| Title | : | Stateline (Dan Reno, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 294 |
| Publication | : | First published December 26, 2013 |
When a tycoon’s son is murdered the night before his wedding, the grief-stricken father offers private detective Dan Reno a life-changing bounty to find the killer.
Reno, nearly broke, thinks he’s finally found himself in the right place at the right time. But when a band of crooked cops get involved, Reno finds himself fighting for his life.
Who committed the murder, and why? Which cops can he trust, if any?
Haunted by his murdered father and a violent past, Reno wants no more blood on his hands. But a man’s got to make a living, and backing off is not in his DNA.
Traversing the snowy alpine winter in the Sierras and the lonely deserts of Nevada, Reno must revert to his old ways to survive. Because the bounty won’t do him much good if he’s dead.
Stateline (Dan Reno, #1) Reviews
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Stateline is the first book in the series featuring Dan Reno, a private investigator come bounty hunter. There was no way I could not read this book with the eye catching cover and the very intriguing blurb.
I have to admit to start with it took me a little while to get into the book than I normally would expect. Once I was fully into it though I was well and truly hooked.
Being offered a lot of money, there was no way Dan Reno can refuse, even though he is chasing after a killer and could put himself into serious danger. Dan finds himself in some very seedy places trying to uncover the killers identity. They certainly are not the sort of places that most people would frequent.
I really enjoyed the friendship between Dan and Cody in the story. Am not quite sure if Cody is going to be Dan’s side kick in the series but I hope so as I really enjoyed the banter between the both and can see them becoming a much loved duo.
The author takes us on a dark and sometimes violent journey into a criminal world. I enjoyed seeing Dan’s investigative skills and he could certainly do a better job than the state police.
Stateline is a solid start into a new crime series. Once the story grabs hold, I was totally absorbed in the investigation which certainly makes for some toe curling reading in parts. Looking forward to reading more in the series. -
Stateline is the first book in the Dan Reno series. Reno is a flawed PI (likes to drink too much) who decides he can help his poor financial situation by helping investigate the murder of a wealthy tycoon’s son. It took me a while to get into the story as it introduces all the main players and their relationships with each other. Once the introductions are done the pace of the story increases rapidly.
Stanton’s writing style is clear and some of his descriptions of the locations help you picture them in your mind. The dialogue was also well done, especially between Reno and Gibbons where Reno’s sarcasm injected some humour. Reno comes across as someone who is determined to finish the job he started, although there are a number of obstacles put in his way. His liking of violence was a bit too much for me at times, but given the situations he found himself in, it wasn’t out of place.
If you’re a fan of action packed, fast paced crime investigations, then Stateline will keep you turning the pages. -
I always like to dip my toes in the water with new authors but it is always a bit of a gamble if I will love or hate. Luckily Bloodhound authors are usually in the 'love' category and Dave Stanton is no exception.
The book does take a while to get going as we learn about the characters and their history but from about 30% it does start to pick up speed and this increases steadily towards a fast paced roller coaster of an ending. I can't wait to read the next in this series.
Meet Dan Reno, PI who dips his toes in the water as a bounty hunter when the groom, son of a rich man, at a wedding is brutally murdered the day before the ceremony and Dan Reno is tasked with finding his murderer before the police do. The reward is more money than Dan has ever seen.
The journey to find the killer is a rocky one that sees Dan and Cody escaping with their lives by a sheer stroke of luck on more than one occasion. Who is trying to eliminate them and why?
This is a very intriguing story that involves drugs, prostitution and corruption at dangerous levels the character building takes place at the beginning of the book so we get to know the complex characters before we really get into the story. There is a slightly humourous vein running through the story that offsets the darkness perfectly.
Well worth the 5 stars. I am looking forward to more from this author. -
A fast-paced, well-written and most engaging plot, it kept me awake - literally - all night. The characters are engaging - the good ones that is - and the crooks are a truly vicious as only they can be. One incident in the novel had me upset, but I'm not going to say what it was as I don't want to give a spoiler.
Dan Reno is swept into a mix of murder, drugs and deviant sex when the son of a billionaire is murdered the night before his wedding to the niece of Dan's ex-wife. There doesn't seem to be a good reason for the killing, but as the plot unfolds, the reader becomes aware that there are plenty.
Dan's friend, Cody, joins him to help out and a charming and unlikely sidekick - Edward - the assistant to the billionaire - shows an unexpected side to his gentle persona. There are moments of humour, involving Dan's erstwhile boss and some people - namely two of the female characters reveal their inner selves to be not what the reader would expect from their occupations!
Thoroughly enjoyable and comes highly recommended! I know the author has written two - as yet unpublished - Dan Reno books and I hope he brings them out soon. -
A solid entry into the genre from Stanton.
Stateline revels in its very overt Americana throughout. It seems intended to be a fun read, and it is for the most part and makes great use of a variety of locations, which I really enjoyed seeing.
The main character, Dan Reno, drinker, damaged, unlikable PI. Yeah we’ve been here before, but the stereotype is pitch-perfect for the novel Stanton has written.
Written in first-person, past-tense throughout, the style and POV is a staple of the genre, and one I unfortunately rarely enjoy. For me the writing style enfolds the reader in a security that the main character, despite whatever jeopardy they’re placed in, has survived the tale being told. Too often this choice can kill the feeling of any real peril. As a personal preference, I think the story would’ve benefitted from switching to a third-person perspective, or keeping first person and switching to present tense.
I’m sure I’m in the minority on this point, and Stanton’s story is certainly very well-written and flows well.
What Stanton does do very well indeed is present his readers an incredibly pacey, whirlwind of a story that ends far too soon for this reader, such was the extent with which it drew me in.
The dialogue is excellent throughout and, despite a few inconsistencies, Reno begins to be established as a character who might have something more to him than the stereotypes we are presented with as his main qualities during this first instalment of the series. I don’t need well-rounded lead characters, I’m happy if they’re a work in progress, and Reno is certainly a character I feel has much to be disclosed about his past, motives and frailties.
If being honest, Stateline was more of a 3.5 stars for me, simply because of the handling of the female characters in this book. At times, poorly-represented, often simply used to push plot or character development forward, the women who occupy Stanton’s novel weren’t allowed any real motivation or any tangible purpose of their own. Several could have added so much more to the story if allowed to do so.
Tightly-plotted and oozing character, Stanton’s Stateline was an enjoyable standalone read, and a competent first entry in a series that has the potential for some great character development.
Like its protagonist, flawed, but all the better for those flaws. -
This is not a bad introduction to a series of books about the same investigator. I happened to glance at some of the reviews as I read it and noticed some people complained about the swearing. Others complained that the protagonist, Dan Reno, (annoyingly pronounced "ren-oh") drinks too much and will sleep with anything that moves. My issues with the book lie with two other things: I found myself not really caring too much about Reno or the case he was trying to solve. Is that weird? I didn't realize this until I finished the book. The other thing that drove me crazy was all the different settings and locations. Reno flies here, drives there. He's at this whorehouse he's at that whorehouse. It was all over the place. The best character in the book is Reno's pal, Cody. The problem is, he and Reno are so similar...foul-mouthed, alcoholic, tough guys...there needs to be more disparity between them.
All that said, STATELINE is a decent introduction to Dave Stanton's Dan Reno novels. Maybe some of the issues work themselves out in future books. I might read the next one down the road to find out. -
A BookBub freebie that was actually a pretty good read. This book is the introduction to private investigator Dan Reno and his buddy, Cody, two over-sized, heavy drinking guys in pursuit of some very evil bad guys.
Somehow the author makes an alcoholic detective fun, something I can't remember since Dudley Moore's early movies (remember how funny they were in their time but when a sequel was done some years later the alcoholic theme had lost it's charm?). So it's admirable that the author is able to pull this off.
I liked the book and found the two main characters interesting and engaging. Dave Stanton (never read him before) is a very good writer capable of keeping you turning the pages. I would consider a 5 star rating but I thought the ending was dragged out and the conclusion not as intriguing as was it's potential. Still, overall, a fun, fast story.
I'm always surprised when I come across a good, free read on BookBub since the vast majority of the site's free offerings are badly written, badly edited and uninteresting. On a plane last night I started and deleted five BookBub books, making my average 1 in six that I like. But that's another story.... -
Nice mystery detective introduction to Dan Reno, PI
Good storyline with a murder to solve with the promise of big money from father of a young man killed the night before his wedding. You get to know some lowlife folks who make their life beating,selling drugs, and doing all they can to make life hard for regular people. Not a book for those who don't like to read about real life problems, with alcohol, driving while drinking, etc. But if you read to be entertained and don't mind swears, a good mystery, with a side of life. -
Dan Reno is my kind of hero. He kind of fumbles through life ans also gets killed several times. Good book.
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Dan Reno is a private eye. He is hired by a wealthy man to investigate who murdered his only son the night before the son's wedding.
The money is life changing for Dan but he finds himself in the middle of a much more dangerous situation than he ever imagined.
The farther Dan starts getting into the investigation the more sleazy people and crimes he starts to uncover, the more he finds himself in a fight for his life.
Cooled cops, casinos and killers, perverts, drugs you name it.
Finally he calls his friend Cody, a cop with the San Jose PD, to give him a hand and things get even wilder as they close in on the killer.
Just kept going and pulled me right into the story! Excellent, gritty crime novel. -
This book is great in every respect. The characters are very realistic and perfectly described. Reno and his buddy, Cody, make a good pair for dealing with the violence and intrigue. The descriptions of the Las Vegas area, Lake Tahoe, and the desert are spot on. The plot develops gradually as new information creates suspense and danger. As a reader you know that the ending should be good, but the book is written in a manner that leaves that in doubt to the end. The blurbs were right, I couldn't put it down.
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Dan Reno is looking forward to a weekend wedding at Caesar’s in Lake Tahoe. Not for the wedding or the casino but for the skiing the day after the wedding. Not many guys get invited to their ex-wife’s niece’s wedding. Still, not all guys are Dan Reno. Desiree McGee is marrying Sylvester Bascom, son of John Bascom, president of the Bascom Lumber Enterprises. But the groom doesn’t go on the honeymoon. He doesn’t even come to the wedding. He’s not missing. He’s dead. The groom’s father hires Dan to bring him the guilty party as he doesn’t have confidence in the local police. The money is irresistible.
I enjoyed the novel, but at times, unnecessary breaks in the storyline became annoying. One example was while a hotel clerk was completing paperwork, Dan read a "thin brochure describing activities in Salina and the city’s history." Thank goodness the brochure was thin, as the paragraph describing the contents of the brochure seemed endless.
I enjoy private investigator mysteries, but I doubt I’ll continue reading the series. -
Dan Reno works as a private eye in California. He was going to the wedding of his ex-wife's niece in South Lake Tahoe. The groom's family was very, very wealthy. The night before the wedding the parties became wild with alcohol, drugs, and fists being thrown around. The next day, as the guests wondered why the ceremony had not started, they received word that the wedding was being canceled: the groom had been killed.
The groom's father wanted to hire Reno to find out who killed his son. He did not trust the local police to solve the crime. He offered Reno more money he normally earned in a year.
Reno's investigation turned up suspects includes but not all were trustworthy. Some eventually were also killed.
The book is very heavy on drugs, drinking, profanity, sex, and violence, including among Reno, his friends, and the local police. This all detracted from the plot.
I was ready to give up after the first few chapters plugged along until I was halfway through. At that point I decided I really did not like the people nor the writing and quit reading.
Interesting observations:
Description of a casino: The carpet had a geometric pattern designed to cause disorientation, and the walls were mirrored in strategic places to confuse one's sense of direction. The walkways seem to wind mazelike in all directions, and everywhere banks of slot machines beckoned, clanging loudly and luring in the distracted passerby. There were no clocks on the walls, and the bathrooms were infrequent and out-of-the-way.
There is a reference to “A child in soiled diapers.” Shouldn’t it be “a diaper”?
We end up represented by the best lawyers, and some of the people we elect are ruthless behind closed doors. They'll do whatever it takes to maintain their domain. Get in their way, they will find a way to F you.
After an officer attacked a suspect: “That was unnecessary. He's a paranoid schizophrenic. We would have restrained him in a minute.
Most criminals share one thing in common – they are habitual liars out of necessity, as a practical means of sustaining. -
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I enjoyed this book which is the first in the Dan Reno series.
I thought Reno was a great character and I am looking forward to see how his character develops over the upcoming books. This was a great start to the series. the writing style was great and the pace and plot were spot on.
It was a fairly quick read for me and I was really taken with the plot line and the punchy nature of the book as soon as I settled in to the story, which I will admit too me a little while longer than normal but as soon as I was in to it I wanted to carry on reading where I could.
I thought that everything worked really well in the book and I have given it four stars and looking forward to reading the rest of the books later this year! -
A gritty thriller following PI Dan Reno as he investigates the death of the fiancé of his ex-wife's niece. He is murdered brutally the night before his wedding but why? The grooms millionaire industrialist father hires Dan Reno to bring the killer to him so he can dispense his own justice. Reno, an experienced investigator, works tirelessly to solve the case with help from his eccentric friends. He unwittingly stumbles into the crosshairs of a local operation to supply drugs. Working against the locally corrupted police Dan makes some mortal enemies that will stop at nothing to remain hidden and keep their supply chain going.
I found this fast-paced thriller testosterone packed, all the major strong characters are male. Some are prostitutes or just plain devious. However, I found the plot very enthralling and grisly, Dan is a very likeable protagonist and the banter between him and his allies is both humourous and endearing. A very worthy mystery and a great detective to read. -
Fans of the genre will be familiar with the works of Dashiell Hammett, James Ellroy, and Raymond Chandler. Last year, I discovered the work of Robert Crais, and entered the world of his creations Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. To this list, I think we have to add Dave Stanton. An excellent first-of-series novel. A modern setting, but written in a style that will appeal to noire fans everywhere. A real page-turner from beginning to end. Moves the story along at a brisk clip, but still takes the time to give the characters real depth. Off now to start the second book. If you are a fan of the downtrodden gumshoe, you'll love it!
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Happy Publication Day! Stateline is book number one in the Dan Reno series and I enjoyed it, a great start to the series. I found it an easy read but more of a crime/detective/investigation story than a thriller.
This story has it all! Fights, drugs, hookers, alcohol, crooked cops, gambling… You name it this book has it. It is action packed! However, I did find some of the chapters very long. I liked the PI (private investigator) Dan, he doesn’t mess around. I cannot wait to see what lies ahead for Dan in this series. I awarded four stars and would recommend to you all. Keep your eyes peeled for book number 2 shortly called Blind Luck. -
I don't normally read hardboiled fiction (many years ago, I used to read Hammett and Chandler, loved them) I picked this up through a Kindle countdown deal. I was drawn in by the cover and the blurb. I was drawn in immediately, despite the different genre. I liked the detective, Dan Reno and the plot was well structured as well as intriguing and I found myself constantly turning the pages. But it was the voice that was 5 stars! The narrative just felt 'hardboiled.' Well done. Glad I tried something new.
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This didn't really grab me. I felt like a lot of the issues were ready to be explored, but it all felt a bit flat and two-dimensional. It felt like it was trying too hard to shock me by the drugs, drinking, violence, but it only succeeded in making me weary.
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This was another Dan Reno, PI story. These stories are well written and entertaining. There is action on every page. It amazes me that Dave Stanton can continue to find new adventures for Dan and his buddy Cody. I'll be around when he does!
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I liked it! good characters / character development. Fun. Adventure. A little bit of romance. Lots of action. I read in a single day ... I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
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Excellent Read.
Very well written mystery. I can't wait to read another of Stanton's books. Really outstanding plot that captures you and doesn't let go. -
Captivated
Read this book now! I read this captivated by it's story and it gave me goose bump's its great read it -
💝 FREE on Amazon today (12/08/2017)! 💝
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Enjoyable thriller, with some good action and a few decent twists in it. Recommended.
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Great intro to a new book series. Kind of a throwback to old-time detective stories. Well-written and fast moving.
I'll read more from Stanton.
