Hollow Beasts (Jodi Luna) Paperback – April 1, 2023

Excellent read, lots of intrigue and interesting characters. Characters seem real and are involved in tricky plat twists. Would recommend.

"Hollow Beast" offers a captivating plot line and well-developed characters that kept me engaged from beginning to end. The book makes an enjoyable read for those who enjoy the outdoors and a suspense plot. The Hispanic element is also very insightful and gives a nice glimpse into this culture However, my experience with the audio version of this book was quite disappointing, and I feel compelled to share my thoughts on it.The positives of "Hollow Beast" cannot be overlooked. The author's storytelling skills are commendable, as they skillfully weave together an intricate plot that keeps readers guessing and eagerly turning the pages. The pacing is well-balanced, and the suspenseful moments are executed with finesse. The characters are well-rounded, with their own unique personalities and motivations, making them relatable and adding depth to the overall narrative.Unfortunately, the audio version of this book did not do justice to its strong points. The narration quality was subpar, lacking the necessary energy and enthusiasm to bring the story to life. The voice actor's delivery felt monotonous and lacked the emotional range required to convey the characters' feelings and the intensity of the events. This aspect greatly detracted from my overall enjoyment of the story.In terms of recommendations, I would strongly advise potential readers to consider opting for the physical or digital copy of "Hollow Beast" instead of the audio version. While the book itself offers an engaging and entertaining experience, the audio rendition falls short in terms of narration quality and production value.

There are numerous reviews that include in-depth reasons why this is an excellent book. So I won't be unnecessarily redundant. I read mostly for entertainment these days, and my ratings usually represent how much I'm entertained. I look for an intriguing storyline, quality writing, fast and consistent pace, well developed believable characters, attention to details, and relevance within genre. This book hits all my criteria for five stars.👏

Reasonably good facsimile of a C.J. Box adventure, set in New Mexico, rather than Wyoming. Overall, I enjoyed the storyline and the book, and give full credit to the author’s writing skills. However, as a native of New Mexico who grew up in northern New Mexico, spent thousands of hours hiking, camping, “exploring”, and hunting in the mountains there, and whose family has ranched (and still does ranch) in New Mexico for more than 100 years, I was disappointed with and disturbed by the author’s naive, shallow, racist, feminist, politically-motivated and divisive spin she perpetrated upon her story. Add to that her naïveté regarding the interactions of wolves and humans, and particularly her ignorance of how wolves behave regarding cattle, left me incredulous. I was also disillusioned that an author would depict a sheriff as an unethical law enforcement officer, then describe three of her main protagonists (Eloy, Jodi, and Ashley), also law enforcement officers, as just as unethical, even more so, and seem to be completely oblivious to this irony. Perhaps a natural consequence of her distorted political views? It’s ok to be unethical if you hold the politically-correct views? Adding to all these disappointing aspects of this author’s writing, she uses firearms prominently in her story, but inadvertently reveals her almost-complete ignorance of how firearms are actually used lawfully, and even the simplest technical details of common firearms; such as portraying a law enforcement officer (Jodi) purposely and audibly taking her Glock pistol off safe to intimidate a suspect! Totally unprofessional and unethical, not to mention the fact that a Glock pistol has no mechanical safety lever! If you’re going to write about something, Ms. Valdes, at least take the time to understand it and get the facts straight! But, still an interesting read that’s worth your while, so long as you are forewarned about the constant undercurrent of political activism.

When Jodi Luna takes over as Game Warden, she has no idea what she is getting herself into. In her first week on the job, she has a run-in with a member of a group called the Zebulon Boys, a white supremacist group. What she doesn't know is that they are camped out in the woods in her territory and they are up to no good. It becomes very personal when they kidnap her daughter Mila. Jodi and an Officer Ashley Romano from the local law enforcement work together to take down the group and rescue not only Mila, but the other girls they have kidnapped. This is the first book I've read by this author. It was well written and has a very good storyline. The characters are all interesting (especially the twist near the end). I think I will follow up with the next book in the series. Highly recommend

I enjoyed everything about this book. The characters were wonderful and the scenes were spectacular. Jodi has just taken over as game warden for the county. She will be working by herself out there. There are a group of racists in the park taking young girls. Good suspenseful story. Looking forward to other books in this series. This book sets up lots of good storylines.

I honestly don’t understand why there are such negative reviews for this book - I loved it! It’s the same southwestern crime genre as the Tony Hillerman novels, and is very contemporary in addressing the societal and environmental problems that plague us now. One of the best things about it IMO is that it features strong, capable women and decent men who appreciate and support them. The plot was entirely plausible, even with several twists that were totally unexpected, and I’m looking forward to more in this series.

I got this book for free and I'm really glad I got to discover this author.This book, the first in this collection, kept me hooked from first to last page.I'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

The world building and characterisation were my favourite elements of the book. Although, I have never visited New Mexico myself, the level of detail for the world building, made it easy for me to envision the beautiful surroundings this plot was based in.The plot progressed nicely and there were was not a single chapter that I felt was overly wordy or boring to read through. Due to how many characters there were within the local community, it had me guessing throughout the book whether they had roles to play in the sinister plot that unfolded.The balance between work life and personal life was portrayed perfectly and in this book, they were closely linked together effectively also. The relationships in this book felt real and I genuinely felt concerned for Mila at times, despite her determined mindset and leadership skills at such a young age.The ending was a complete surprise and a nice way to conclude the book before part 2 gets released of the Jodi Luna series: Blood Mountain.The only small issue I had with this book is that I felt the chapters towards the end of the book - where the Zebulon Boys get busted - was a little rushed and I wish there weren't as many gaps in the timeframes for this part of the plot. For example, I would have loved to have seen how Mila got caught after escaping, whilst letting the other girls run free before they got found by Jodi and Ashley.Ultimately, the conclusion of the plot wasn't necessarily centred around the Zebulon Boys anyway so my issue above didn't end up being too much of an issue after all.9/10 at the very least!

A little gruesome but it fits with the story. Main characters are well portrayed they are both strong and vulnerable. Nice twist. Recommend the read.

Great surprise read would recommend to anyone. Maybe a slightly rushed end but didn’t spoil the story. Go ahead and give it a go….

Interesting how the author wove the characters together, I had no clue as to the outcome which to me made it a great read.