Lone Star Book Blog Tour: Strong from the Heart by Jon Land (Review)

“I know this may come as a shock to you, Ranger, but the world is bigger than Texas.”

Strong from the Heart by Jon Land is Book 11 in the Caitlin Strong series, but it can still be enjoyed as a standalone novel. Thrills and suspense are definitely on the menu in this action-packed, electrifying fiction about opioid addiction and the ruthless, greedy people responsible for getting those drugs into the hands of kids. The bulk of the novel takes place in Houston and San Antonio, Texas, but an event in the Texas border town of Camino Pass sets the mystery aspect of Strong from the Heart into motion. What killed every resident in this small town so quickly and thoroughly? Were there any survivors? Was it an act of terrorism or biowarfare? Was the death of an entire town connected in any way to the spike in the country’s opioid addiction and deaths? Are the sins of the past coming to roost in the present? Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong is on the case to find answers but ends up asking more questions and tracking bad people into the underbelly of a drug enterprise and nefarious schemes that stretches all the way to Washington D.C.

Strong from the Heart is the perfect choice for anyone who loves a heart-pounding fiction that is riddled with drugs, bullets, Texas Ranger history, and a plot with enough twists and turns to make you want to go back and read the first ten books in the series, if you haven’t already. With his excellent writing style, Jon Land knows how to hook the reader right from the start, providing just enough action and superb character development to keep the reader engaged page after page, especially with a strong female protagonist at the helm. The overall plot is intricate and intriguing but not too convoluted, with the added bonus of story time when Caitlin learns how her great-granddad, Texas Ranger William Ray Strong, had his own adventures that involved Pancho Villa, kidnapped children, and Gatling guns in the late 1890s. Discovering the connection between William Ray’s story back in the day and Caitlin’s current drama is both exciting and disheartening because of the real-world truth that greed remains constant throughout the ages, and children will always be easily exploited and quickly stolen right before our eyes, both literally and figuratively. But there is more afoot in the present day scenario that is completely unbelievable and horrifying. Will Caitlin and the rest of her crew stop such total destruction in time? Only one way to find out, but watch out of that ending. It’s a total blast!

Enter the giveaway below on or before November 8, 2020, for a chance to win some fabulous prizes.

I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.

Jon Land is the USA Today bestselling author of more than fifty books, eleven of which feature Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong. The critically acclaimed series has won more than a dozen awards, including the 2019 International Book Award for Best Thriller for Strong as Steel and the 2020 American Fiction Award for Best Thriller. He has also authored six books in the MURDER, SHE WROTE series and has recently taken over writing Margaret Truman’s CAPITAL CRIMES series. A 1979 graduate of Brown University, Land lives in Providence, Rhode Island and received the 2019 Rhode Island Authors Legacy Award for his lifetime of literary achievements.