A Bad Taste In Sweetwater
by Paul Hollis
Review by S. S. Bazinet

Description: Carly Hudson knows something dark has come home to Magnolia Bluff. Silent riders haunt the pastures at night, fires erupt near Sweetwater Ranch and a mysterious figure in a Stetson stalks the woods. With her father’s health failing and the ranch slipping through her fingers, she turns to newly arrived Deputy Chase Maddox for help.

They uncover whispers of an underground network with roots in the region’s ugly history. Every clue draws them deeper into a legacy of secrets someone is desperate to bury again. In Magnolia Bluff, trouble rarely arrives alone…and it never leaves quietly.

Perfect for fans of rural crime, slow-burn suspense, and gritty small-town mysteries, A Bad Taste in Sweetwater blends tension, folklore, and buried history into a heart-pounding ride through the Texas backcountry.

My Review: Mystery Combined With Lots of Tension and Powerful Imagery!

Paul Hollis’ storytelling is infused with imagery so powerful the reader is quickly transported to a daunting and dangerous Texas backcountry. Next, they’re thrown into a complex, nest of villains. Criminal elements haunt the story’s past. They loom in the dark corners of an unfolding thriller that takes place in today’s uneasy world. They exist in the shadows , and they’re presented in a way that keeps the reader alert, wary and wondering. They’re always watching and waiting behind the scenes, destroying anything and anyone who might bring them into the light and justice.

Hollis delivers a tinder box situation that’s alive with mystery and the talents of the corrupt. It keeps the reader hoping that something will be left, some evidence will be saved from those who find clever ways to cover up links to their evil deeds. All the while, they reside securely in their roles as normal citizens. Before these outlaws can be caught, the heroes of the story will have to fight uneven odds with skill, guns and raw courage. A BAD TASTE IN SWEETWATER is a five star read that will amaze and haunt the reader and keep them turning pages until the very end.