I spent most of this summer reading when I wasn't painting the fence or catching up on years of garden neglect. Most of the books were ones I had read before. I wanted the certainty of knowing how the story would go. This also meant an emphasis on the mystery/crime/thriller category where chaos is conquered and the bad guys lose in the end. Which brings us to a new to me series: Peter Ash & friends written by Nick Petrie.
The Drifter is the first book and it introduces Peter as a war veteran dealing with his PTSD by going alone into the woods in the north Cascades. The similarity to Jack Reacher is obvious in his lack of possessions, his solitude and his direct dealing with problems. While responding to a call for help for a widow of one of his Marine friends, Ash is brought into contact with a fellow problem solver who becomes a continuing character in the series. I liked Ash's voice, his morality and his approach to problem solving so I continued on to the second book.
Burning Bright starts in the ancient redwood trees in California and brings in a female character who is the third in the group that continues the series. This immediately brought to mind the Spenser novels by Robert Parker. Again, excellent action, good writing, good characterizations.
I finished the whole series (through The Breaker, #6) and pre-ordered The Runaway which is scheduled for January 2022. If you liked either Spenser or Reacher, I would highly recommend this series.
