Review: The Dead Certain Doubt

Synopsis:

Revenge, Guilt, Redemption & Gunsmoke
When Doubt Is Your Only Friend

Ed Earl Burch, a cashiered Dallas murder cop, is a private detective facing the relentless onslaught of age, bad choices, guilt and regret. Smart, tough, profane and reckless, he’s a survivor who relies on his own guts and savvy and expects no help or salvation from anybody.

But he’s also a man who longs for the sense of higher calling he felt when he carried a homicide detective’s gold shield. He seeks redemption and a chance to make amends to a dying old woman he abandoned decades ago when she needed him most.

When he sees her again, she has the same request — save her granddaughter from the vicious outlaws on her trail and bring her home for a final goodbye. Easier said than done because the granddaughter is a hardened hustler and gunrunner, hellbent on avenging a lover who got chopped up and stuffed into a barbecue smoker by cartel gunsels and a rival smuggler.

To fulfill the old woman’s last request, Burch heads back to the borderlands of West Texas on a mercy mission that plunges him into a violent world of smugglers, cartel killers, crooked lawmen, Bible-thumping hucksters, anti-government extremists and an old nemesis who wants to see him dead.

The odds are long and Burch has his doubts — about himself, the granddaughter, old friends and the elusive nature of grace from guilt. Truth be told, doubt is the only thing he’s dead certain of.

Grace Or a Desert Grave?

Rating: 5-stars

Review:

The Dead Certain Doubt by Jim Nesbitt is one of those mysteries where it dives deep into the protagonist’s life and the lives of those around him. Burch is an average man who has his best and worst moments. One of his cases, still torments him every day. He finally gets up and goes to make amends. Only Burch finds himself further embroiled into the messy and complicated situation. This book is a slow building mystery but worth every page. It reminds me a lot of another detective like character named Alice White by Marc Hirsch where nothing is simple. The cases always revolve around a lot of people and are far messier than others think. I love a book that is deep, complex, and intriguing. Jim Nesbitt is a phenomenal writer. His characters are well-rounded.