by C.S. Splitter
Series: Crayder Chronicles #1
Genres: Mystery
Source: Author
Action, adventure, suspense, and thriller in one story told with a liberal dose of humor. Tom’s problems are not unique. His business is failing and his wife has to work too many hours to make ends meet. He is under some rather large financial pressures and wants more from his marriage and his life. He finds his respite in the air as a private pilot. Unfortunately for Tom, he is behind on payments for his plane and is forced to take odd jobs from a local crime boss. Tom is no criminal, but the errands he is running are just slightly on the wrong side of the law and the money is almost good enough to allow him to make his plane payments. Just as things begin to come under some semblance of control, he meets a woman who just might represent the adventure he seeks. He soon discovers that appearances, and beautiful women, can sometimes be deceiving.
The Reluctant by C.S. Splitter is the first book in the Crayder Chronicles. This adult-fiction offers suspense, mystery, and murder delivered with a touch of humor. I enjoyed this easy flowing read and finished it in just a few hours. It isn’t often that I read a book from a male point of view and I found it to be refreshing.
The tale is told from the POV of our protagonist Tom Crayder. A middle-aged, married man, whose wife Jenny works too much as they struggle to make ends meet. Jenny is clueless about Tom’s need for adventure and his straying eyes. Tom’s pride and joy is his plane. In order to keep up the payments on the plane, he begins to accept jobs from the head of a biker gang. Tom’s never broken the law, except maybe for a few speeding tickets but his work with Jake is questionable. Tom’s only rule…No drugs. This arrangement works well for them.
Tom’s other hobby is the shooting range and he goes there to decompress. He meets a young woman named Lorena and imagines taking her to a seedy hotel for a good time. Despite being a fairly calm and level-headed guy, the tale that unfolds finds Tom in some risky situations. Thanks to his encounter with Lorena he finds himself dealing with life and death situations. The tale is action packed and full of suspense, murder, and surprising twists. I found Tom to be witty and level-headed and I realize he’s not really a bad guy; he just makes really stupid choices. I am not a fan of men and women who are unfaithful and this aspect turned me off….but admittedly it makes for a good story. Having said that Tom loves Jenny and I think this is more of a mid-life crisis. Lorena is the typical other woman and she casts quite a spell on Tom.
Splitter’s writing style is smooth and the tale is easy to read. I enjoyed the story and will continue on with the series. I recommend this to fans of suspense and mystery. The Reluctant is currently available in eBook format. The second book in this series is also available entitled The Willing.
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
