After spending a month at a much needed retreat, Skin Kadash tried to reconnect with Ruby Jane Whittaker, the one who talked him into staying at the bed and breakfast on the Oregon coast. A retired homicide cop after spending 25 years on the force, Kadash required time to heal from a near-fatal gunshot wound following a bloody confrontation.

Returning to Portland, Oregon, his present home, he attempts to get in touch with Ruby only to find all calls going straight to her voicemail. When Skin arrives at the Uncommon Cup, Ruby Jane’s main coffeehouse, he gets little help in trying to locate her. He heads to her apartment where he finds a dead man in her bathtub and Ruby nowhere in sight.

After contacting Ruby’s ex-boyfriend, and her brother Jimmie, and finding out neither one has seen her, Skin decides to do what he normally does – something irrational and more than likely unsuccessful – he heads out to find the woman he loves. Pete, Ruby’s ex, decides to go with him.

After further investigation, Skin and Pete decide to head for her home state of Ohio. What they find out about Ruby, her family, and her haunted past growing up in a small town puts their own lives in grave danger.

The deeper they dig, the more they realize neither one of them ever really knew Ruby Jane. As their personal danger increases, it appears they will never see their friend again, nor will they leave Ohio alive.

Bill Cameron, author of County Line, is a master storyteller. It’s a gritty story told in the present day in parts one and three, and 20 years-ago in part two. Even in the middle of the book the author tends to swing back and forth between years and characters.

While the plot might seem rather difficult to follow at times, it is actually carefully laid out by the author. Cameron’s writing style increases the emotional impact on the reader as the tension and horror builds to a shocking climax.

Some have called the County Line modern or contemporary noir. It certainly is a dark novel that at times boarders on horror. However, the expertise of the author brings in a solid story that is literally almost impossible to put down.

County Line is the fourth novel in the series and well worth going back to the beginning with Lost Dog in 2007.

A special thank you goes to Tyrus Books for providing a complimentary copy of this book. If anyone is interested in purchasing any of Bill Cameron’s books, they are available at Amazon.com.