Strong Cold Dead: A Caitlin Strong Novel

As shown by Land’s complex eighth Caitlin Strong novel (after 2015’s Strong Light of Day), the fifth-generation Texas Ranger has the cowboy cool and the gunfighter bravado of a Louis L’Amour hero, just like her legendary great-great-grandfather, Steeldust Jack Strong. In a flashback to 1874, Steeldust Jack inspects the mangled body of a fancily dressed gunman near a Comanche reservation outside Austin. Steeldust Jack’s saga provides counterpoint to the case that Caitlin is working on in the present day, which involves terrorists (both homegrown and foreign), Canadian Mounties, boarding school bullies, Comanches, Bingo-playing old folks, an American president, ghosts, giant bats, and much else in this rich tapestry. Land skillfully pulls all the disparate strands together and delivers a rootin’ tootin’ grand finale. Whether kicking bad guy butt or giving a commencement address, Caitlin gets the job done efficiently and with great aplomb. Agent: Natalia Aponte, Natalia Aponte Literary Agency. (Oct.)