Samuel Parker (2)Reviews

Border Son is an action-packed story of violence and betrayal in the world of the Mexican Cartels. But there’s an unlying message of family ties, loyalty, and redemption. Ed Kazmierski lives a quiet life in Jennison, Kansas, until he is roughed up by two men from Nuevo Negaldo, Mexico, looking for his estranged son, Tyler. Not knowing what he’s getting into, Ed travels to Mexico, hoping he’s not too late to help a son he hasn’t seen in years. Once there, he’s threatened, forced to cross the harsh desert with his wounded son to escape killers, then captured and tortured. Tyler seems indifferent throughout, but the author offers him a small window of hope at the end. The story offers some insight into Mexican culture. I found the plot exciting and entertaining.

I had never read a book by this author.
The story mostly takes place along the border of Mexico involving a gringo who works for a Mexican cartel and crosses them. His only salvation is for his estranged father to come get him.
Good story about family.

I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review.

Purgatory Road was an engaging "good vs evil" thriller that centers primarily around a couple that get stranded on a road trip from Las Vegas, and the stranger they encounter at a critical moment. There is also a side story that focuses on a young runaway who has been abducted by a local, and the reckoning that takes place as the two plots converge. As I read in another review, this would make a good action/thriller movie, but wasn't anything special.

3.5 stars. Solid thriller. Wished the father character had been more developed.

This is a tense, often riveting, but deeply flawed story of a father who answers a summons to rescue his son from a Mexican border town where he is being hidden after crossing a drug lord. Since the whole point of the book is to bring the father and son back together, the fact that the escape route doesn't particularly require the father's help makes this almost silly. The writing veers back and forth between excellent--in action scenes when the bullets are flying--and awkward--when the author is trying to delve into the emotions of the main characters. The ending is satisfying, and the after-effect is real: you won't be taking any Mexican vacations any time soon.½

Michael has served his time and prison and returns to the only place that he can - Coldwater, the town he grew up in. The problem is the people there know of his past, know of the violence that accompanied him and they aren't happy with his return. But the townspeople may have bit off more than they can chew when they try to eliminate Michael's presence - for a sinister force lurks within him that he has no control over.
This book was creepy. And it was hard to fathom the terrible plight that Michael was in where he couldn't live a normal life because of the demon like force that was within him. All who try to exact revenge or justice on him find out that they can't resist it's power. Is there any redemption here or just a sad commentary on the futility of trying to get retribution for the sins of another.

A book with a double meaning, if you want it to read it like that..a mixture of scary and spiritual. Good is always battling evil, you can't hide from that fact...short chapters, which I love....

Border Son is a story about the bond between father and his estranged son. Ed Kazmierski hasn’t seen or spoken to his son Tyler for some time. Not since the time Tyler called from an El Paso jail. He hasn’t given up on him but cannot keep fixing his mistakes. Tyler is now involved with a Mexican Cartel and although shot and left for dead, his life is spared and with the help of a priest, he needs to escape back to the US. There is where Ed comes in and the two of them struggle to survive and one never knows when a miracle could happen. I found the story captivating and although there is much bloodshed, It is more of a story of relationships. I enjoyed reading this one.

When Ed Kazmierski learns his estranged son, Tyler, is in deep with a drug cartel in Mexico, he heads south to try to help him get away. Ed and Tyler are woefully unequipped to deal with the trouble that surrounds them, but this is Ed's last chance to connect with a son he's not sure he's all that interested in connecting with.

Parker's Border Son is a quick read, with lots of action. But it's mostly the stuff of nearly every action movie of this type - flat characters, bloody episodic violence, a plot that's there mostly to set up action sequences. Not bad, mind you, just average. Would love to see what Tarantino would do with the story!½

Received aa part or Early Reviewer series. Border Son by Samuel Parker is a goos, fast read. Characters were likeabke and really enjoyed it.

I received this book as An Early Review copy. I really enjoyed it. Once I got started, I couldn't put it down. The chapters are all very short which I enjoyed as I could sneak in a few minutes of reading and still finish a chapter or two. It is a very fast read. I found the story very intriguing dealing with the drug cartel, the Mexican border town and the relationship between father and son. How far will a father go to save his long lost son. This is a story that will stay with you for quite some time.½

Samuel Parker is a very good writer. I think his characters were well fleshed out and I could certainly relate to the father-son dynamic inasmuch as the love a dad has for his child and the lengths to which he'd go to help him.

Having said all that, this is not the kind of story I read often. Ed, the father, gets a message that his drug-dealing Tyler is in trouble. Having essentially disowned his son years earlier, something compels Ed to go across the border into Mexico to help Tyler. What follows is again a well written book but without much resolution. I don't have any interest in the cartels or the Mexican drug trade in general (except when it comes to Breaking Bad of course!), and we got a lot of that here.

If you like parent-child road-trip-like stories (like a really messed up Finding Nemo), you'll enjoy this.

This is a dark and brooding tale of a long-estranged father and son taken from the prodigal son story. The characters feel real and give a heart wrenching pull to the reader.

I really didn't go for this book. It was technically written well, and Parker clearly is not a hack. But the plot just really let me down. The story was something we have read and seen in movies dozens of time before. Delinquent son gets in trouble with bad men, plain spoken Midwest father goes to his aid. Stock drug villains, corrupt government officials, etc. Parker includes a caveat in a authors note saying he respects Mexican culture and hopes he hasn't offended anyone, yet almost all the Mexican characters are "bad hombres" or suffering peasants. Nothing really terrible here, but nothing very original either.

I liked the suspense this book provided, especially because it wasn't predictable, nor was it lengthy. Most of the scenes got a bit scary, but it was still good. The ending left me wondering what may happen with the now reunited father and son.

Great concept, wanted more from it. A gang near the border runs a lot of stuff and a couple of dudes try to get rich. One saves the other. Then his estranged father catches wind of it and comes to try and save him. That part rang hollow for me, which is too bad, because it predominates the book. Maybe the characters weren't fully fleshed out for me to believe it, I don't know. With a story that begs for a ton of action, there wasn't much. There was a lot of rumination, and the action sequences seemed to be short. More of that would have driven the story a bit more.

I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program. I have to say it took me awhile to finish this book as it just didn't keep me interested. The concept was interesting, child/parent relationships amidst the Mexican/American border drug cartel; however I found the writing a bit lacking and not enough character building to make you care what was going to happen. The only character I truly enjoyed was Roberto. His character was the most fleshed out and I could feel the conflict and hopelessness he felt, the love he had for his mother was plain to see. This part of the story line was the only reason I finished the book.

I received this book in a Librarything giveaway. This book is about drug cartels, the problems along the Mexican border and corrupt law enforcement & border agents but there are other themes that I found interesting in this story. The theme of parental love that doesn't fail even with years of estrangement or when a child is making choices that breaks the parents heart. The parents love is true, not perfect but it's there it doesn't quit. Ed and Tyler did not have a relationship really but the love was still there it did not die. Ed still dropped everything and headed to the border to find his son. Camilla and Roberto loved one another even though they did not agree on how Roberto lived his life or the choices he made. I found this to be a beautiful thread woven inside a tale of ugly crime.

Samuel Parker's "Border Son" is a wild ride all the way from Kansas down to the southern border of New Mexico, and finally into the cartel dominated city of Nuevo Negaldo, Mexico. It is the story of one American who, almost through sheer chance, manages to save the life of a Mexican he happens to be jailed with, forming a bond between them that would impact the men in ways that neither could have imagined beforehand.

But at its heart, this is a novel about sons and their parents - parents who will do and risk almost anything to save the lives of their children. Camilla knows that her son is doing terrible things on behalf of the cartel boss who controls Nuevo Negaldo, but she still remembers how good a son he was to her just a few years earlier. She dreams of rescuing her son from the life he lives now. Ed is not so naive about his own son, Tyler, and the two have been estranged for several years when Ed learns that Tyler is in danger in Mexico. What happens when the paths of these four converge is the thing that narcocorridos are written about to this day, the thing of legend.

"Border Son" is a timely look at what is going on in northern Mexico and along America's southern border today. Samuel Parker tells a good story, and he is someone to watch in the future to see what comes next.

This is a really interesting retelling of the Protigal Son story. It’s difficult to imagine what it would be like to endure the heartache watching your child make terrible, life altering mistakes. Would we be willing and able to welcome them back with open arms like the Biblical story? This is what Boarder Son explores.

I really enjoyed reading this story. I was captivated and couldn’t wait to see how it turned out.

I found the writing vivid and very well done. This is the first book I have read by this author and I was impressed.





*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of the book mentioned above in the hope that I would review it on my blog. A positive review was not required. All opinions are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.*

An introspective look at the southern border and the relationship dynamics of families. Author, Samuel Parker, put significant research into making the border and drug trade portrayed within accurate, however, the action was slow to develop and the characters failed to grip and connect with the reader.

*Disclaimer: A review copy was provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy of "Border Son" as an Early Reviewer.

In a book that is especially timely, given the problems associated with our southern border, Samuel Parker has done a masterful job of creating a look into the lives of those living on both sides. He shows the parallel lives of two young men, one American from the heartland and another, a Mexican from a border town, and how their choices in life impact them, their loved ones, friends and others, with an emphasis on how their respective parents deal with their children's actions, the illegal activities, and those acts done with good intentions. Their lives play out in the midst of drug smuggling, corruption, murder, deceit, betrayal, and cartel mayhem and torture. The parallel story lines are skillfully interwoven, the characters are clearly drawn, with their strengths and their weaknesses. "Border Son" is a fast-paced adventure that keeps the reader involved all the way. I look forward to reading more from Samuel Parker. I rate this book as 5 stars!

I enjoyed this book very much. It kept me totally interested and I read the book in one day. There were a lot of twists and turns and enough suspense to keep me reading to see what would happen next. I had never read a Samuel Parker book but after reading Border Son, I would recommend this author.

3.5 stars (some review sites make me pick a whole number of stars, so it may differ).

At its heart, it is a story about parents and children. Like another reviewer, I noted a bit of a parallel with the Biblical story "The Prodigal Son" though this is set in the world of Mexican drug cartels and gangs.

Ed lives in Kansas and hasn't seen his son, Tyler, for many years. The last he knew, Tyler was in an El Paso jail on a drug related charge.

Camilla lives in Mexico but crosses the border into the U.S. for work each day. She has a son, Roberto, who is involved with Los Diablos (a gang as best I can tell). Though the gang is not involved in the drug transporting, the local cartel leader often farms out dirty jobs (like killing those who defy him) to the gang members.

Roberto met Tyler in the El Paso jail when Tyler took a shiv meant for him. Roberto feels an obligation to Tyler for this--so when he's ordered to kill Tyler, he fakes the killing and makes arrangements to get Tyler away from the cartel. These arrangements include his mother, his uncle (Felipe, a priest), and Tyler's father.

Camilla helps because she is glad that Roberto is doing something noble instead of the gang related stuff. Tyler is surprised that his father is willing to come, given their long estrangement.

It ends up being a lot of people looking over their shoulders waiting for the other shoe to drop. Tyler knows if Salazar's men find out he is alive, they will kill him. Roberto realizes his actions have been found out when Felipe is killed and figures he's next. No one knows who to trust because so many people have been bought off by the cartel.

A nice side note is that Camilla and Ed appear to bond over their love for their respective children and their desire to keep the children safe and over their losses. The ending seems to provide a bit of hope in that the government appears to find the drugs Tyler stashed (possibly with Tyler's help) and Tyler appears to have changed from the drug junkie he was at the beginning of the book and seems to desire renewing a relationship with his dad.

Note: I received an ARC from LibraryThing Early Reviewers in exchange for an honest review.½

I was hooked from the very first chapter. The main character, buried alive, struggles to free himself and break out of the confines of his coffin. The writing was excellent, descriptive, short and on point, quickening the pace of the scene as the reader hopes he gets out of this predicament soon. It was definitely a claustrophobia-inducing scene!

Some reviewers had mentioned that there wasn’t an overtly Christian theme in Coldwater, despite having been given the book to review with a Christian perspective. It seemed like they were hoping the author would preach to the reader. But I think this can be a tremendous hindrance to a story and a turn off to anyone that doesn’t share the same faith. I think the author did well by subtly introducing and noting moments of undeserved mercy, that is to say, grace.

Michael is on the run, but it takes us several chapters, to learn why. The author doesn’t drop everything in the reader’s lap all at once. Instead, he spoonfeeds important information that may or may not change our opinion of Michael, as well as the residence of Coldwater. Who is truly the villain in this story? While Michael is hunting by more than one individual, we learn that he isn’t an innocent made. But does that mean he is beyond redemption or that there’s no way he could ever earn the forgiveness of those whose lives his affected the most?

Are mercy and grace only for the righteous? A riveting, at times heart-pounding thriller, Coldwater leads us down a twisted path. It’ll make readers question how they’d handled it if in the same situation. What great lengths would we go to in order to protect our family and friends? Would we even be willing to give someone a second chance or is the risk too great?