itsmarkyall's review against another edition
5.0
Checked this book out because of the Writer Types podcast. Excellent read. Quick pace, tight prose, and a helluva story. If you’re a writer it’s one of those you wish you’d written. Can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel.
mad_about_books's review against another edition
5.0
Here is a narrative that sucks you in with the first word… the first sentence… the first paragraph. You get the picture. It starts out pretty ordinary, yet not so ordinary and builds from there… word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, page by page. Before you know it, a quarter of the book is behind you, but you keep on reading. It is a quietly violent story. If you are a fan of the old Eastwood man-with-no-name westerns, you know what I mean.
I was most impressed by the way Hunsicker built the story. He tells you everything you need to know about the main character, Arlo Baines, at exactly the time you need to know it. In fact, there is Arlo's story and the situational story told in tandem so that by the end of the book you, the reader, are both satisfied with the outcome and want to follow the character further along his journey in life. THE DEVIL'S COUNTRY is, in every sense, a real page turner.
I was most impressed by the way Hunsicker built the story. He tells you everything you need to know about the main character, Arlo Baines, at exactly the time you need to know it. In fact, there is Arlo's story and the situational story told in tandem so that by the end of the book you, the reader, are both satisfied with the outcome and want to follow the character further along his journey in life. THE DEVIL'S COUNTRY is, in every sense, a real page turner.
8797999's review against another edition
4.0
Well this was an enjoyable read, had me hooked from the start. A great lead character albeit a typical hero type, an ex Texas Ranger suffering a past trauma comes into contact with an escapee from a cult and the story goes on from there.
Sadly could be all too true in today's World with all that goes on under the cloak of darkness.
I notice there is a sequel to this which I might start tomorrow, top notch.
Sadly could be all too true in today's World with all that goes on under the cloak of darkness.
I notice there is a sequel to this which I might start tomorrow, top notch.
mcbeezie's review against another edition
4.0
Gripping. I loved the piecemeal way of getting the main character's background. I thought he was compelling and would read more of his adventures as he travels around Texas. I devoured this book. Thank you to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
amcheri's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed it quite a lot. The protagonist isn't unique in the genre but he was well-written. Emotionally damaged loner who gets into more trouble than he expects while trying to help people.
If another book featuring Arlo Baines is in the works, I'll certainly read it.
If another book featuring Arlo Baines is in the works, I'll certainly read it.
aer0chris's review against another edition
4.0
I won this in a giveaway, thanks to Amazon for hooking me up!
I went into this one not knowing much, just that it was about a Texas cop. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it. The story was good, not overly “cop drama” with a lot of action, engaging storytelling, good characters, and a creepy cult. You get the present day plot meshing pretty well with a backstory set in flashbacks. The dialogue was occasionally clunky but I don’t know, maybe that’s how they talk in Texas. I’ve never been.
The edition I got was something called “Kindle in Motion” which was new to me. I had to read the book mostly on my Kindle app (my Kindle Touch is getting pretty dated at this point) so I could get all the page textures and all the gifs depicting scenes from the book! It was engaging, if a little weird as it kind of throws off your image of all the characters and scenes in your mind by having them actually shown to you as you read. But I appreciated the novelty of it.
Overall I’d recommend this one. It was a fun read with some good twists and turns. Check it out!
I went into this one not knowing much, just that it was about a Texas cop. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it. The story was good, not overly “cop drama” with a lot of action, engaging storytelling, good characters, and a creepy cult. You get the present day plot meshing pretty well with a backstory set in flashbacks. The dialogue was occasionally clunky but I don’t know, maybe that’s how they talk in Texas. I’ve never been.
The edition I got was something called “Kindle in Motion” which was new to me. I had to read the book mostly on my Kindle app (my Kindle Touch is getting pretty dated at this point) so I could get all the page textures and all the gifs depicting scenes from the book! It was engaging, if a little weird as it kind of throws off your image of all the characters and scenes in your mind by having them actually shown to you as you read. But I appreciated the novelty of it.
Overall I’d recommend this one. It was a fun read with some good twists and turns. Check it out!
petra_reads's review against another edition
3.0
[b:The Devil's Country|31184478|The Devil's Country|Harry Hunsicker|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1479237231s/31184478.jpg|51826344] is a Jack-Reacher-type story set in Texas. Since the murder of his family, former Texas ranger Arlo Baines has been moving from town to town wanting to be left alone to catch up on his reading. Arriving in a tiny town in West Texas, Arlo becomes involved in an altercation between a couple of thugs and an oddly dressed woman and her two children. When the woman is found dead the following morning, Arlo becomes a suspect but vows to find out what happened to the two children.
This was your typical lone ranger takes on entire town scenario involving an obscure cult, corrupt cops, a female journalist who could become a potential love interest and turns into something like his sidekick and the Russian mafia (with the stereotypical Boris for good measure). Through flashbacks, the reader discovers Arlo's back-story and what exactly happened to his family.
It was a little crammed with formulaic stuff, the back and forth made it choppy in parts, and the repetitiveness of the character announcing 'this is what I'll do' followed by a sentence where he is then actually doing this exact thing became a little wearing.
On the other hand, some passages and descriptions were really well done, the setting was atmospheric and it contained some nice humor.
If you're looking for some light entertainment and fancy a good old action movie type novel with a hero who will destroy all evil then this should appeal. There was nothing much wrong with it, but there also wasn't anything special or innovative. I liked it well enough, hence 3 stars.
I was invited to read an ARC and opinions expressed are entirely my own. Thanks to the publisher.
This was your typical lone ranger takes on entire town scenario involving an obscure cult, corrupt cops, a female journalist who could become a potential love interest and turns into something like his sidekick and the Russian mafia (with the stereotypical Boris for good measure). Through flashbacks, the reader discovers Arlo's back-story and what exactly happened to his family.
It was a little crammed with formulaic stuff, the back and forth made it choppy in parts, and the repetitiveness of the character announcing 'this is what I'll do' followed by a sentence where he is then actually doing this exact thing became a little wearing.
On the other hand, some passages and descriptions were really well done, the setting was atmospheric and it contained some nice humor.
If you're looking for some light entertainment and fancy a good old action movie type novel with a hero who will destroy all evil then this should appeal. There was nothing much wrong with it, but there also wasn't anything special or innovative. I liked it well enough, hence 3 stars.
I was invited to read an ARC and opinions expressed are entirely my own. Thanks to the publisher.
biblio_beth's review against another edition
4.0
NetGalley provided ARC.
Solid, well written story. Arlo Baines is a former Texas Ranger trying to outrun the emotional loss of his family. He just wants to be left alone but the small Texas town of Piedra Springs has other plans. He is inadvertently drawn into investigating several murders and a shady cult. Interesting characters and a well developed backstory made this a quick, enjoyable read.
Solid, well written story. Arlo Baines is a former Texas Ranger trying to outrun the emotional loss of his family. He just wants to be left alone but the small Texas town of Piedra Springs has other plans. He is inadvertently drawn into investigating several murders and a shady cult. Interesting characters and a well developed backstory made this a quick, enjoyable read.
samhouston's review
5.0
The version of "The Devil's Country" that I read was in a format that I've never before experienced, something called "Kindle in Motion." For readers using a Kindle or other capable device, this "motion" version greatly enhances the reading experience by including a series of photos and ten-or-fifteen-second films that relate directly to what is happening on the written page. Hats off to the team that produced this one; it's very well done.
This is also the first book in Hunsicker's new Arlo Baines series, and it's a doozy. Arlo, until a few months earlier a Texas Ranger, is now just a wanderer going wherever his last bus ticket happens to take him. He's a modern drifter - but he's still a do-gooder and a good cop at heart. So when he stumbles into a little West Texas town that has been taken over by some very bad people, including a weird religious cult and the Russian Mafia (a rather strange combination of bad guys), he is not going to leave until he gets to the bottom of things. With the help of a couple of brave folks - and a woman fresh from a stint with the New York Times - Arlo chips away at the problem until it all starts to make some sense. This is a high bodycount novel that is fun to read - especially in this version.
This is also the first book in Hunsicker's new Arlo Baines series, and it's a doozy. Arlo, until a few months earlier a Texas Ranger, is now just a wanderer going wherever his last bus ticket happens to take him. He's a modern drifter - but he's still a do-gooder and a good cop at heart. So when he stumbles into a little West Texas town that has been taken over by some very bad people, including a weird religious cult and the Russian Mafia (a rather strange combination of bad guys), he is not going to leave until he gets to the bottom of things. With the help of a couple of brave folks - and a woman fresh from a stint with the New York Times - Arlo chips away at the problem until it all starts to make some sense. This is a high bodycount novel that is fun to read - especially in this version.
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