NO LONE HERO: BRUCE BORGOS' THE BLUE HORSE

Bruce Borgos uses his small town backdrop of Lincoln County, Nevada for big stories. The region his Sheriff Porter Beck serves contains deep roots in the wild west that touch on other histories His investigations have dealt with The Cold War, computer hacking, and political intrigue.His latest, The Blue Horse, proves his biggest tale yet.

Borgos builds out from a regional controversy. The wild horse roundup, where The Bureau of Land Management chases the animals off the land, into corrals with the use of helicopters, so it can be used by ranchers. The displacement, as well as the injury, to the horses, has spurred protest in the form of the group CANTER to take action . When the helicopter pilot is shot in midair and the coordinator of the roundup is murdered in a brutal, attention getting manner, Beck needs to solve the case before the tension between the ranchers and activists before the powder keg in his community explodes.

Beck gathers his law enforcement allies, mainly the women, who include hs deputy Tuffy, and his lover, State Police Detective Charlie Blue Horse, and goes to work. Soon they pick up clues that hint it may concern something bigger than the round up. Beck's sister Brinley, stumbles on a major piece of the puzzle when chasing an errant charge, Rafa, on a wilderness program for troubled kids, finding a mine some gangster types don't want them to know about. I'll try not to reveal much more, other than Borgos finds a way to make bad guys out of Canadians.

The book's thriller approach cuts through the the story with strong momentum, yet Borgos never simply jumps from plotpoint to plotpoint. He accomplishes most of this by engaging the supporting players fully into the story. Tuffy discovers one of the murder victims is a cousin, making the case personal and giving her a great standoff with the ranchers in a moment. Beck's go to for information, the conspiracy minded reporter known as X Files, crosses paths with Brinley when his work crosses with her and Rafa's survival. Even Beck and Brinley's father, the dementia suffering Pops, plays a vital role in solving the case with his condition providing a touch of suspense.

The author also gives a lot of personal dilemmas to Beck and Brinley, who herself takes over a good chunk of he book. Beck has to deal with life changing news with Charlie that will affect their life with each other. Brinley's navigates her relationship with Rafa, who's troubled past reminds her of her own as a child with her abusive birth father. Both of them have to deal with Pops's worsening health.

The Blue Horse has the literary tone of a John Ford film. It uses the vastness of land for a scope that goes beyond setting. Bruce Borgos depicts Lincoln County as a living place with complexity and a lot of stories to tell.