This is something of an old school pulp novel with a goodly amount of noir and an overall style that brings to mind filmmaker Sam Peckinpah (Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia). A little more nuanced and fully developed than one might expect from that description but definitely a rough-and-tumble tale -- I liked it.

My thanks to the Author publisher's and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
Set in West Texas Scrubland this is a quality read, a story of drug dealers, Mafia gunmen and Mexican gangsters, throw in a gorgeous Femme Fatale, and then we have the hero, the brains of the outfit, part Philip Marlowe, part Sam Spade brave clever fearless and unbelievably helpful. Beautifully written atmospheric descriptive, super characters throughout, a gripping old fashioned gumshoe mystery, but all the more enjoyable for that. A story of betrayal corruption and murder with plenty of humour too, even during the somewhat gruesome beating scene.
The drawings at the start at each chapter are really great too.
Completely and utterly recommended.

I found it dull and uninteresting and the characters were kind of bland and one note. I did almost DNF quite a few times

Well, the hero claims to be a civilised man but when pushed he really shows other aspects of his character! This book is almost a noir thriller in writing style and offers the reader a fast paced ride through very rocky terrain. The blurb reads like a book targeting a traditional masculine audience but there is more to it than a macho ride through wave after wave of foe. Watch for some pretty clever dialogue and the odd bit of humour, too.

Description sounded a bit different and I homed in on the "avoid the hordes of Assassin Bugs" - big bugs that have a bite like nothing else and make a large splat on the windscreen but, otherwise, seem to have little part in the story.. Our hero will do any sort of work in an off the Interstate town somewhere in the hot Chaparral of Texas. However, he gets/is thoroughly mixed up with Mexican drug cartels, the Mafia, historic crimes, murder and mayhem. Much of the story revolves around him being chased/beaten up/drinking and the like with friends, some of whom you would not want as friends. He gets involved with a young widow who asked him to help to deter an unpleasant and unwanted suitor which got more beatings for him as well as a bed companion. It all felt rather teenagery in a bad way I'm afraid. Not my type of book and sadly the Assassin Bugs were not mini-drones which could have left our hero for really dead. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

They left me for dead by J.M. Holmes.
Whether fighting to avoid the hordes of Assassin Bugs that have colonized the region, or working to stay one step ahead of drug-dealers, Mafia hitmen and Mexican cartels, our hero is finding life in this sleepy area of the southern US isn’t quite as peaceful as appearances suggest. This hardboiled crime novel, set in the arid West Texas scrublands, dives deep into dark, dangerous places populated by a host of seedy and corrupt characters.
Featuring a new breed of frontier hero drawn into a tangled web of murder, corruption, and betrayal, the earthy realism and harsh reality of They Left Me for Dead will pull you in and soon have you sweating along with its hero in the hot, dry Texas Chaparral.
A goid read. Goid characters. I liked the story. 4*.