DEAR DURWOOD by author Jeff Bond is the 2nd novel in the “Third Chance Enterprises” series based on the unusual leading character of Durwood Oak Jones, a former military hero who has reached fame in Soldier of Fortune magazine; yet has a strange attraction to taking on investigations that appeal to him based on the people who’ve requested his assistance in letters sent; if the cases merit his efforts to bring justice to those who might not find it otherwise.

Durwood, who could cash in on his past and live a life of ease instead living on the road with his traveling companion, his trusty blue tick coonhound Sue-Ann who is getting a bit on in age but still finds a way to prove her value in addition to just plain being good company along the way.

Chickasaw Texas is where Durwood goes to investigate the impending closure of the business that is the lifeblood of the community at the behest of the lovely and determined mayor of the town who is nobody’s fool and willing to go toe-to-toe with those who seemingly have no concerns beyond the profitability of selling the company to be dismantled and sold off piece by piece.

Can Durwood succeed even if he has reservations about his decision to take the case, or if it has been a mistake, and once he finds that the mayor who contacted may not have been entirely truthful, will he decide to pull out of the investigation?

Enjoyable book that reminds me somewhat of books from the past (as the cover photo and it’s worn edges would suggest), but taking place in the current era with a leading character who is reluctant to embrace modern technology, although he is unable to ignore some of the benefits he learns along the way.

4 stars.

this was a really fun read, I loved the writing style and the characters. It was a great second entry and I read both of the books back to back. I'd love more from this series.

When I start a Bond novel, I never know what I am going to get. I do know it will be crazy entertaining. This one is exactly that.

Durwood is like a bull in a china shop when he stands up against savvy financial wizards and ruthless corporate lawyers. But he has something those thieving specialists don't – his dog. Really. Durwood may be the star of the show but his arthritic Sue-Ann saves the day.

This is a fun, fast paced entertaining short novel. It's great for readers who like to see injustice made right. There is plenty of action. You'll even learn a bit about how corporations prey on failing businesses and make money doing it. Durwood sets out to stop predatory corporate scum and finds a gal in the process.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Durwood has strong John Wayne meets James Bond vibes. In this second (and much shorter) entry to the Third Chance Enterprises series, he takes center stage to investigate corruption in a small town.

I enjoyed learning more about Durwood in this book and watching him solve the mystery. I really feel like we got to learn more about him as a character and the plot was well paced. I also really liked the allusions to other cases he worked on with his missing colleagues - great world building.

The next book is to take place from the perspective of Molly and I will be interested to see where that one goes. Thank you to the author for an ARC.

This is the true definition of a hard-boiled mystery. Fans of westerns will embrace Durwood, calloused hands and all, as he strives to solve a case to help the mayor of a small town.

Highly recommended to fans of hard-boiled mysteries.

I read this book prior to the first book in the series. It can be read as a stand-a-lone but sometimes a reference is made to his other partners who really don't play a role in this book. This is an easy and fast read so it's nice when you don't want or can’t invest a lot of time. But don't get me wrong. A lot is happening and references are made to some of the practices in the business world that are anything but kosher. White collar crimes combined with strong arming and murder. A fun book to read.

Dear Durwood is the second of a series of PI/mystery thrillers by Jeff Bond. Due out 15th June 2020, it's a compact and quick 175 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

I really loved the pulp cover (yes, even the faux distressing) and was hoping for a rollicking story. I wasn't disappointed. The protagonist is an altruistic son-of-a-coal-miner Don Quixote type knight errant with the role of Sancho taken up by his faithful hound Sue-Ann.

Much of the situational tension is funny and happily the book doesn't take itself overly seriously. There's a lot of action, some romance, a fair bit of snappy dialogue, some off scene sex and a satisfying denouement. Although this is the second book in the series, it works quite well as a standalone, and in fact, I got a LOT more insight into Durwood's character and backstory which was missing from the first book (an ensemble trio of whom Durwood is one third).

Although set in the present day, the action and adventure hearken back to the days of the pulps like Creasey's Baron and Toff, and Gardner's A.A. Fair books (Donald Lam & Bertha Cool), with a tiny smidge of Billy Jack and a whiff of Hap & Leonard thrown in for good measure (much less active violence and much cleaner language than Lansdale's duo, though).

I really enjoyed it. Pure escapist over the top and well written. The author is a capable wordsmith. Bonus for this edition, a sneak peek at the first chapter of the next book: The Begonia Killer. I was unfamiliar with the author prior to reading and reviewing the first two books in the series, and I'm so glad I did. I will definitely keep an eye out for future work.

Four and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Dear Durwood is officially the second book in the Third Chance Enterprises series, which began with Anarchy of the Mice, but it absolutely can be read as a stand-alone - I would even recommend starting with this one, which is a more concise, conventional thriller, featuring only two of the series’ heroes, the wonderfully strong Durwood Oak Jones and his clever loyal dog Sue-Ann.

Like a more literary Jack Reacher, this has ex-military loner Durwood, who advertises his services rectifying injustices in a magazine, arriving in a small Texas town, Chickasaw. It’s major employer, a long-standing family-run hardware parts manufacturer, is under threat of closure so the progressive mayor, Carol Bridges, hearing of his reputation, has asked for help. Jones knows that legal and financial wrangles are not his forte, but he can’t stand bullies, so bulldozes his way into meetings with the incompetent and possibly corrupt scion and a team of plotting lawyers, who will use every dirty trick to get their way. Can our heroes stay alive long enough to right the wrongs and save the town?

Please don’t be put off by the rather unappealing retro pulp cover - this is a modern-day story which makes up for in heart what it lacks in originality (for that, see the aforementioned Anarchy of the Mice which is much more “out there”!) Various of TCE’s multiple previous adventures are referenced, but don’t worry, you haven’t missed anything, those haven’t featured in any books (yet?)! As with Bond’s other novels, this has a fair bit of politics running through it - which I like, and it certainly doesn’t interfere with the action. There are effective fight scenes but it’s not excessively violent, a spoonful of romance but a fade-out approach to sex (which I prefer, especially from male writers) and swearing is referenced but left out, which I also respect.

It’s a refreshingly quick read - about three hours on my Kindle, with a good ending. I look forward to continuing this series. Overall 4.5 rounded up for the cool dog and great writing. My thanks to NetGalley and Jeff Bond for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review. Dear Durwood is published on June 15th and available on NetGalley until 15th November.