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County Line

3.38 of 5 stars 3.38 · rating details · 642 ratings · 117 reviews

When the steadfast Ruby Jane Whittaker drops out of sight, dogged ex-cop Skin Kadash sets out to discover what drove the woman he loves to leave her life behind so suddenly and without explanation. The discovery of a dead man in her apartment, followed by an attack by a mysterious stalker, leads Skin first to California, then across the country on a desperate journey deep...more

Paperback, 300 pages

Published June 21st 2011 by Tyrus Books (first published June 1st 2011)

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Jun 02, 2011 Crystal Posey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Bill Cameron is a writer who knows when to slow down, speed up, and carry you along at just the right pace that you can't help but yearn to finish his books, and County Line is no different. With an intriguing opening, killer chapter endings, no mercy for his characters, twists that will spin you like a wheel, and shocks that come like punches this is a book that delivers.

The characters are nailed to the wall. Cameron portrays, to a painfully real degree, a young girl trapped in the weaknesses a...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Patty Blount rated it 5 of 5 stars

COUNTY LINE, by Oregon-based Bill Cameron, is a thrill ride of a mystery, the fourth featuring cool cop, Thomas “Skin” Kadash. In this story, Skin is now retired and just coming off a grueling recovery following a gunshot wound sustained in DAY ONE. The story sucks you in from the first scene with Skin driving home to Portland after spending a month recuperating in a cell-phone dead zone, wondering why the hell he still hasn’t heard from Ruby Jane Whittaker. Ruby Jane, owner of Uncommon Cup (of...more COUNTY LINE, by Oregon-based Bill Cameron, is a thrill ride of a mystery, the fourth featuring cool cop, Thomas “Skin” Kadash. In this story, Skin is now retired and just coming off a grueling recovery following a gunshot wound sustained in DAY ONE. The story sucks you in from the first scene with Skin driving home to Portland after spending a month recuperating in a cell-phone dead zone, wondering why the hell he still hasn’t heard from Ruby Jane Whittaker. Ruby Jane, owner of Uncommon Cup (of coffee), has recently – to Skin’s surprise – crossed from friend to love… but she doesn’t know that yet. Or, maybe she does. Skin’s a bit spotty on the whole situation.

Upon learning that Ruby Jane up and left her chain of coffee shops two weeks earlier and hasn’t checked in since, Skin literally drops everything to find her, his ex-cop gut telling him she’s in trouble. What follows is a series of action-packed scenes made more remarkable by the details Cameron chooses to spotlight… the light from a cell phone is a ‘splash of acid in my eyes’ and a trip to the grocery store made memorable by a woman snacking from ‘an open bag of Purina Beggin’ Strips’. The vivid details Cameron weaves in using an economy of words plopped me smack in the middle of the story. I smelled the dead bodies, I felt characters’ pain, and I tasted chicken pot pie from Cartopia.

You think I’m exaggerating? Read it yourself. You’ll agree.

Skin enlists help from a character first introduced in LOST DOG, Peter McKrall, Ruby Jane’s previous love interest. Skin’s and Peter’s partnership is an uneasy one that takes them through several states, hot on Ruby Jane’s trail. Cameron tells the story from Skin’s first-person, present tense point of view and then switches to a third person, past tense POV to show us what happened to Ruby Jane between 1988 and 1989 that has her so spooked in the present. It sounds confusing but it’s not. Strap in and enjoy the ride.

A writer I know doesn’t think male writers can write convincing female characters and vice versa. Cameron shoots holes through that theory. Ruby Jane’s story is deftly told and by the time Cameron returns me to Skin’s POV, I breathed a sigh of relief because I wasn’t sure I could handle any more angst.

COUNTY LINE was a truly fun read. The plot had enough Lombard Street-esque twists and turns to get me feverishly shuffling back pages to figure out how I missed the big reveal at the end. If that’s not enough to convince you to rush right out and buy it, consider this: COUNTY LINE is the fourth Skin Kadash story but you don’t need to read books 1 through 3 first to enjoy it.

But it sure helps.

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Mar 13, 2012 Paul rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, mystery

Actual rating: 2.5 stars.

This was a Free Friday Nook download from Barnes & Noble. I read the sample paragraph, liked what I saw, and grabbed a copy ... not all free ebooks looked this promising. Bill Cameron's thing is an ex-cop private eye, Skin Kadash, who lives and (mostly) works the Portland, Oregon area. Portland's hip, the Pacific Northwest settings are hip, and the characters, at least some of them, are hipsters. Coffee shops? This novel's got 'em. If Skin had hopped on a bicycle at...more

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Oct 17, 2011 Gloria Feit rated it 3 of 5 stars

Before even attempting to evaluate this novel, it must be pointed out that at the beginning and end of the book as well as in between segments there are QR barcodes, purportedly featuring bonus material and extras. To do so, of course, one must own a smartphone and download an app to view the material. Since I have no need or desire to own such an instrument (what’s wrong, am I anti-American?), I don’t know how much, if anything, I am missing, especially what the barcode at the end of and within...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Angie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was very excited to get this book because I admire Janet Reid and if she repped it then it must be good.

One of the first things I do when I buy or open a book is look at the page count so when I saw 405 I sighed. The first part was hard for me to read because of Bill Cameron's style is so unusual. It felt to me that he was pushing the prose to make it sound interesting. I had to back track many times to understand. But this may be my problem because I haven't lived in an English speaking coun...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Jen Rothmeyer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recently I have had the pleasure of reading some very good books. Some have been okay, but others have been mind-blowing. County Line by Bill Cameron was right smack in the middle of okay and mind-blowing at a steady awesome. From the beginning I was wondering how it was all going to wrap up and then right between section one and two there was a wallop when the entire style of the book changed pace as we switched voices. That’s when it started to get exciting.

Part One: Skin. This was my first in...more Recently I have had the pleasure of reading some very good books. Some have been okay, but others have been mind-blowing. County Line by Bill Cameron was right smack in the middle of okay and mind-blowing at a steady awesome. From the beginning I was wondering how it was all going to wrap up and then right between section one and two there was a wallop when the entire style of the book changed pace as we switched voices. That’s when it started to get exciting.

Part One: Skin. This was my first introduction so Skin Kadash and I can say that it was a pleasant one. Skin is a retired cop with a little bit of an authority problem. He has just wrapped up a winter retreat at a nice bed and breakfast to get his head set straight and he’s been starting to worry about his friend Ruby Jane. It’s possible she just disappeared because she was tired of Skin, but what if that wasn’t it? Skin begins to investigate and discovers a dead man in Ruby Jane’s bathtub. Okay – that’s a little tricky to blow off, now isn’t it? Skin starts tracking Ruby Jane down through her various relatives and friends and connections (and not via Facebook might I add) when he starts to realize he’s stumbled on something big. Ruby Jane’s not quite as innocent as she seems, but Skin has to figure out where she is and just how deep into it she is.

Part Two: Roo. Ruby Jane’s section passes quickly as your mind starts to piece together all the information that is being thrown at you haphazardly. I’m the type of person that loves to read with a pencil and a piece of paper right next to me (Sorry Prof. Slinkard – I still can’t write in my books). I jot down clues, I jot down dates, I jot down names. I needed that skill in this section as Ruby Jane’s story flips and flops back and forth through time. It’s normally pretty easy to follow along, but occasionally I had to stop and backtrack or think. This was the highlight of this book.

Part Three: Biddy. I won’t give away the conclusion, since I’m not into spoilers, but I will say that while this book could be called formulaic (as most books are – even really great books), I still found the conclusion satisfying and somewhat surprising.

I did have to send a tweet to Mr. Cameron at one point, asking him for clarification on one of the passages in the book, and wouldn’t you know it – he replied back! Props to Mr. Cameron. Overall, I found this book to be engaging and fast paced (after you got past Skin’s section) and I really love the characters. Since this is part of a series, I’m going to have to make time to go back and read some of the other bits and pieces of Skin’s story.

Thank you Mr. Cameron.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received County Line by Bill Cameron free from Tyrus Books through the FSB Media review program. I was not required to write a positive review and did not receive any other compensation. The opinions I have expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”(less)

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Jul 17, 2011 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Skin Kadash is a former cop. He was recovering from a gun shot wound, only to learn that his girlfriend, Ruby Jane Whittaker has gone missing. What had Ruby gotten herself into? When Skin goes to Ruby’s apartment to find any sort of clue as to where Ruby is, Skin finds a dead man in Ruby’s bath tub. Skin decides to start off at Pete McKrall’s place. Pete is Ruby’s former boyfriend. On one hand, Skin hopes that he does not find Ruby with Pete but on the other hand if she is there than he and Ruby...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Ann Littlewood rated it 5 of 5 stars

County Line won the 2012 Spotted Owl from the Portland organization Friends of Mystery and there's a good reason for that. I spent today, the day after a fun but exhausting Thanksgiving, sitting on the couch with a sleeping dog on my lap. This was the perfect read. It's a tale of ex-cop Skin's search for his vanished girl friend, Ruby Jane, who doesn't want to be found. The story covers a lot of geography, from Portland to San Francisco to Ohio and even Orcas Island in Washington State. It cover...more

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Sep 09, 2011 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book was a bit of a departure from the kind of books I typically like. It’s a crime-mystery, with a missing woman and a dead body found in the apartment belonging to the missing woman. The man who cares about both is Skin Kadash, an ex-cop who has returned from a self-imposed exile due to emotional/mental health issues. His gal is Ruby Jane and she is MIA. Because he suspects a connection between Ruby Jane and the dead body in her tub, he sets out across the country to find her. He digs int...more

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Aug 11, 2011 Steve rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was not familiar with the author Bill Cameron, until I downloaded this title to my Nook, as part of Barnes & Noble's "Free Friday" promotion for ebook readers. I don't take advantage of every one of those, as many are in the romance or supernatural/romance category. In this case I'm very glad I took a chance.

Skin Kadash, is a retired police detective living in Oregon. His relationship with Ruby Jane Whittake is going through a shakey period so when the book opens (apparently shortly after...more

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Jul 25, 2011 Patricia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Skin Kadash returns home after spending a month in a retreat called Last Homely House. Last Homely House is a bed and breakfast where Skin has been recuperating from a near-fatal gunshot wound. Skin has been following doctor’s orders but now he is back and anxious to see Ruby Jane Whittaker. Skin keeps trying Ruby’s cell phone on the way back home but he doesn't get a response. Ruby Jane owns several coffee houses and Skin is sure he will find her at one of them but that does not happen. She has...more Skin Kadash returns home after spending a month in a retreat called Last Homely House. Last Homely House is a bed and breakfast where Skin has been recuperating from a near-fatal gunshot wound. Skin has been following doctor’s orders but now he is back and anxious to see Ruby Jane Whittaker. Skin keeps trying Ruby’s cell phone on the way back home but he doesn't get a response. Ruby Jane owns several coffee houses and Skin is sure he will find her at one of them but that does not happen. She has left town without telling anyone her destination.

When Skin gains access to Ruby’s home, he finds a homeless man dead in Ruby Jane’s bathtub. Skin contacts the police and gets the body removed but is still no closer to finding out what has happened to Ruby Jane.

With a gut feeling that Ruby is in danger, Skin begins a search for her. His first stop is Pete McKrall. Pete now lives in Walnut Creek, California. Pete had a relationship with Ruby Jane but that is in the past. Now Skin fears that Ruby has gone back to Pete. Pete knows no more about where Ruby Jane has gone than Skin does but decides he is going to join in the search.

Ruby’s trail leads the two across the country and deep into Ruby Jane’s past. It appears that Ruby Jane has not been totally honest about her past. The two uncover one surprise after another but Ruby Jane seems to be one step ahead of them. It is obvious that she doesn’t want to be found. This makes Skin and Pete even more determined to locate her.

Skin is a retired police officer who knows his way around trouble and there is no end to the trouble he runs into in his search for Ruby Jane. There is excitement on every page and Ruby Jane’s background is a puzzle that takes a while to put together and reveals a young Ruby Jane very different from the adult that Skin is familiar with.

Bill Cameron has developed some wonderful characters in his Skin Kadash novels. County Line can be read as a stand-alone but the previous novels are well worth reading and it is difficult to pick a favorite.

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Sep 21, 2011 Tristan rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book took its time introducing its characters, painting a vivid picture of the setting and locations, and prepping for the conflicts. As a reader though, the effort was apparent to me. In the same manner,I felt like the use of the flashback/flashforward style which is common in TV/movies also came across as a conscious effort. I may be wrong, but it felt like the plot was written out first, and then the scenes were rearranged afterwards, to enhance presentation. I guess I got distracted by t...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Bill Cameron is awesome - I'll be delighted to find this book and dig in.

The author does not disappoint. His storyline keeps the reader slightly off-balance straight through to the end.

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Oct 13, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I should start by saying this is the first book I have read in this story, so I am a little bit out of order when it comes to Ruby Jane, Peter, and Skin. This book was okay, but the jumping back and forth between part 1 and part 2, and then the extra skipping around in part 2 was really distracting and frustrating. The story was interesting, but I wish there would have been more story that related to the ending - again, maybe something I had missed because I did not read the first two books. I a...more

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Jul 16, 2011 Grey853 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 01, 2011 Brandy Hunt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did not realize that this book was part of another series until I was really getting into it. While some warning on the cover or description would have been nice, Cameron does well in how he gives you just enough to take off on this nice roller coaster he has written for you.

And it is a roller coaster. This is definitely one of those books where you can expect to look at the clock and wonder where did the time go. I ended up not being able to put this down last night :D and finished it up this...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Tatiana Campos rated it 2 of 5 stars

Not my cup of tea.

The story itself was okay, the pace rather steady. But nothing really surprised or shocked me. I didn't form a bond or connection with any of the characters and I'm sure that plays into why I didn't enjoy this very much.

Which isn't to say that it's bad, it just wasn't for me.

I like my mystery/thrillers to be fast paced and constantly keeping me guessing. This wasn't like that at all.

The pace was pretty constant and at times a bit slow. I never got to the point where I couldn't...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Max rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wish I could give this book 3.5 stars. I'm conflicted...I couldn't put it down and thought the story was well composed, but the changes in the timeline occasionally left me confused that one character didn't know what we just learned in the previous chapter. I also found it hard to picture some of the central characters. I think their literal voices were distinct during dialog, but I had no clear visual image of them, and I'm more visual than auditory.

I got this as a free Kindle book, but all...more

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Jul 31, 2011 J.D. rated it 4 of 5 stars

A solid sort-of-PI thriller from Bill Cameron. I say "sort of" because while ex-cop Skin Kadash doesn't actually have a PI license, he does all the PI-type stuff in his search for his missing lover Ruby Jane, who disappears about the time Skin finds a corpse in her bathtub. The middle of the book is a long flashback sequence that gets a little confusing at times, because the narrative jumps back and forth within the flashback, but I quickly adjusted to that because Ruby Jane's back story is so e...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Marti rated it 3 of 5 stars

Free Friday nook book This wasn't bad for a free book. At first it seemed rather scattered, but the pieces fell into place after a while. Two 'suitors' go in search of Ruby Jane Whittaker, one a former love, and the main character, her supposed current love. There are a lot of flashbacks as we readers learn the backkground of the Whittaker family, and the geography goes from Oregon to Ohio to the San Juan Islands of Washington State. It is not a pretty story, for the most part. It is interesting...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Sherrie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011-reading-challenge, already-read

I think this book could be described as "crime noir". This book has dark tones and crimes are committed. I really like the way this author writes. I will be watching for more of his books. The book switches between present and past events. There's just enough humor, sensitivity and a lot of "what the heck is going on?" to make it gripping and suspenseful all the way to the end. Does Dash find Ruby Jane? What does the confrontation bring for their future? You'll have to read the book to find out....more

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Jul 30, 2011 Katy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

I really enjoyed this book! It was a great mystery, and had me intrigued the whole way through! I didn't see the twist coming, and while it wasn't jaw-dropping, it was still unexpected. I was so interested in Ruby Jane's background story, I almost forgot about Skin and his whole part of it! I probably could have done without Pete, but I think he may be part of an earlier book? This is my first Bill Cameron, so I'm going to seek out his other books and try to find the background story on what mak...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Bill rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller, nook

This is two books in one. The one I enjoyed the most is the taut, bare-knuckled adventure of 'Skin' Kadash as he searches Portland, San Francisco, and a small Ohio town for the woman he has decided he loves. While he was recuperating from another adventure, she has taken off for parts unknown, for reasons unknown, and has not returned as quickly as she led her friends to believe. He knows he has to track her down. Along the way, there are murders, attempted murders, brawls, and scant clues.

Compr...more

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Dec 25, 2011 liirogue rated it 1 of 5 stars

I didn't realize this was part of a series, and it doesn't work very well on it's own. I could never get a feel for any of the characters. They all (with the exception of high school Ruby) remained flat and distant.

And at the end of it, I was left thinking what a ridiculous plot. If it had just been about Ruby Jane's past, it would have worked much better. The weird stalker wasn't used effectively and ended up being comical for the awful part he played in the whole thing.

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Oct 29, 2011 Evelyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-fiction, mystery

Retired cop "Skin" Kadash returns from a trip only to find his lover, coffee shop owner Ruby Jane missing and a dead body in her clawfoot bathtub. He follows her trail to SW Ohio where she grew up, hoping to help her get out of trouble.

This is the first Bill Cameron book I've read and I really enjoyed it. A fast read with a good, keep your interest, mystery. I specially enjoyed the Ohio connection and '80s flashback. I will definitely get his previous books and read them.

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Oct 12, 2012 Hikerdee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Hikerdee by: Free Fridays from B&N

Shelves: ebooks, 2012

This was a Free Friday downloadable selection available from Barnes and Noble, and it was no longer free at the time of this review.
This reader was quickly pulled into the noir world of Skin Kadash of Portland, Oregon who is willing to travel to California for a clue about the whereabouts of a woman Skin knows. Just when I'm settling into a noir mystery into the exotic locales of Portland and San Francisco, I was jolted by the clue that everything you need to know happened on Preble County Line...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Mandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: free, kindle

There was a lot of supporting story line in order to get to what was actually happening at the current day. Definitely for an older audience with violence, language, and some sexual content. I don't know if I just skipped over it at the beginning or something, but I'm still not sure what happened to Skin to earn him the nick name... but I don't care enough to re-read to try to find out.

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Dec 19, 2011 Renee' rated it 4 of 5 stars

A freebie on the NOOK. I was pleasantly surprised at the suspense that Bill Cameron wove and didn’t want to put the book down. I was also pleased with the twists and turns that I was unable to predict. I will read more of his. I can’t give the book a perfect five as it does not qualify on a literary level as some of the others. I will read more in the Skin Kadash series.

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Jul 30, 2011 Tracey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don't read this genre all that often, so it's hard to say how this compares to others of its kind, but it was a moderately enjoyable read. I felt like I did not need the layers of narratives. The flashback narratives with RJ were most enjoyable - the story that served as its foundation was less interesting and at times, silly. However, I did like RJ - she made for an interesting female protagonist.

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Sep 07, 2011 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars

I wasn't all that thrilled with this story. Ruby Jane is presented mostly in flashbacks that make her one of the most unsympathetic characters I've encountered in my reading. When the antagonist is finally revealed I was excited more because I knew the book was almost over than because I was intrigued by the story and anxious to see how it ended. I am glad I got this through free Fridays rather than paying for it.

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About Bill Cameron

Critically-acclaimed mystery novelist Bill Cameron is the author of the dark, gritty mysteries Chasing Smoke and Lost Dog , both featuring irascible Portland homicide cop Skin Kadash. New York Times Bestselling Portland author Chelsea Cain describes Skin's third outing, Day One , as "an utterly engrossing page-turner." Booklist says, "[Day One is] unrelievedly bleak and gritty yet thoroughly comp...more

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