Investigator Dan Reno was headed to Lake Tahoe, Nevada to attend the wedding of his ex-wife’s niece when the wedding plans went tragically awry. Sylvester Bascom, son of a local tycoon and the bridegroom, died a brutal death the night before his wedding. Bascom’s father hired Reno to find out who murdered his son.

Shortly after the elder Bascom hired him, Reno ran into abusive local cops who would do anything to maintain their hold on the locals. Reno calls his good buddy, Cody Gibbons of the San Jose, California police department to join him. During the process of solving the murder, Dan and Cody run into crooked cops, corruption, murder, violence and much more.

Reno was looking for a man who was probably ex-military, and knows how to brutally kill with a knife. When the main suspect was found murdered, Dan found out a number of cops were connected to casino’s. At least one high level cop seemed to know more than he should about what was going on in the area, and was either keeping his eyes closed to the corruption or he was leading the charge.

Instead of obeying the numerous threats they received, Dan and Cody dug deeper into the dregs of the underbelly of a corrupt region in an effort to find out just who was in control, and how the two could bring the instigators down.

Stateline is the fifth Dan Reno novel written by Dave Stanton. Each novel also includes Reno’s long-time buddy, Cody Gibbons. That is Reno as in ‘no problemo’ as the main character likes to say.

This novel was a hard-hitting, at times gruesome, no holds barred look at the seedy side of gambling casinos, and the type of people they draw, both rich and poor. Stanton’s stories are not for the faint of heart. They are fast-paced, exciting page-turners with vivid descriptions and realistic scenes.

Characters are well developed and seem true to their role in the story. Numerous twists, turns, and surprises move the plot forward with riveting results and a satisfying finish.

A special thank you goes to LaSalle Davis Books for providing a complimentary copy of Stateline, A Dan Reno Novel, for our review.

If you are interested in purchasing any of Dave Stanton’s novels, they are available at Amazon.com.