Gut Shot

by Russell Atkinson

When Cliff Knowles was in the FBI, he was an agent's agent, a relentless pursuer of criminals. After he retired and became a private investigator, he swore he'd never help a defense attorney free a murder suspect, certainly not one who shot an FBI agent point blank in front of witnesses while yelling obscenities. But then he never expected that an FBI agent he worked with would be the defendant. For the first time, Cliff tells the story in his own words.

Genres: Mystery

250 pages, Paperback

First published June 24, 2015

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cliff Knowles is back in action in Gut Shot, the latest novel by author Russell Atkinson. Mr. Atkinson again crafts a fictionalized account of what must be part of a real case from his years as an FBI agent. He leads us through what happened and then cleverly takes us along as he unravels the mystery. Of course, I am trying to figure it out before he tells me. As a reader of mystery series, I thoroughly enjoy his continuing development of Cliff's character as well as getting to know more about some of his recurring characters. In Gut Shot, we get to know more about Maeva, Cliff's assistant, and her personality, career goals, and ambitions. I highly recommend this latest story by Russell Atkinson.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a geocacher, I thought I would see a bit more geocaching in the book. It is instead about an FBI agent and a training exercise that went so very badly, where another agent gets shot and killed. In other words, we know "who done it" early on. Questions throughout are argued, was he set up, did he kill for revenge, was there another motive, or another individual's motive? Cliff Knowles gets called upon to help a friend but several untruths, lies, cover-ups emerge. On top of that, our geocacher gets LOST (!!!) in Oakland because he couldn't figure out maps on his smart phone, and finds himself in a shady neighborhood with a couple thugs and some dog fights. Hopefully, his wife the "real" geocacher of the family will set him straight and figure out the maps. Travel to a different city --> look for a cache, i.e. don't go wondering around looking for BART. I also noticed the discussion about facebook and agents. My previous experience was limited to a presentation at work by a couple agents a few years ago. They had NO online presence at all. I suspected their names were fake too because google had nothing. They said they only dabbled in facebook on fake accounts, similar to what Cliff did in the book. Maybe things have changed since then. Overall, a good read.

[Daniel Klingensmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Cliff Knowles story. Again, I enjoy this series for its settings near where I live. The inclusion of places and institutions nearby adds to the enjoyment as I recognize them. The story had less geocaching, but that's okay, I'm doing some extra of that in real life. The story itself was good as well, engaging, if a bit silly at times, but then, life is a bit silly at times too.

[Russell Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

An FBI agent shoots another agent in a training exercise. Is it an accident or was it intended. Cliff has to find that out.

[Valerie Downs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this four and a half stars.

I loved this book. Even tho it dragged a bit in the middle with all the legal drama it kept my interest and it surprised me by bringing to a conclusion both the main plot and the sub plot. Yes, read this book and all other books by Russell Atkinson. He is a great author to follow.

[Callie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoying the series

I like how each book can stand on its own, yet at the same time continues the story in progression. Being a California native transplanted to the east I love when I recognize names of places I have been to in my home state. Great twist to keep you wondering how...

[Ryan Duffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Russell Atkinson has another great story. I kept thinking 'He seems innocent but how in the world can he prove it?' That being said I don't think this book was his best work.

The story took a long time to build up momentum. I like hearing about the personal life. But aside from the initial 'crime' there was a long dry spell before some real action happened again.

The secondary plotline was disappointing too. I kept thinking that it was going to tie into the main story somehow. Instead, it felt like an after thought that was wrapped up as quickly as possible at the end.

Finally, the decision to include commentary on #BlackLivesMatter and the Innocence Project, although contemporaneous to popular culture, was an extremely poor choice. The comments about them were in poor taste, misinformed, and based on stereotypes. I seriously hope the author doesn't include this type of commentary in future novels.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, and continues along with characters from previous books. Quick read, with a surprising ending. Definitely not how I thought it would be solved. If you are reading this because of previous books geocaching references than this is not the book for you. Geocaching is only mentioned offhand a few times. However, if you like a good story, then you will enjoy this.

[Russell Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am just posting this review in order to add the book to the Goodreads catalog. I will delete it when other reviews appear.

[QuesterMark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, but not a can't put down

Atkinson's writing keeps improving. Even so, this was not one that I couldn't put down. It was timed really well.

[Shawn Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

I felt bad every time I needed to put this one down. The life experience of the author makes this a fascinating story. I'm looking forward to more!

[Gronk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like the animal cruelty. I know that stuff happens but it's hard for me emotionally to read about it. One of the situations was so farcical it reminded be of some of Carl Hiaasen's work.