User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
A Call From Home..Her Sister's Dead..Ex-Army Interrogator Hatch WILL Find Answers! World, get ready for a new type of hero, a person whose mantra is 'End the Bad, Save The Good' , and she follows that to a T in her fast-moving life! Rachel Hatch, called only Hatch by most, spent years as an Army interrogator with an elite Green Beret Unit, which she left after a bomb that put her on a desk. SHE is Not a desk person...
After receiving a call that her sister is dead, she heads home, a place she left 15 years ago and has never looked back. Her town will never be the same as Hatch searches high and low for evidence of what happened to her sister, drawing interest from both criminal enterprise's and the law. But nothing worries this warrior, taking advantage of a bully in a bar to show she means business!
I absolutely Love this new character, with a tough background and the chops to take on evil with expectation of defeating it every time! An outstanding action adventure that will hold your attention from start to finish and leave you wanting More!! A golden 5 STARS and I can't wait for the next book!!!
Rating: really liked it
THEY KILLED THE WRONG GIRL. RACHEL HATCH WILL MAKE THEM PAY.
USA TODAY & Amazon 2-million copy bestselling author L.T. RYAN has teamed up with police detective Brian Shea for this debut novel in the gripping Rachel Hatch mystery thriller series.
Ex-Army criminal investigator Rachel Hatch is a drifter. No home. No commitments. Until her sister's drowning drags her back to the town she left fifteen years ago.
Convinced her sister's death was no accident, Hatch partners with the local sheriff, Dalton Savage to uncover the truth. Every answer unlocks another question, and as the investigation begins to unravel, Hatch and Savage find their lives on the line.
Hatch is forced to use her special set of skills - forged on the field of combat - to learn the truth about her sister and bring those responsible to justice.
The first novel in one of the most highly-anticipated collaborative series this decade, DRIFT is a tightly woven story, with deeply-developed and endearing characters that will have you rooting for them at every turn, set at an exhilarating pace that will keep you turning pages late into the night.
3.5 review really, a good character, a good lead, but a little slow in pace, lacked suspense or surprise as I had a good idea of the main villain.
I guess a new female version of a Reacher, given up on a Army travelling around USA, city to city until a message from her mother saying come home.
I did like the relationship between The Sheriff and his new deputy.
It was enjoyable, just a little slow.
Rating: really liked it
4 starsI may have found a new series. Rachel Hatch or Hatch is a former military MP and CID with 3 tours of duty under her belt. She returns home after many years because of the death of her twin sister. Rachel is kicka$$. She and the new sheriff don't see eye to eye but build some trust with each other to investigate her sister's death and corruption in the town and the "green" uranium mining operation that helped the town to prosper in her absence. I liked Rachel - she is not for everyone, but I liked her enough to read book 2.
Rating: really liked it
It’s always fun to discover a new series with strong lead characters and ample opportunity for future installments. “Drift” by L.T. Ryan and Detective Brian Shea comes alive with all its potency right out of the gate, and it never hits a lull.
In this first book, we meet the fearsome and fearless Rachel Hatch. She embodies all the skills of a combat machine with cunning, bravery and a sense of purpose that makes her unstoppable. When she gets news of her twin sister’s death, she returns to her former home in Colorado, intent on proving her sister’s death was not accidental and finding the bastard who killed her.
The town she returns to has a new sheriff, though Hatch doesn’t trust him any more than she did his predecessor—a corrupt man beholden to the largest employer in the community, a shady operation that grows richer as it sucks the lifeblood out of the town. But if Rachel is going to get anywhere on this case, she must let him work with her instead of against her.
The pairing of Rachel and Sheriff Dalton Savage works perfectly. They bring a combustible mix of agendas, but they’re smart enough to realize each other’s strengths and value. I look forward to many more terrific adventures in righting wrongs in this dynamic duo’s future!
Rating: really liked it
Predictable The worst thing a story can be is predictable. No plot twists or intriguing events to keep the reader interested.
I am shocked that a story like this can get so many positive reviews when there’s absolutely nothing unique about it.
It gets two stars, instead of one, because it takes place in Colorado.
Rating: really liked it
Not very well writtenThe main character is a cliche of a cliche. The writing is stiff and unengaging. The book was also full of grammatical mistakes. It was barely readable.
Rating: really liked it
A readable thriller with nothing original within it.
Rating: really liked it
Drift is the nice start to a new series. (At least new to me!) The characters were mostly well-developed and the pace was brisk for the most part. Hatch seemed to attract trouble everywhere she went, probably because she is so fearless. I liked that about her. I also liked how uncomfortable she was around her sister's children, yet she was a bit of a marshmallow around them by the end of the book. Hatch and Sheriff Savage made a fabulous team!
There were times I felt there was too much description, like about guns, and every single move Hatch made while she was beating up the bad guys. I found myself thinking "Get back to the story!" It will be interesting to see what happens in Downburst.
Rating: really liked it
Ok. Very predictable. She was like a female Reacher. The book started out interesting then just fizzled.
Rating: really liked it
Upon the suggestions on Twitter, I decided to look up a book from a narrator I did know, and that narrator is Maryne Young. Moreover, she so sweetly suggested I listen to this specific book, and so using my Audible credit for the month, I purchased up "Drift" by L.T Ryan and Brian Christopher Shea for an honest review!
I do not want to give spoilers because I feel that would be a terrible idea and spoil a book you as a listener may enjoy. Instead, what I want to do is give a basic synopsis. Rachel Hatch comes from an experienced military background, and she knows a lot about criminal behavior from that perspective. She gets a call from her mom to come home, which sends her life into a spin she is not comfortable with and is adjusting to. Without any other spoilers, Rachel has to find the person or people responsible for the death of a beloved woman in the community. This is the story of how she does it and how she adjusts to a life she is not comfortable with.
For the review, my only complaint falls in how this story is set like a mystery but has different pacing notes, and for me, that threw me off a bit on the genre nature of it. I am a big fan of mystery pacing. I love when things are put together like breadcrumbs. Some easier to figure out than others. "Drift" has different notes, and the red herrings are not as obvious, nor are the mystery clue paces. I like it, but it threw me off, and that is my most significant criticism.
Another issue I had was a structure issue regarding the desire to care about a victim and not use that as a prop. We do not ever really get to know the victim intimately. We are told about them a lot, but there is not that connection. Furthermore, while yeah, that is often done in an Agatha Christie type novel, I felt that it was a missed opportunity with what was going on in this story. I would have liked to know more about the victim, aside from the few things we got.
Like for example, why was she a single parent? What happened to the husband to make her a widow? What else did she like to do with her kids? These questions represent the little things that would have helped connect to the prize a bit more, in my opinion. Again, this is just my opinion here. If you, as a reader, do not need to know the little details of the victim behind the story, please ignore my critique here.
So now, allow me the opportunity to go into what I truly enjoyed about this story. Rachel Hatch is an unforgettable female protagonist. She is not strong because we are told she is strong or given off-page descriptions of her strength. We are shown bullet for bullet or punch by punching a solid and wonderful female protagonist. Hell, she is more robust and better than Rambo, in my opinion.
Secondly, I loved how the tension went in the story and how that enhanced the pacing. The story flowed so well. When it was tense, the story was fantastic and helped me feel the pace increase. I found this especially significant during the fight sequences. There was the initial introduction one, and the tension at the end as Rachel was going into a place she did not know, but felt confident against her component, was fantastic. The tension was the best during the fight between the cars later and her new ally by her side. I loved this part. It was thrilling, and I could see it in my mind's eye in a cinematic score. Tension is essential, and it was masterfully placed through the narrative by the writers.
Lastly, I truly enjoyed Maryne Young's performance. Her ability to do voices was fantastic. She also did a phenomenal job at adding to the story by giving it a voice. The best part for me was her ability to make the moments with the children so touching and warm where they needed to be and make a fight sequence more realistic with her vocal ability. Maryne has a skill at her craft of narration, and I think her Twitter handles her role. She truly is an Audio Sorceress.
Overall, "Drift" was a wild ride. I have scored "Drift" with a 91/100, a 5-star review on Goodreads and Audible. It is the first book in a series, and I am planning on looking into the series further because I enjoyed this book so much, and I hope you do as well.
Rating: really liked it
A weak 4-stars. Although this follows along some well worn tropes, I enjoyed this story and the lead character. I appreciated her perspective and her willingness to defend the weak. While the mystery evolved in familiar ways, there were a couple of nice surprises, including the finale.
This is the start of a long series. I haven't figured out how 8 books have been published in 3 years - perhaps having two authors improves the efficiency.
I will read #2 with the hope that it builds on this one and doesn't suffer a sophomore slump.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 ☆
I was looking for something new to read and as I loved Jack Reacher (the series) I'm not in the long haul for the books but ask me in a year again. I discovered Rachel Hatch who seems to be a female Jack Reacher. In some ways at least.
Hatch is a no nonsense person and she says what she means and makes no excuses. After drifting for so long she gets a message to come back home as her twin sister has died under suspicious circumstances and she's not leaving it up to the local police to sort it out. Turns out its murder and she needs to know did it. Hatch is tough and marked by her past and what happened to her father. After this she shall move on.
This is well written and the author knows what they are writing about. I'm going to read more about Hatch that is for sure.
Rating: really liked it
It's pretty bad so far. Hatch isn't a sympathetic character. I'm confused. She abandoned her family for 15 years? Her family being her mother, her twin sister, and her sister's two children. She hasn't seen or communicated with them for 15 years? What? How is that possible? I don't understand. You'd have to be an awful human being, or deeply disturbed in some way, to not have any contact with your family for 15 years.
The excuse she gave was that she was in the Army. That doesn't help me at all. Being in the Army doesn't lead any normal person to not have any contact with their families for 15 years. That's not a thing. I was in the Navy. You have full access to phones, mail, air travel, and so forth. Being in the military isn't like being in a Gulag or off-planet.
This is probably extra confusing for Mexicans like me. It's impossible for us to relate to families the way many white people do, the lack of connection or loyalty, the isolation and so forth.
Even weirder is that she's helping random strippers, complete strangers she's known for all of five minutes, and yet she's got a freaking family sitting in Colorado, including a niece and nephew she has never even met, that she is disrespecting and neglecting in the worst way. I'm sorry, but family has to come before random strippers. Go home to your family.
She's kind of socially handicapped or something in how she interacts with the Sheriff and other people in the town. She doesn't know how to talk to people, how to introduce herself, or how to forge basic social bonds. She comes off terribly, and in reality this would crater her efforts to do anything. Things like investigating her sister's death, or any other kind of op, are going to go less well because of her behavior. I'm not sure the authors understand this, and it's strange that they think she's admirable as written. She makes Jack Reacher look suave and savvy, and he's a nut.
The writing is off. It's stilted. The dialog isn't natural, I don't know, it's hard to articulate. These aren't great writers, and maybe not even good ones. The writing is pretty cumbersome and bloated. Here's a mild example:
"Hatch thought hard about using this as an opportunity to make her departure, feeling she'd learned as much as she probably would from Cole regarding her sister and former employer."
Using this as an opportunity to make her departure? Yeah, that's cumbersome writing. I would write something like this instead:
"Hatch thought about leaving. She'd learned everything she could from Cole about her sister and her job."
That's much tighter. Note that their version actually has an error at the end. This part: "...regarding her sister and former employer." The way that's written it's saying Hatch's former employer, not her sister's. But they mean her sister's.
The ponderous writing slows it down and probably makes it hard to achieve any kind of mood. Lee Child is quite a bit better at mood, even though his plots are insanely bad.
Rating: really liked it
InterestingVery interesting new protagonist, Rachel Hatch, ex-military MP. Fine tuned investigative instincts and the ability to take down those who are a danger to her and those she cares about.
The storyline is intriguing with a few twists and surprises thrown in. I look forward to the next book in the series.
Rating: really liked it
Well written fast paced, couldn't put it down.This is my first read by L.T. Ryan and I am hooked. Hatch is a one woman wrecking crew when it comes to bringing the bad guys to their knees, literally. Can hardly wait to start Rachel Hatch Book 2.
