Title: The Rancher’s Son (Montana: Book Two)
Author: RJ Scott
Narrator: Sean Crisden
Publisher: Self-Published
Run Time: 6 hours and 25 minutes
Category: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
At a Glance: This is a tightly packed story full of emotion and intrigue, and Crisden once again makes it worth the price of the book to join in the fun.
Reviewed By: Mike
Blurb: A man without memories and the cop who never gave up hope.
When he wakes up in the hospital, the victim of a brutal beating, John Doe has no memory of who he is or who hurt him. The cops can find nothing to identify him and he can’t remember anything to help…except the name Ethan and one recurring place from his dreams. Two words, and they’re not much, but it’s a start: Crooked Tree.
Detective Ethan Allens has never stopped searching for the two boys who vanished. When a report lands on Ethan’s desk that may give new leads, he jumps at the chance to follow them up. The man he finds isn’t his brother, but it’s someone who could maybe help him discover what happened 12 years ago.
What neither man can know is that facing the very real demons of the past could destroy any kind of future they may have together.
Review: A dozen years ago, Ethan Allen’s younger brother and their best friend disappeared without a trace. Ethan never stopped looking for either of them, and became a detective so he could keep looking. In present-day Chicago a man with no name and no memory is found, fitting the description of one of the missing boys, now a grown man. It turns out the amnesia patient is Adam, Ethan’s friend, but there is no sign of his brother. Ethan convinces Adam to return home via a road trip. Along the way, Adam’s memory returns in bits and flashes. Secrets are revealed as well as long denied love, and shattered families work to find a new normal amid danger, chaos, and love.
Sean Crisden’s narration here is stellar. We have come to expect an expertly acted and narrated story whenever we see his name attached to a book, and this is another of his top-notch performances. Adam’s slow awakening—from a battered amnesiac to a complete person—is captured beautifully by Crisden’s voice. The awakening/reawakening of feelings between the MCs, which have so long been on hold, is revealed in tender detail. When Ethan and Adam return to the shared family ranch at Crooked Tree, the challenge of recreating and binding up shattered families is given full weight. Big secrets are revealed and old wounds finally begin to close.
This is a tightly packed story full of emotion and intrigue, and Crisden once again makes it worth the price of the book to join in the fun. While this is book two in the series, the story is fully contained with a definitive ending. While there are loose threads sure to be tied up in book three, listeners will not feel left out if they haven’t heard or read the first, nor will they be frustrated by being left with pointless cliffhangers.
Buy the book for the above average mystery/romance. Buy the book for the 5-star narration. But buy the book and enjoy the ride here. You will not be disappointed by it.
You can buy The Rancher’s Son here:
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