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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A lost sheep found, September 6, 2007
This review is from: The Lost Sheep (Colton Parker Mystery Series, Book 4) (Paperback)
Brandt Dodson's "The Lost Sheep" follows Private Investigator Colton Parker as he tries to build his agency, bolster his finances, and most importantly, forge a relationship with his daughter Cassie while both are still grieving the death of his wife. Then Cassie disappears, and Colton is tempted to step over a line he's crossed in the past with disasterous results. In his quest to find Cassie, Colton travels to Las Vegas where he slips deep into that city's seamy underbelly of prostitution. Dodson's style is sparse and a welcome masucline voice in the mystery genre of inspirational fiction. Colton reminds me a little of Robert Parker's Jesse Stone, only without the booze. Colton has his own vices--a tendency to get rough with the suspects and a lingering disregard for the rules. Somehow his fallibility makes him all the more likeable. I find myself rooting for Colton Parker for a couple of reasons. He wants to do the right thing, but sometimes he just can't. The ends tend to justify the means for him. Like the rest of us, he has his flaws, but ultimately, at the core, he is a good man who faces his demons and finds redemption is possible. That gives the rest of us hope. Colton's knock-down-drag-out fight with evil will keep you sitting on the edge of your chair, turning the pages long after you should've flipped the switch and crawled under the covers.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Frantic Attempts, August 28, 2007
This review is from: The Lost Sheep (Colton Parker Mystery Series, Book 4) (Paperback)
Brandt Dodson's fourth mystery follows the trend of using a biblical reference for a title. Although this one seems a bit clunky, it is suited perfectly to the story of Colton Parker, former FBI agent, as his search for his missing fifteen-year-old daughter leads him to Las Vegas. Colton is one of the best current characters in mystery fiction, mixing the old-school traits of a Dashiell Hammett private eye with the modern sensibilities of a Jonathan Kellerman. His frantic attempts to locate his daughter drag him into the seedy underground dealings of Sin City. Colton pursues his cause with the help of a likable sidekick named Marty, and their personal investigation starts to draw lots of dangerous attention. Soon, Colton and Marty are in deep trouble as they unmask a ring of shady businesses overseen by a man with cul tish charisma. "The Lost Sheep" has a few surprises along the way, but the story's real strength is found in Colton's weakness. He is a father obsessed with his daughter's safety--understandably so!--and cannot keep himself from fighting on the same terms as his enemies. This pushes him into constant conflict with local authorities. It also stays true to his character from throughout the series, providing some of the best, hardest hitting, Christian fiction out there. Colton pulls no punches. Neither does Brandt Dodson. With respect for his audience, Dodson manages to make things remarkably gritty. He writes with snappy dialogue, cynicism, and a minimalistic approach to emotion that works. Whether this is the last of the series or not, the Colton Parker mysteries will stand as some of the best ever in this market.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent mystery with a strong spritual thread., December 3, 2007
This review is from: The Lost Sheep (Colton Parker Mystery Series, Book 4) (Paperback)
The Lost Sheep by Brandt Dodson is the fourth book in his Colton Parker Mystery Series and the first Brandt Dodson book I've had the pleasure of reading. The book starts fast and builds speed along the way as private detective Colton Parker searches for his fifteen-year-old runaway daughter Callie. Though Callie leaves Parker a message not to look for her, Parker sees it as a plea to chase after her and he won't rest until he brings her home. Fearing that his daughter has become involved with prostitution, Parker follows his leads, journeys to Las Vegas and straight into the smarmy underworld of prostitution and the occult. Following clue after clue and with the help of a former brothel owner Marty and his girlfriend, FBI agent Mary Christopher, Parker takes the reader on a realistic journey through the side of Las Vegas that we seldom see or want to acknowledge. Colton Parker, an ex cop with a hard-edged view of life, on the surface fits all the old stereotypes of a gumshoe. Unlike these stereotypes, Dodson gives Parker added dimension bringing out his struggle between doing the right and often legal thing or bringing his daughter home. As a reader, we can identify with this struggle, with his love for his daughter and we cheer for Parker even when he makes a bad choice. But Dodson doesn't stop here. He powerfully weaves a spiritual thread through the Las Vegas scenes, showing Parker how God never leaves The Lost Sheep. Though Vegas is an incredibly odd place to find such a thread, the setting makes the message so real, so practical to every person living, that Dodson successfully brings the message of salvation to everyone. As I said, this is my first Brandt Dodson novel. Don't know how I missed them in the past. I certainly won't in the future. My only regret is that I didn't start with the first novel in the series and work my way through them in chronological order. But even this won't stop me from going back and enjoying the others. I hope we see many more Colton Parker novels in the future.
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