Books On Tour (Review): First Shot by John Ryder

One of three stunning thrillers I read this past week, this one had all of the expected action and then some! It’s a fantastic start to what looks like a new series. Get excited!

Grant Fletcher (our hero) has an intriguing backstory. He is a Royal Marine. While previously serving in Afghanistan, his life was saved by a US Marine, Don Ogilvie. When Don’s daughter goes missing, he calls Grant to help find her.

But it’s not all as simple as that.

In the course of following leads, Grant finds out that several girls have gone missing in a small, backwater town in Georgia, so the case becomes infinitely more complicated. He teams up with FBI Special Agent Zoey Quadrado, who is also investigating the missing girls. What follows is lots of page-turning action. And that’s all I’m going to say about the plot itself.

I liked Grant a lot. He was patient and astute but could kick some ass when necessary. He wasn’t a typical “fight his way through everything” action hero. He always thought through a problem. I liked his attitude and his demeanor when dealing with other characters. He actually reminded me a lot of Gibbs from the television show “NCIS.” Calm and measured most of the time, but don’t mess with him.

I was less taken with Zoey, although I did understand her character. Their initial meeting was less than ideal, and from that, I didn’t find her to be especially impartial. But they ended up having a relationship that has promise.

As to the town they were working in, holy moly was that a weird one. From odd characters (loved how Grant gave them nicknames to distinguish them) to a cult-like atmosphere, Daversville was a unique setting that gave angles and depth to what could have been a run-of-the-mill missper case.

I enjoyed this book overall, and I look forward to future thrillers featuring Grant Fletcher.

Author Bio

John Ryder is a former farmworker and joiner. He’s turned his hand to many skills to put food on the table and clothes on his back. A life-long bibliophile, he eventually summoned the courage to try writing himself, and his Grant Fletcher novels have drawn inspiration from authors such as Lee Child, Tom Cain, Zoe Sharp and Matt Hilton. When it comes to future novels, he says he has more ideas than time to write them.

When not writing, John enjoys spending time with his son, reading and socialising with friends. A fanatic supporter of his local football team, he can often be found shouting encouragement to men much younger and fitter than he is.