Bullet Rain

Holly Lin/Nova Bartkowski Thrillers #2

by Robert Swartwood

WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS

Nova is a free man. Having just walked away as a non-sanctioned hit man for the U.S. government, he's purchased a classic Mustang to drive across the country. But when his car breaks down in the middle of the Nevada desert, Nova ends up in the small town of Parrot Spur. There's something strange about Parrot Spur. Something ... off. Maybe it's the fact the town is full of ex-servicemen. Maybe it's the fact the abandoned mine might not be abandoned. Maybe it’s the fact the knockout brunette in the bar is clearly more than what she seems. In the end, none of it matters. What matters — and what Nova is soon going to learn — is that in the desert, the only thing that rains is bullets.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Ebooks, Action

210 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

USA Today bestselling and ITW Thriller Award–winning author of The Serial Killer's Wife, The Killing Room, Man of Wax, and several other novels. He created the term "hint fiction" and edited Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer.

Reviews

[maskedbookblogger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Den ersten Band um Holly Lin und ihrer actionreiche Geschichte habe ich sehr genossen. Jetzt wurde der zweite Band veröffentlicht, welcher handlungstechnisch direkt an die Ereignisse des ersten Bandes anknüpft. Das Hollywood-Spektakel geht weiter!

Wer also den ersten Band noch nicht gelesen hat und es noch unbedingt tun möchte, sollte ab hier nicht mehr weiterlesen, da ich kurz auf den Inhalt des zweiten Bandes zusprechen kommen möchte und dieser die Ereignisse aus dem ersten Band vorweggreift.

Nachdem nun Holly Lin Javier Diaz ausgeschaltet hat, steht vor ihr die nächste Herausforderung. Um ihre ganze Familie zu beschützen, muss sich Holly Lin nach Mexiko begeben, um Javiers Vaters auch zu erledigen, bevor er Wind davon bekommt, dass sein Sohn nicht mehr lebt. Doch der Plan läuft nicht so wie gedacht, sodass Holly Lin wieder vor einer erneuten Herausforderung steht. Wird sie es wieder meistern können?

Wie im ersten Band präsentiert uns der Autor Swartwood meiner Meinung nach einen hollywoodreifen Thriller, welcher am besten verfilmt werden könnte. Schlag auf Schlag passieren wieder zahlreiche Ereignisse, sodass die Spannung kaum zum Erliegen kommt. An der Seite von Holly Lin wird man in ein gefährliches Milieu voller Clan-Kriminalität, korrupten Polizisten sowie Drogen entführt. Teilweise dachte ich mir beim Lesen, dass dieses Buch ein großes Maß an “Narcos“-Vibes aufweist. Wer also die Serie geliebt hat, wird sich mit diesem Buch auch sehr zufrieden geben können.

Wie erwähnt ist die Geschichte spannungstechnisch wieder dem Autor gut gelungen. Leider nehme ich eine kleine Verschlechterung in dem zweiten Band wahr. Ich hatte das Gefühl, dass in diesem Band Holly nicht mehr so stark im Mittelpunkt stand. Dadurch hatte man nicht die Möglichkeit Holly intensiver kennenzulernen. Im ersten Band fand ich ihre fast durchgängige Erzählperspektive super – hier hat es sich eher zum Schlechteren hin gewandelt. Dennoch bleibt Holly ihren Charaktereigenschaften treu und ist mal wieder sehr tough unterwegs. Sie ist eine starke Protagonistin, die alles erreicht, was sie sich vornimmt und das finde ich toll! Es macht wirklich Spaß die Geschichte aus ihrer Sicht zu verfolgen, da sie vor nichts und Niemanden schreckt!

Fazit: Im zweiten Band um Holly Lin geht es nach Mexiko. Auch wenn der zweite Band ein bisschen schwächer als der erste Band ist, präsentiert uns der Autor trotzdem einen spannenden Handlungsverlauf mit viel Action, wodurch es dem Leser schwerfallen wird, eine Pause beim Lesen einzulegen. Ich bewerte das Buch mit starken vier Sternen.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t get enough

I’m seriously addicted to this series now. I can’t get enough of Holly & Nova. One of the best action series out now!

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Former Seal Nova Bartkowski declares war on a gang of meth manufactures when he gets stranded in a small town in the Nevada desert. Good characters and lots of fast moving action but overall, the book seemed thin.

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Shelter side character, Nova, gets the spotlight in this one. This is a great action story. Nothing that made me roll my eyes. That's right, action with no eye roll...winner.

Can be read as a stand alone even though there are a couple references to No Shelter. I like Nova better than No Shelter main character Holly Lin. With that said, I'm still really looking forward to the next Holly Lin novel that's due out soon. I rate 5 bullets to the head. Check it out.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book I've read of this series. Off to a promising start. No romance, which is fine with me. But enough action to keep from getting bored.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in the 1970s I was a big fan of Pendleton, Murphy, and Sapir. Most of what I read in those days either plodded through space (think sandworms) or through New Zealand (think hobbits), so I found occasional fast fiction necessary for my yin and yang. But after Mack and Remo had killed so many bad guys, I kind of burned out and wandered off...I quit both series when they were still somewhere between #30 and #40. Wish I'd kept them, as I had first printings of all. But that's neither here nor there.

Mack and Remo are who I thought of when I read Swartwood's BULLET RAIN, and for good reason. We're talking about protags who know what to do, when to do it, and who to do it to damn near all of the time. There are very few sentences which don't include actions and every chapter leaves you wondering what the hell will happen next. I went through this book so fast the pages were discolored from the heat.

Why'd I give it four stars instead of five? Because there are two female characters, one who is only second to the main protag in terms of air time and the other a salty ol' bitty with a shotgun, but neither were really developed. I suspect it goes with the genre, but I also suspect that, in modern times, authors can work on changing that paradigm. There's a hint about another character for a future book (I think her name is Holly), and it sounds like she could hold her own with BULLET RAIN's main character Nova. I'm hoping so, and I plan on reading the next Nova book to find out.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoy fast-paced adventure stories with just enough mystery to keep you wondering, this is the novel for you. It opens with our hero, Nova, getting the tires shot out of his $100,000 sports car but not knowing anything has happened other than that he got two flat tires. He hikes back into town and gets himself into some trouble with the locals which he manages quite handily. It’s not until the next day when he tries to get his car towed that he begins to figure out something is wrong. His car has been stolen and he very quickly figures out that something in this extremely small desert town is very out of kilter. That’s when the action goes into high gear and it doesn’t stop until the very end of the story. There’s nothing deep in this book, but the plot holds together very well and I resented it every time life intervened and I had to stop reading. If you like a book ala the Executioner but with a much better plot and slightly more realistic action, give Bullet Rain a try.

[Judd Exley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Swartwood knows how to have just enough John Locke's Donovan Creed and Lee Child's Jack Reacher, plus his own humble, very human, fallible hero. Nova's great, and I can't wait to get more of him.
Sure it's very similar in style, pacing, setting, action and plot as a Jack Reacher book, but you know what? I enjoyed this one more.
I've read every single Reacher book, many of them twice, and I have to say I think I enjoyed myself more with this one than I have in a long time with the others.
I read No Shelter years and years ago and have only just caught back up with Robert, but I'm going to be binging the shit out of the others, you can bank on it.

[Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very exciting and tension filled thriller as an ex-Navy SEAL encounters criminal activity in small town Nevada. This small town is now heavily populated by ex-military men. The primary characters, ex-Navy Seal Nova Bartkowski and his new friend Jessica, are well defined personalities whose actions and activities match their characteristics. There is plenty of action, tension and suspense in this story. The action scenes are vividly described. There is a pursuit scene that will have you turning pages quickly to see how it ends. As the book title implies, there are plenty of bullets fired in this adventure; so, if you enjoy action filled thrillers, you’ll enjoy Bullet Rain.

[john alder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and hard to put down read. Robert Swartwood is a new author for me and I am really impressed. Bullet Rain, which I now understand to be the second in the Holly Lin series, was my first book featuring the character ‘Nova’. It was a really enjoyable book and whilst there was no problem with it being a stand alone references were made to previous stories. I intend to put this right by reading the first book entitled No Shelter and then I can read the books in the correct order. A huge thanks to the author and a very well deserved 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great one sitting story :) Stayed up late in bed to finish this. Enjoyed every minute of the exSEAL ‘Nova’ suffering through a stolen car scam which blunders into a drug ring. Easy to empathise with the main character and dislike the ‘bad guy’.
A REALLY good read 4/5:)

[Gonzalo Corvera · Rating 3 out of 5]

No tan bueno como Lee Childs

Quería una novela posts pasar el resto al estos Jack Reacher, encontré esta. No logra hacer un personaje tan peculiar como lo hace Lee Childs, ni las escenas sin tan vívidas, pero está divertido

[David Patsel · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good book

The writing is good, the plot works. I love the character, Nova. He’s a bad ass with a conscience. And mad skills. I’ll have to read more in this series. Recommend this one!

[Fran Germinaro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Npn-stop

Nova is one non-stop exciting character. Never a dull moment in his life. I still want to know what happens to "the girl". Guess I'll have to read the next chapter in their life.

[Cockneylen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was pretty much like a Jack Reacher book, but was just as enjoyable. Plenty of action, fast moving, and a pretty good story line. Second in the series I've read, and no reason to think I won't continue with the whole set.

[Joe Esposito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable diversion

I like this type of story. As others have said this is very much like the early Reacher books but not quite as good. Regardless it is worth reading and now I will read more by this author.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this book is part of the Holly Lin series, this book reminded me of a Jack Reacher book. I liked it.

[Penelope Duitsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rousing good read.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Thriller

First toime I've read tgis author and the book was well worth it. Nova was in the thick of the action from first page to last. Looking forward to the net book.

[Ramona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gritty

I enjoyed the fast pace, action and effective characters. Solid story, with some serious consequences for the bad guys. I'm looking forward to the next book.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read!

Fast paced non-stop action - Nova is a one man army. Smart, determined, skilled in warfare and never gives up.

[Janice Chapman Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Action packed & fun read

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

a fast read

Luv the Nova character which reminds me of Jack Reacher. Fast pace action. I like you don’t have to read his books in any particular order.

[Ann Keeran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small Town Blues

Nova is forced to stop in a small town with nothing happening, or is there? Robert Swartwood has a way of making heroes and their actions believable.

[Morhib · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love a good action/thriller book, and I was - probably still am - a huge fan of the Jack Reacher books before Lee Child seemed to lose his way, and so every now and again I like to find a good action/thriller novel.

The story is about Nova, a recent ex-government hit man, who is on his way to California when the tires to his newly bought Mustang blows up. Stuck in the middle of Nevada, the closest place nearby is a small town called Parrot Spur, but something is not quite right with the threadbare town.
There is also another character called Jessica, a young woman, who is also a stranger to Parrot Spur but has her own reasons for being there.

This is an action packed, fast paced book that I finished in one sitting. The story has enough pull to it that keeps hooked to it from start to finish.
The central character, Nova, is everything you want in a hero, but more importantly (for me) has a toned down sense of morals, which adds a bit grit to the book, as there's nothing more I dislike than the good guy being a saint.
The other character, Jessica, wasn't entirely the damsel in distress, she did need saving - at times - but her personality was strong and she wasn't timid in the face of danger.

I did mention Reacher at the beginning of this post, and there are some comparisons, mostly in the short, crisp writing style, and riveting action scenes, but I wouldn't yet put it in the same class as Reacher (the early books that is). However, there's no shame in that as many authors place Lee Child's works as the benchmark for their own books.

Conclusion

Fans of action/thriller, who are looking for something quick to read and like their hero to be more greyer than white, will enjoy this book.

**I should add that there is an earlier book in the series, which I was unaware of before I read Bullet Rain, and there are hints to some of the characters in the 1st, but there was never any confusing points in the story and for me this book can be read entirely as a stand alone. However, saying that, it'd probably be more beneficial to start with book 1 No Shelter (A Holly Lin Novel).**

[Alisa Hedden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bullet Rain by Robert Swartwood
First, you do not have to read “No Shelter” (currently available on Amazon for kindle at only $3.99) in order to follow the story, but I will warn you, if you are not already familiar with book number one, this book will leave you with a couple of gaps. Not, in themselves detrimental to the enjoyment of the story, but if you have read the first book; you will get more out of this one, too. And, come on, this is Robert Swartwood; you should read book one just because of the great job he does on crafting his characters and stories.
In this one, it starts off with what could easily be the beginning of a horror story, two tires flattened by a shooter a few miles out of a small town in the middle of nowhere, with no cell phone reception. It quickly grows into a criminal enterprise that James Bond would have been pleased to thwart, complete with a pretty girl in over her head.
The title of the story “Bullet Rain” is very accurate and after reading the story, you will understand that phrase and why it fits so well. This is fast paced and clear, without the over simplification that often occurs with action stories (and movies). Tis will hold your attention, but I will admit, I was a little sad (even while understanding) when Nova killed his car.

[Sue Marshman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read for fans of Lee Childs

The book is fast paced with all the elements of action and suspense. The hero is strong and mysterious. The odds are against the hero.

[Sue Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nova

Loved that Nova had his own story, and what a thriller it was. If you love the Jack Reacher series you will love this. Really out there on the edge of your seat with this badass hero. Watch out Holly Lin you may a match (literally I'm hoping) made in badass heaven!!

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads give away. Looked forward to reading this book since I like adventure/thriller books.

Sorry to say but I just could not get into the book. This is me and others may enjoy the book.

Maybe if I had read Mr. Swartwood's first book I would have had a better understand of the main character in his book. I would of liked to give this book 3 stars just for Mr. Swartwood's writing. I may try reading his first book and re-read this one then.

If you enjoy this kind of thriller I would say try this book.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart Novel

Nova Bartowski is a former Seal and on vacation. However this is not what he had planned. Two flat tires on his classic Shelby GT 350 and no cell reception. Nova walks back to the small town of Parrot Spur.. not much of a town, Nova realizes something is off in this tiny berg.