*Book source ~ A review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

Recently retired detective Al Quinn gets a call from the Sheriff letting him know that the brother he hasn’t talked to in twenty years is in the hospital under suspicious circumstances. After debating with himself he decides to go see what’s going on with Maury. Al has no idea that his estranged brother has so much more on his plate than even he could believe and now he’s caught right smack in the middle of a shitstorm of Maury’s making. Should the two of them survive, will they bury the hatchet or go their separate ways again?

Hooking me from the beginning, Russ Hall’s writing picked me up by the scruff, stuffed me into a 4x4 truck complete with gun rack, locked the doors, tore off down the road at high speed and didn’t let me go until the ride was over. I read this in one sitting and while my ass didn’t appreciate it, my brain loved it. The writing is smooth and the characters are interesting. The plot wasn’t beyond the realm of imagination, the mystery was just right and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. I have to say I love Al. I would love to see more books involving him though I’m not sure how since he’s retired. He’d make an excellent PI and he could take only the jobs he wanted since he’s technically retired.

Anyway, Russ Hall is new-to-me and I am now compelled to see what else he has out there. Overall, a great mystery with plenty of suspense as well as some humor, excellent characters and wonderful writing. I highly recommend this one. ( )

Former Sheriff Detective Al Quinn is enjoying his retirement as well as his small home on the shores of a lake near Austin, Texas. In some ways he misses his former job, but in others he is glad to be out as 25 years with the Travis County Sheriff’s Department was long enough even if he had a good boss. His biggest annoyance these days at his isolated home is the drought. If the unrelenting Texas sun keeps cooking the surrounding area forcing the lake level ever lower he will soon have to do some work to extend the boat dock.

The call from Sheriff Clayton of Travis County, his former boss, changes things. According to Clayton, Ali’s estranged brother, Maury, is in the hospital. The homicide unit of Austin Police Department thinks it was a possible murder attempt. Sheriff Clayton does not know anymore more and that means Al is going to have to break the twenty year silence between them.

Al soon finds not only Maury in the hospital, but Detective Ferguson Jergens by his side. Al had known her back in High School, even taken her to the Prom, and a lot of years have passed. According to her, somebody gave Maury three tablets of Viagra, a drug he had no prescription for and should have never taken, and it almost killed him. He is still alive and is not out of the woods yet. Whether it happened at the assisted living center where Maury lives or by some other way has yet to be determined. Maury can’t talk. It also has not been determined if, Maury, a ladies man possibly did it to himself or willingly took the pills offered by others. According to Detective Jenkins everyone one is a possible suspect and that includes Al because he is the brother and their long history of conflict.

Al may hate his brother for good reason, but he certainly did not attempt to kill him. If he wanted his brother dead he would have done it years ago. He also may be retired and considered a suspect by the beautiful detective, but that is not going to stop him from going over to the assisted living center which is Maury’s home and start asking questions. Before long a second attempt on Maury’s life is made, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are involved, and , and members of a notorious Mexican drug cartel are involved in a case that moves all over the Austin area as Maury, Al, and their friends battle to stay alive.

Well known for Bones In the Rain (Blue-Eyed Indian Mystery Series) and quite a few other books, award winning author Russ Hall has a really good book on his hands with “To Hell And Gone In Texas.” A complex action oriented mystery full of interesting characters, numerous suspects and plenty of clues, as well as lots of local color regarding the Austin, Texas area, this is a book that comes fully alive for the reader. All of the above is a very long way of saying the book is very good and well worth your time.

To Hell And Gone In Texas
Russ Hall
http://www.russhall.com
Red Adept Publishing
http://redadeptpublishing.com/
August 2014
ISBN# 978-1-940215-33-4
Large Paperback (also available in e-book)
238 Pages
$13.99

Material supplied by the author in exchange for my objective review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2014 ( )

"To Hell and Gone in Texas" opens with a bang. Texas law officials are viewing the bodies of three men who were murdered and decapitated. They suspect drug gang activity.

Al Quinn has retired from his detective work in Travis County, near Austin. His philosophy changed after his partner was killed during a call where he and Al felt that a woman's life was in danger so they couldn't wait for the SWAT team and the deranged man killed Al's partner.

Al has a home by the water and enjoys fishing but gets a call from one of his friends on the job. Al's brother is in the hospital, someone tried to kill him.

Al and his brother haven't spoken in years but Al goes to the hospital and soon learns that his brother, Maury, could be the target of a drug gang seemingly at war to eliminate the competition.

ICE, Immigration Customs Enforcement, is pitted against a drug cartel and Maury is in the middle of the conflict.

Although there is a split between the brothers, Al continues to investigate. There's lots of action but I would have preferred it if the story ended sooner than it did. Everything worked out too easily and there is one segment when multiple characters are thought to have been killed, only to come back into the story.

The author is a good story teller and the novel was a quick and easy read but I enjoy more depth in characters. ( )