Strong Light of Day (Caitlin Strong Novels)

Fifth-generation Texas Ranger Caitlin Strong is back in her seventh novel to face a Cold War era problem first faced by her father while he served as a Ranger himself. One of the few female leads in the thriller category, Caitlin has boots that few others can fill.

In Strong Light of Day, Caitlin finds herself investigating thirty missing high-school kids on a field trip, including the son of her romantic partner. Caitlin and Cort Masters have developed a good relationship, even though their fathers were on opposite sides of the law, and she sees herself as a mother to his two boys. Additionally, she’s managing a case of dead cattle that were cleaned to the bone by whatever killed them. As the story progresses both Caitlin and reader learn more about her father, and a previous case involving Russians during the Cold War that’s coming back as a renewed attempt by particular segments of the current Russian government to devastate the US in a terrorist attack.

Caitlin’s personal connection to her current cases add to the pressure she faces in trying to juggle apparently competing issues, and today’s current issues with Russia make this a timely story. As the ongoing back story of her father, Jim Strong, and Boone Masters, Cort’s father, is teased out, the reader gets a deeper appreciation for just what made Caitlin the Ranger she is today.

Land is an experienced and skilled author who keeps finding new highs to reach, and Caitlin Strong is at her best in Strong Light of Day. The previous books are not required to enjoy Strong Light of Day, but any new reader does themselves a disservice if they don’t add them to their to-be-read pile.