ncrabb's review against another edition
3.0
Someone murdered David Dresden. He had been an ultra-liberal civil-rights attorney throughout his life, and he was a tough defense attorney in the courtroom.
His son, Natty, is a troubled young man. He formerly served in Iraq and came home dealing with serious PTSD as a result. Shortly after his dad died, he went to a bar and apparently blacked out while nearly killing a fireman in a fight. Agreeing to straighten up his life if it means he can stay out of prison, he joins his dad’s law firm and serves as an unpaid investigator into his dad’s murder. The father and son experienced a strained relationship, and that worsened when Natty signed up to fight after the terror attacks in 2001. As the investigation into who killed David Dresden heats up, Lourdes Robles joins forces with an aging detective on the force in an attempt to untangle the investigation. Suspects include everyone from Natty to FBI agents.
Because of his PTSD, his relationship with everyone around him is wobbly at best. The one man he loved best as a kid, his parents’ friend, Ben, falls under Natty’s suspicion for a variety of reasons.
The female Latin cop who is supposed to be a character star of the book isn’t. Blauner developed her poorly, and she feels like an also-ran in many respects. I was much more fascinated with Dresden’s female court-appointed psychologist than I ever was with Robles.
That said, this is far more than a conventional police procedural. Blauner describes Dresden’s PTSD in ways that feel remarkably authentic to me.
His son, Natty, is a troubled young man. He formerly served in Iraq and came home dealing with serious PTSD as a result. Shortly after his dad died, he went to a bar and apparently blacked out while nearly killing a fireman in a fight. Agreeing to straighten up his life if it means he can stay out of prison, he joins his dad’s law firm and serves as an unpaid investigator into his dad’s murder. The father and son experienced a strained relationship, and that worsened when Natty signed up to fight after the terror attacks in 2001. As the investigation into who killed David Dresden heats up, Lourdes Robles joins forces with an aging detective on the force in an attempt to untangle the investigation. Suspects include everyone from Natty to FBI agents.
Because of his PTSD, his relationship with everyone around him is wobbly at best. The one man he loved best as a kid, his parents’ friend, Ben, falls under Natty’s suspicion for a variety of reasons.
The female Latin cop who is supposed to be a character star of the book isn’t. Blauner developed her poorly, and she feels like an also-ran in many respects. I was much more fascinated with Dresden’s female court-appointed psychologist than I ever was with Robles.
That said, this is far more than a conventional police procedural. Blauner describes Dresden’s PTSD in ways that feel remarkably authentic to me.
jeremyhornik's review against another edition
3.0
Modern rewrite of Hamlet, with drugs and lawyers and PTSD. A few too many threads that neither fully enrich nor neatly resolve. Still, well paced and readable.
mrsboyko's review against another edition
4.0
Good solid Mass Market Murder Mystery. Nothing amazing, but solid.
thenaptimewriter's review against another edition
3.0
Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.
3.5 ⭐️
Nathaniel “Natty” Dresden, a veteran of the Iraq War who experiences PTSD over what he did & what happened to him there, has returned to the US unwilling/unable to connect with his father, a defense attorney who didn’t approve of his choice to enlist in the first place.
After his father’s murdered in the midst of a case involving suing the FBI, Natty learns more about his life than he probably wanted to. Natty wants to figure out what happened to his dad, & why, & a certain important person in his life begins to look more & more suspicious.
Also investigating the case is Detective Lourdes Robles who has something to prove after she was recently sidelined for a former partner’s behavior. She wants this win.
Peter Blauner’s Proving Ground offers a solid mystery told in an intriguing voice. My favorite moments are the character-driven ones, when Blauner shares the secrets & memories each holds close behind their respective defensive armor.
While I enjoyed this read, I found myself disappointed by the end, which feels somewhat odd to me. After everything that Natty shares, everything he’s been through, I didn’t understand why he responded to the final events the way he did, & there’s one storyline throughout that I just didn’t 100% get.
Proving Ground is an interesting thriller & I was glad to uncover the mysteries at the heart of it but I also have some quibbles.
3.5 ⭐️
Nathaniel “Natty” Dresden, a veteran of the Iraq War who experiences PTSD over what he did & what happened to him there, has returned to the US unwilling/unable to connect with his father, a defense attorney who didn’t approve of his choice to enlist in the first place.
After his father’s murdered in the midst of a case involving suing the FBI, Natty learns more about his life than he probably wanted to. Natty wants to figure out what happened to his dad, & why, & a certain important person in his life begins to look more & more suspicious.
Also investigating the case is Detective Lourdes Robles who has something to prove after she was recently sidelined for a former partner’s behavior. She wants this win.
Peter Blauner’s Proving Ground offers a solid mystery told in an intriguing voice. My favorite moments are the character-driven ones, when Blauner shares the secrets & memories each holds close behind their respective defensive armor.
While I enjoyed this read, I found myself disappointed by the end, which feels somewhat odd to me. After everything that Natty shares, everything he’s been through, I didn’t understand why he responded to the final events the way he did, & there’s one storyline throughout that I just didn’t 100% get.
Proving Ground is an interesting thriller & I was glad to uncover the mysteries at the heart of it but I also have some quibbles.
larryschwartz's review against another edition
3.0
Took me longer to read than it should have. Action was choppy and, thus, annoying.
bonniejgm's review against another edition
1.0
Not for me. I read the whole thing but was really disgusted when the army vet killed his father's best friend who turned out to be his biological father, and then he gets away with it!
neilsb's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
miajmu's review against another edition
3.0
Really interesting characters in a decent but not great murder mystery.
scknitter's review
4.0
Two people have something to prove. Lourdes Robles is a homicide detective just off of probation who must prove she deserves to be back on the job. And, Nathaniel Dresden is a prosecuting attorney who has yet to get over what he did and saw in Iraq and who needs to prove to himself that he is capable of living a life he can be proud of. When his father, a defense attorney who always championed the underdog and disadvantaged, and who was always fighting the establishment is murdered. Natty comes home to be with his mother and try and forgive himself for never really getting along with or understanding his father. What follows is a suspenseful, action-packed, and at times, dark story. A story of love and hate and betrayal that you won’t want to put down.
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