Patricia Bradley kicks off her new series Natchez Trace Park Rangers with Standoff.  Be prepared to dive right into the action, because very little time is wasted here.  Bradley is committed to getting readers involved from the start.  No idea who to trust? Then you are in the same position as the main characters.

The idea behind this series of focusing on the lives of park rangers and the issues they handle within the park is refreshing.  It is nice to find a story that involves danger and illegal activities that is not focused solely on FBI, US Marshals, or police officers. The standard fair of having characters with unresolved emotional issues who try to overcome those while dealing with other obstacles in life is plentiful so don’t be too worried.

The book follows the usual patterns, but there are some unexpected happenings that make for interesting reading.  Enjoy being on the edge of your seat, maybe shedding a few tears and swooning over romantic moments.

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Revell

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None 

Violence/Gore:  Many scenes in which characters threaten other with various firearms, people are shot and, in some cases, killed; blood is mentioned in several of these incidences; a building is deliberately set on fire; a car is run off the road and people are injured; a person is attacked and has to fight off the assailant. 

Sex/Nudity:  A person mentions being a victim of date rape; non-married characters kiss and embrace.

Mature Subject Matter:

Death of parents, murder, terminal illness, money laundering.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Multiple characters are involved in drug dealing; a person uses medical marijuana; a character’s career is bartending.