers of Idaho where he met Jessie White Eagle. Jessie and her father Frank, the town police chief, were dealing with their own tragedy. Jessie's brother Tommy White Eagle was show more missing. Tommy was an upcoming young attorney who was diligent about helping his people of the Nez Perce tribe. Tommy was also involved with the tribe's casino operations which turned out to be corrupt. When Travis heard of Tommy's disappearance he agreed to help not knowing he was playing into the hands of a killer.

Travis Mays was such a solid character. There were a lot of characters in this novel but not in a confusing way. Even though Jessie and Travis's blossoming relationship fueled the killer it did not overwhelm the story. Travis's dog, Sam, was such an added delight to the story and somewhat of a hero. Our mystery character, Creasy, was no doubt the bad guy but also pure evil. The character that stood out to me the most was the Idaho countryside and terrain. Young made the mountains and the river as much a part of the novel as the humans. He described the scenery so vividly that you really felt as if you were there.

This story was very balanced and well written. There were a lot of twists and turns and just when you thought you had the killer figured out there was more. The story never felt unrealistic even though it was full of high energy "Law & Order" type police stuff. There were points where this story got so exhilarating that you had to keep reading. Towards the end I began to feel as if Young was dragging the story out when it could have ended 100pgs earlier. Revenge is one of those hidden jewels that I'm glad found me.

Source: author provided e-book show less

First Line: Raindrops splattered the windshield as Travis Mays raised his binoculars.

When an investigation goes horribly wrong, Travis Mays walks away from a highly successful law enforcement career and builds a new life. Now a professor of criminology at a university in Washington state, he likes to spend time in the cabin he built in the mountains of Idaho. Travis is even learning the fine art of kayaking from river guide Jessie White Eagle of the Nez Perce tribe. But when Jessie's brother show more goes missing and Travis is asked to help with the investigation, he finds himself in the crosshairs of a killer bent on revenge.

Many of you may take a look at my rating and think that I didn't care for the book. You would be wrong. I did. Although the book really doesn't have anything new in terms of plot, writing or characterization, it did hold my interest throughout. How? Because author Mark Young has given us multiple perpetrators with multiple objectives. I had my mind set on one bad guy, but the more pages I turned, the more I thought, "Now, wait a second...." Once my curiosity was fully engaged, I was hooked.

His stern struck a submerged rock, jamming the bow forward, burying him in a shallow grave of water. He fought to right himself, but the current corkscrewed him into its depths and he lost his balance. Roaring sheets of water buried him, pounding his head with icy fists. For what seemed like an eternity he remained trapped beneath the surface as near-freezing currents burned his skin.

A strong feature of the book is its setting in the mountains of Idaho, white water kayaking on its rivers, and the Nez Perce heritage of two secondary characters-- but I did feel that if the kayaking and Nez Perce heritage had been beefed up and had become more integral parts of the story, the book would have been even stronger.

Travis has a canine companion named Sam, which leads me to something that's almost becoming a pet peeve. Having had many canine companions of my own, I am attuned to how animals react to the people around me. When an animal in the book I'm reading reacts strangely to a new character, I immediately know that character is a bad guy. This undoubtedly isn't true for people who don't live with pets and aren't familiar with their ways, but it is to me and takes away some of the enjoyment of reading the book for me. On the other hand, Sam isn't portrayed as Super Dog, and that I do like.

When all is said and done, there is a lot to like about Revenge, and I'm looking forward to more stories about Travis Mays. show less