Storm Surge (The Storm Series #3) [Paperback]

Rene Gutteridge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2006

After ten years, FBI Agent Mick Kline thought he had put his past behind him. But when mysterious letters start arriving at his house, Mick finds himself drawn back to a case that had been solved ten years ago—a murder case in which Mick had once been the prime suspect. Mick's investigation leads him to a man on death row for a crime he claims he didn't commit and the homicide detective who handled the case. As Mick gets close to discovering the truth, a woman he cares about is kidnapped and held hostage. It's a race against time as Mick rushes to stop a murderer before he kills again.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her third book in the Storm series (The Splitting Storm; Storm Gathering), Gutteridge picks up previous storylines, and readers find FBI agent and storm chaser Mick Kline in a dilemma. Sammy Earle is on death row and about to be executed, and a box of memorabilia left in the attic by Kline's dead brother could hold evidence of Earle's innocence. Between chasing storms, Kline is torn between three women who all seem interested in pursuing a relationship with him. His budding romance with prickly fellow agent Libby Lancaster is particularly endearing, and his relationship with his FBI partner Reggie Moore is less on display here than in earlier books, but still enjoyable. Gutteridge is a talented writer with a good sense of humor. Occasionally, the plot gets confusing (as do some time jumps), and the hurricane climax feels stale. But a surprising plot twist toward the end helps bring a satisfying conclusion to the story. Although this can be read as a stand-alone novel, it will be most appreciated by fans of the series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Rene Gutteridge is the author of 'Ghost Writer', 'Troubled Waters' and 'Boo'. She has also been published over thirty times as a playwright, and studied screenwriting under a Mass Communications degree, graduating Magna Cum Laude from Oklahoma City University, and earning the Excellence in Mass Communication award. She served as the full-time Director of Drama for First United Methodist Church for 5 years before leaving to stay home with her first child and to write. She enjoys instructing at writers conferences and in college classrooms. She lives with her husband, Sean, a musician, and their children in Oklahoma City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0842387668
• ISBN-13: 978-0842387668
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #816,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rene Gutteridge is the author of over fifteen novels, including Possession, Listen, Never the Bride (2011 Carol Award Winner), The Boo Series, The Storm Series, and My Life as a Doormat, a Women of Faith selecton for 2006. She has a degree in Mass Communications with an emphasis in screenwriting and twenty years of experience writing, directing and publishing comedy sketches. She writes in both comedy and suspense genres. Her upcoming releases are from Tyndale House Publishers: Heart of the Country, Escapement and Misery Loves Company

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Storm Surge, September 7, 2006

By 

Lollipops "lollipops5" (Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Storm Surge (The Storm Series #3) (Paperback)

I loved this book, and I loved Mick. The characters and setting were so realistically drawn that I almost expected to turn on the television and find reports of a category five hurricane or a murder investigation going on. I recommend reading the three books in order because they are closely tied in together. I LOVE this series, and Rene's books.

5.0 out of 5 stars From "It Is To Write", January 30, 2010

By 

Bruce Judisch (San Antonio, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Storm Surge (The Storm Series #3) (Paperback)

If the name 'Rene Gutteridge' does not appear on your list of reading credits, your literary dossier is woefully incomplete.

Ms. Gutteridge's veteran pen has once again produced a superbly entertaining work with a wonderful balance of humor, poignancy and mystery. Storm Surge, the third in the "Storm" series, follows FBI Special Agent Mick Kline in a race against the death-row clock. The condemned prisoner, Sammy Earle, has been incarcerated for a crime in which Agent Kline himself was once implicated. Only now doubts begin to surface as to Sammy's guilt, and Mick personally takes on the case against everyone's advice, including his own.

The web of intrigue began to weave itself in steamy jungles of Vietnam with the murder and disappearance of two American soldiers. In the intervening years, it expands and stretches taut, ensnaring more hapless victims who stumble--or are pushed--into it. It finally snaps amid a Category 4 hurricane on the Texas coast, where it threatens not only Mick, but the woman he loves. The action is intense, the drama poignant, and the characters multidimensional. Having said that, my next comment may seem a little odd: it was really funny. By that I mean Ms. Gutteridge has mastered the tricky art of diffusing tension at just the right points with appropriate humor. How? By knowing how to write.

I've commented on an author's writing voice in a few of my posts, with notables going to Liz Curtis Higgs and Sibella Giorello. Put Rene Gutteridge right alongside them. I rarely laugh out loud when I read a crime novel, but my uninhibited reaction to Ms. Gutteridge's subtly witty narrative style and glib repartee between characters drew more than one raised eyebrow from my wife, who was lying next to me trying to concentrate on her own book. I kept saying, "Listen, you've got to hear this passage! You'll crack up!" I guess I said that too many times, as she finally exhorted me to stop before I read her the whole book. (Sorry, Jeannie, but just wait until you read it . . . )

I had the pleasure of sitting through a couple of Ms. Gutteridge's seminars at an ACW writers' conference two years ago. If I had taken better notes, perhaps I could write as well as she does . . . in a few years . . . or longer . . . maybe. (Sigh!)

5.0 out of 5 stars Character packed, April 16, 2006

By 

R. Wheatley (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Storm Surge (The Storm Series #3) (Paperback)

Rene has an incredible talent for character developement. The characters she creates are people you've known, or wish you had. She draws a reader into the lives of her character in a way that makes you regret their loss when you finish her books. Rene traps you with her storyline from the first sentence and carries you through to the non-stop ending.

The twist and turns of Rene's Storm Series are the cause of a sleepless night or two and then again as you wait for the next book in the series. Teh ending is then a cause of some frustration when you realize you won't hear of these friends again.