Strong Enough to Die: A Caitlin Strong Novel

The accusations of those who have rated this story poorly are accurate, there are a large number of highly improbable scenes and coincidences that line up just so. Still, the story's good, dare I say strong enough to stand against naysayers? It read pretty smoothly, though the uncorrected proof still had a few typos they should iron out. This is by far one of the better books I've gotten out of the vine program. Caitlin Strong's a likable character, appropriately named. Some will probably complain she could have been a man in most instances, and that's just because most people associate things like gun-toting and shooting as male things. (Right or wrong, it happens.) The book reads like the whole thing could have been one long, complicated video game. There's plenty of opportunities for the hero and heroine to get into and out of scraps, sometimes with words and sometimes with guns. The strong language use is kept to a minimum, which maximizes its effect. I get tired of books that drop curse words almost as frequently as the word "and" becuase it loses all impact. Select use gives the words more meaning. Dialogue's decent and believable; the characters' voice have subtle but detectable differences. By far, the most noteworthy writing tool the author has in his arsenal is a keen sense of transitions. They are well done, so that the story weaves in and out like a tapestry of words.

A "western" flavor with great historical information and action from the Texas Rangers is merged within an exciting techno thriller, in Jon Land's Strong Enough To Die. In my opinion, it's a must-read out this month! Caitlin Strong, a fifth-generation Ranger, has had one too many close calls--the last one resulting in the death of a dear friend and partner. Leaving the Rangers, she goes back to school to get her degree for counseling and gets a job at the Survivor Center for Victims of Torture. Although the director is unsure about her working with victims, when Caitlin is brought in to see one of her potential patients, and recognizes him, she is pulled into an experience to be faced like no other she has ever known and assures the director that she will work hard to handle the job in order to be able to care for the man. As she begins her new job, she learns that Cort Wesley Masters, the man who had been the leader at the ambush where her partner was killed, has been released due to a new test for the DNA that had proved him not guilty, and he was coming after her for revenge. They meet when he finds out where she is working and goes to the Survivor Center, only to find that the facility is under attack and Caitlin is the only staff member left alive and she is fighting to save her patient. In a split-second decision, Cort forgets his original plan and works along with Caitlin to eliminate the attackers! Reclaiming her Ranger's badge is one part of Caitlin's first acts after this massacre. As Caitlin discovers that Cort was set up and wants to find out who falsely accused him, she also learns that, by protecting her patient, who others are trying to kidnap, she, Cort, and his two children, are now all under attack. Cort and Caitlin are forced into an uneasy alliance as they discover more and more about everything happening. Caitlin and Cort are terrific characters and I hope they will be in future books; however, one minor character, Guillermo Paz, stole a lead role for me--a mercenary/hit man, Paz visits various churches and confesses his actions to the dismay of local priests. His latest job has brought him from South America by the "head man" and is told to get rid of all witnesses. However, when he finds Caitlin, protecting the sons of Cort Wesley, he leaves without killing them--and later revisits a local church. Paz has found his role in life! Strong Enough To Die by Jon Land is refreshingly different as the role of Texas Rangers is blended with hi-tech murder. One of the best I've read! G. A. Bixler

For once, you can believe the blurbs on the book jacket. Jon Land's maturity as a writer has been a wonder to behold. From his early days of writing trashy, but very entertaining, world-domination thrillers featuring the cartoonish Blaine McCracken and Johnny Wareagle up to his Palestinian police thrillers (which I never warmed up to) Land showed a maturity in writing. "Strong Enough to Die" puts forth the best of both worlds. The action zings along like a roller coaster ride, and the characters are well-developed without being overwrought. This is easily Land's best work ever, and hopefully the start of a new series. Strongly recommended, but not for someone suffering from insomnia. This book will only serve to keep you awake.

If you like fast paced books packed with action and nail biting moments of suspense, then Strong Enough To Die by Jon Land should be right up your alley. From the very first page, the author dives you right into the action and leaves no holds barred right through the entire story. Filled with modern day gunslinging action, Strong Enough to Die really hits the bullseye as one of the most entertaining books I've read in a long time.

This is just the type of book I enjoy the most. A strong female lead character and a good, involved story.