Regardless of the Consequences

Very enjoyeable story set in the Arizona deserts - discovery of an historic plane wreck open old wounds. Politics and historical events are dug up with murderous results. The local sheriff is trying to work out where his place is - with his Apache inheritance or the white man's world? The two clash with his investigation of the wreck. There are some very unpleasant government officials trying to stop the investigation or, at least, remove it from local jurisdiction, there are some murderous groups involved and there is the Sheriff's shaman grandfather and other local Native American characters. The clash of worlds works well and there is plenty about Apache culture which definitely adds to the story. Well-written characters and strength of place. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Lance Tallbear , a Native American, is a man who works hard to live in two worlds: that of his job as a police officer in Arizona, and with his family ties on the “ Rez” where his grandfather hopes that Tallbear will succeed him as shaman of the tribe. The conflicted young man is about to find his life even more complicated when an young man of the tribe reports finding the site of an airplane crash on tribal grazing ground. Tallman responds and indeed finds the report is true, but it is a very old airplane, a DeHavilland Albatross , circa 1938.The two bodies inside are mere skeletons. What is worse, he soon finds evidence that the pilot and passenger were shot.
With that as a beginning, the reader is in store for the unraveling of an intriguing and somewhat complicated plot. The FBI sends an agent to the investigation, Hanley , who is obviously a boozer barely holding on to his job.He is accompanied by by another g- man , CIA Officer Kane, who is definitely of the imperious ,inscrutable dark suit and sunglasses type. Clashes with Tallman are inevitable. There is a lot going on , and none of it is going to make Officer Tallman’s life any easier. In fact, it is about to become very dangerous.
It would be wrong for this review to begin to describe more of the author’s plot’s threads, but be assured that they come together eventually in a satisfying crime thriller. Readers should stay alert while reading because the author Larry Laritzen lets drop important pieces of the puzzle.They eventually fill is a picture of very dark deeds dating back nearly eighty years and involving important persons who committed one of the worst of crimes.
Meanwhile just read along as Lance Tallman finds himself in gunfights with hired assassins
, performing a sweat hogan spiritual healing ceremony using sweet grass and peyote to cleanse Agent Hanley’s troubled soul, taking time out investigating a suicide, financial chicanery and a young native American who is in the possession of a valuable and dangerous stolen briefcase.
There is plenty of action too in the book. Tallman tangles with a rogue CIA agent ,a bunch of ruthless mercenaries and bikers all looking for secrets that Tallman, or his friend Hawk have, though they might not even know it. “ Regardless of Consequences” is exciting to the finish.
Ok, some quibbles. Every one in a while I ran into an awkward sentence that made me stop and re- read. Some eye opening “ duh” flashes, like when young Tommy Hawk sees some bad guys questioning and beating his aging father, Hawk, and “ decides not to trust these men.” Ya think? But these little gaffs are few; they do not detract from the reader’s enjoyment.
The book is a good book, with lots of excitement and maybe is the beginning of a new author to keep an eye on.

I received a free copy or “ Regardless of the Consequences” from Net Galley and the author.Thanks to both.

This novel, set in Arizona, combines elements from a number of genres: the western (the setting and some of the characters, especially sheriff Tallbear, his grandfather, Gray Eagle, a shaman who hopes his grandson will follow in his footsteps, although his deceased son didn’t, and Tom Hawk, a young Apache man who makes a gruesome and dangerous discovery); a thriller/mystery/cold-crime novel (the wreck of an old plane is found in the dessert, and there is a strong indication of foul play); a spy/historical novel (there are secrets affecting several families and going back to WWII, and an agent from the CIA, an Army General, and a Russian mercenary make an appearance), and even a little bit of romance thrown in.
There is plenty of action, more than a bit of violence, standard and not-so-standard investigating and police procedural methods, lies, betrayal, guilt, redemption, identity crises, prejudice, alienation, cultural tension, loyalty, sense of duty, revenge, challenging of conventions and many more.
I really liked the sense place, the descriptions of the locations and some Apache traditions, which are very vivid and cinematic. There were a number of characters to root for (not only Tallbear, his grandfather, and Hawk, but also the flawed FBI agent, Henley, and Irene Katz, a resourceful, clever, and daring woman whose family was involved in the mystery) but there were so many strands to the story and so many players that it was difficult to get to know anybody in detail. Some of the most interesting aspects of these characters’ lives and thoughts were only touched upon, and, overall, the plot dominates the story, although, as it seems this is the first of a series, there will be room to develop more complex and rounded characters, as some of them have plenty of potential. And, there were plenty of baddies, some out and out villains, and others more nuanced and whose motivations are more ambivalent and even understandable, a good range that gives the story more depth and helps keep readers on their toes.
The story is narrated in the third person and in chronological order, but readers who don’t like too many changes in point of view might take issue with the many characters whose thoughts and experiences we get to share. This is, first and foremost, Tallbear’s story, but we often witness events in which he does not participate. That makes the story flow at a good pace and sometimes helps us be a step ahead of him (or at least believe we are), but there are some minor inconsistencies, the story at times becomes dispersed, and it can cause confusion if it is read over a protracted period of time and not enough attention is paid to the sequence of events. More attention to the narrative voice and the editing, in the future, might make things tighter and smooth the reading experience.
There is much to catch up and there are elements of the ending that felt a bit rushed, but I enjoyed it overall, and answers are provided to most of the questions, although, as can be the case in literary series, there are some unresolved issues that are likely to turn up again in the future.
This is a story I recommend for those who like mix-genre stories, love a modern Western setting, and are not looking for a cosy read or a deep psychological study of the characters. At the end of the book (around the 92% mark), there is a sample of the next novel in the series, that although it doesn’t appear to have been published yet, shows plenty of promise.
Thanks to NetGalley and to BooksGoSocial for providing me with an ARC copy of this novel, which I freely chose to review.

Lance Tallbear is pulled between the white law and his Apache ways he was born into. Plenty of action and characters in this action packed thriller. An old plane crash was found in the Arizona mountains. Tallbear joins with FBI to find why the old bones and plane are of interest to so many. And why does the government care? I liked the story. It was a good story.