Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    High Country Nocturne
    High Country Nocturne
    High Country Nocturne
    Ebook387 pages5 hours

    High Country Nocturne

    By Jon Talton

    4/5

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A cache of diamonds is stolen in Phoenix. The prime suspect is former Maricopa County Sheriff Mike Peralta, now a private investigator. Disappearing into Arizona's mountainous High Country, Peralta leaves his business partner and longtime friend David Mapstone with a stark choice. He can cooperate with the FBI, or strike out on his own to find Peralta and what really happened.

    Mapstone knows he can count on his wife Lindsey, one of the top "good hackers" in law enforcement. But what if they've both been betrayed? Mapstone is tested further when the new sheriff wants him back as a deputy, putting to use his historian's expertise to solve a very special cold case. The stakes turn deadly when David and Lindsey are stalked by a trained killer whose specialty is "suiciding" her targets.

    In depressed, post-recession Phoenix, every certainty has become scrambled, from the short hustle of the powerful real-estate industry to the loyalties Mapstone once took for granted. Could Peralta really be a jewel thief or worse? The deeper Mapstone digs into the world of sun-baked hustlers, corrupt cops, moneyed retirees, and mobsters, the more things are not what they seem. Ultimately, Mapstone must risk everything to find the truth.

    High Country Nocturne is an ambitious, searing, and gritty novel, with a fast-paced story as hard-edged as the stolen diamonds themselves.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateJun 2, 2015
    ISBN9781464204012
    High Country Nocturne
    Author

    Jon Talton

    Jon Talton is a fourth-generation Arizonan who grew up in the same neighbourhood that Mapstone calls home. He is the author of nine novels, including the Mapstone mysteries, The Pain Nurse and Deadline Man.

    Read more from Jon Talton

    Related to High Country Nocturne

    Related ebooks

    Suspense For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Bullet in My Arm

      Sep 6, 2018

      The Bullet in My Arm
      13 min read

    • Article

      Gun Bubbles

      Oct 15, 2021

      Gun Bubbles
      14 min read

    • Article

      Hollywood, Ending

      Feb 13, 2018

      Hollywood, Ending
      7 min read

    • Article

      Watch Your Step

      Nov 19, 2020

      Watch Your Step
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Night That Changed Me

      May 12, 2021

      The Night That Changed Me
      8 min read

    • Article

      I Wonder If They Know My Son Is Loved

      Jun 5, 2020

      Visiting my son in jail for the first time, I know that I cannot protect him. Although he is too young to drink, the criminal justice system regards him as an adult.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Dirtnap

      Dec 15, 2019

      I was staying at Jean’s apartment in LA for two months to escape an especially dire Oregon winter and to test how much weight our relationship could bear. We had been conducting a long-distance romance for nearly a year then, back-and-forth visits an

      24 min read

    • Article

      Part Of The Tour Peloton

      Aug 6, 2021

      Part Of The Tour Peloton
      2 min read

    • Article

      Anthem Of Our Crazy Age

      Nov 2, 2022

      MY old friend Ena planned every detail of her funeral. When she told me that she had written the eulogy to be delivered by her daughter, I said: ‘Don’t you think that’s cheating?’ ‘No!’ She snapped. ‘I want to set the record straight. I was a very go

      4 min read

    • Article

      Finding Peace—and Briefly, Freedom—at My Grandfather’s Funeral

      Oct 11, 2019

      “Saying goodbye with the people who loved him—and me—I remember that I am not the tomb that imprisons me.”

      6 min read

    • Article

      One Thousand and One Nights

      Sep 9, 2019

      One Thousand and One Nights
      4 min read

    • Article

      Contesting A Traffic Stop Leads To Justice – And Mercy

      Dec 17, 2020

      Fearing for her life during a traffic stop, the author learns the officer feared for his too. Later, in court, her story brings mutual understanding.

      4 min read

    • Article

      ‘Starling Days’: Featured Fiction from Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

      Apr 7, 2020

      In today's edition of featured fiction, we present an excerpt from Rowan Hisayo Buchanan's latest novel, Starling Days. The post ‘Starling Days’: Featured Fiction from Rowan Hisayo Buchanan appeared first on The Millions.

      5 min read

    • Article

      In a Silent Way

      Nov 25, 2023

      In a Silent Way
      3 min read

    • Article

      Cristina Rivera Garza

      Jun 15, 2018

      She would remember everything, out of the blue and in full detail. She would see the jade ring wrapped around her ring finger and, immediately, she would see the other jade ring. She would open her eyes wide and, without knowing why, would fall silen

      13 min read

    • Article

      Joshua Mohr: The Time I Robbed a Liquor Store

      Mar 10, 2017

      Our alibi was a sandy blanket in the back of my truck, an acoustic guitar, a knockout brunette in the passenger seat. Our alibi was a night picnic at the beach. When we got pulled over—if we got pulled over—the cop would peer in the cab and he’d thin

      6 min read

    • Article

      It’s Light Work On The Foxes

      Sep 8, 2021

      It’s Light Work On The Foxes
      5 min read

    • Article

      Summer Reads

      Dec 30, 2019

      Summer Reads
      7 min read

    • Article

      Three Poems

      Mar 1, 2020

      Then I heard a violinand it didn’t matter that I was a Jew,they are painting swastikas on campus walls.What happens when they paint them on my doorfor my kids to see?I will sic the cat after them.I will sic the violin after them.What can a violin dot

      2 min read

    • Article

      What If?

      Aug 13, 2019

      What If?
      17 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2022

      First prize 10 and under Tang Li, age 9 Palmetto Bay, FL My name is Anisa. I was in Hawaii on vacation. I enjoyed sipping refreshing drinks, overlooking the turquoise ocean, and dancing with others, before I overheard that the priceless Fire Ring wa

      10 min read

    • Article

      A Temporary Arrangement

      Oct 2, 2023

      A Temporary Arrangement
      19 min read

    • Article

      Sirens

      Jul 27, 2020

      Sirens
      19 min read

    • Article

      Crime Wave

      May 10, 2019

      Crime Wave
      13 min read

    • Article

      Book Extract

      Feb 19, 2021

      When my phone alarm chimes, I fish it out from the pocket of my cargo pants. I’ve forgotten, with the time change, to turn off the reminder. I’m still groggy with sleep, but I open the date and read the names: Iris Vale. Eun Ae Kim. Alan Rosenfeldt.

      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for High Country Nocturne

    4/5

    14 ratings4 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      High Country Nocturne is a very exciting novel, and if done with a lighter hand it'd be a farce ... but it's too noir and black for that. Still, the intricate interwoven plot elements remind me of such.While this novel is well into author Jon Talton's David Mapstone series, and I have not read prior books in it, Talton gave me enough background woven into the plot to catch up -- though I may well read previous volumes for more depth.The basic plot is a very complicated diamond heist. Add in federal and local agencies who do not necessarily know even what their own outfit is doing, let alone anyone else's; Russian mobsters; an independent and all-too-skillful hitwoman; and schemes within schemes, and betrayal of one kind or another is pretty much inevitable. I think this plot works well.The secondary plots, though, did not make much sense to me. The case that suckered our protagonist in had me saying "huh?" at the supposed resolution, when the framing could not possibly have worked as the framer intended.OK, I guess that's realistic, but it does not make good fiction.The positive and dubious characters are well-drawn and complex, and one does end up caring about them, even when they seem to be acting inexplicably. The Bad 'Uns, however, are more like cliches, including our hitwoman.It's set in Phoenix AZ, which is a character in its own right, and both the present and its past are evoked beautifully.This book is recommended for Phoenix fans, and for people who like complicated plots with a fairly grim perspective.I received this book in exchange for writing an honest review.
    • 4/5
      This book deals with a diamond heist that is apparently perpetrated by a former County Sheriff (Mike Peralta) who many people including the main character (Mapstone) refuse to believe did it. Mapstone is a private detective and the former police partner of Peralta in the days he was on the force. So, Mapstone rejoins the force to clear his buddies' name. To complicate things there is a young female assassin who is stalking Mapstone because she thinks he knows something about the diamonds and she shoots Mapstone's love interest by mistake. Lots of twist and turns in this compelling mystery.
    • 4/5
      Set in Phoenix and nearby mountain range, the former sheriff turned detective must find a way to clear his name and catch the real jewel thieves. The author paints a picture of corruption, bias, and selfishness that leaves the reader wondering how close to reality his story might be.
    • 4/5
      In High Country Nocturne, Jon Talton's elegiac descriptions of the old Phoenix almost gives the book a hard-boiled feel, and that sad, cynical, resigned tone is perfect for this story. It's good to see Talton get out of Phoenix for a bit and take readers to places like Flagstaff and Ash Fork up in Northern Arizona. Even sections of Route 66 get a mention or two. In a tale of betrayal, murder, and a desperate search for the truth, the occasional sparks of humor he adds are as welcome as they are unexpected. Mapstone has been tested before in the course of this series, but not to this degree. Mike Peralta has not only been his boss and his partner, he's also been his closest friend, and to have him be the prime suspect in a diamond heist and murder is beyond belief. At this point, all he's going to want to do is prove Peralta innocent. However, everyone seems determined to stop him. FBI agents are crawling all over the place, making demands, asking questions, keeping an eye on him. The new sheriff insists that Mapstone comes back to work for him. Matters are made even worse by the deadly killer who's stalking him. What scares Mapstone the most is that the killer may not only target him, his wife Lindsey may also be in danger. When he does start piecing a few things together, he begins to doubt his friendship with Peralta. Just how much can he trust his partner? This is a fast-paced story that does make occasional references to previous books in the series, but it does stand alone very well. There are two authors who have series set in the Phoenix metropolitan area whom I always recommend. Jon Talton is one of them. High Country Nocturne is another strong entry in an excellent series.

    Book preview

    High Country Nocturne - Jon Talton

    % fbook_preview_excerpt.html}Y#ɑUsF*Vݜɕ̪$S8 K Q_<-2ט$S5_KOfn.OZ||ih\667_,ބr[|ǮOù#nSp)tzj\[SAclm:fw ͋?Viv}\_|k>u:[ [~{-x8we۫uJwmٗW?ooTUt"E㰮Mp.7۴6q*-֣lVEj_Wc*2އntu͹إ֮a.NY!P!iu* /٤vb{*?Sc&8%.Z)ˮ056ҧS[ ek_*tx.\뼒p >Zpxن D}lbg" " y +7=7x֧woׅx*nx]|o=6TqU_滯//8_n+]wSk=~<)Rǧ?~Y/?#6ʧSzʡO}]ڧ.O} >~=ꙷ}: |:m.WXJ˞Ez2˘tӟx!?-I~3잖|wtOJY-[gDbrsi7<~si<~3iw<~sic 0+gصQ/>#pş?= \FY]hgo|M#O(зHq Uױ+Gr|?*m]xכ⮉'lۖU58- 1tex8THq6j@G f4 w/8@ ݮ&"@P'XؖX=>!b̓H0Cl!GǢ.;M:M8nDT$2|𴈕SzK5cs]r4T\;hW"CqXo` LK\hPu9sV|! "p'ήC{V@L21`* fߕR/~g_Q ӦBl^Bć>rv4wt2? 45X]l[-e|8`=kc(Y?bЋE[Ļ=qI>; =ߵݔ1kjr_ԤmENbQ~w?CEPyaAYn=?Rl0`X|{>qdWV◡+nno5->ug&淙Q$N1{ICioU"¶5*B{uv f !r4޺)d` jJFcLNJGBfiJi]l7ȫʣE-pb ߊס>VFea];TqMغfid8_"VMNfN4{1G[4!&y&pRO6b?ԛqNh/ɼJ`1$4C˶MO?aoڴ[:! .ƣif3;i8jˊqiY}6CO> &V+;ܓCh56ʥ[@f$4ٶ/c؋a.H/[4p8 M@cJM1%eX>sW!PC@X2a(#|Ӫp4/ nuw`1'\ҕ *@ nmKCI{Mx 4Qy " d/ ж*93ⲣ].^64 vA*LKJ<-JAȋhU_審 6;*^;QYU]D&\ӵCppMeעC?/jhfl)m8ji 7P`Ka]ٔ= w }?1r ʥaP\ agL¸ eGo!'az0|sj%z ́hfDvB9<oE* D@1uX3w) @סx ۏ4\h!F ry^%L)oAL^ @rĄ*kǶI/-ׄ&RIt8pUt*P VzH~%ltS}֧apiR}V̶X5jeHMv>8:ns(- SwW!2/lC*UKg&1ME+GEb;eCmσïM/C9U_Xox3-۸Mg IB6bO9/=kH%P<ܖ+ٶb}2rp]|:iI1>Z4G!-\jr' |k#S:>gxg>X_&g16`Lo~~rpF0= &apgQ6D7s ")_ aQzV,rMAd4|pL#VSrzKYu>`JĞ4?d!UL` ٪^ьZJx haCݠo!x&Wжrpy2S%.Eh~ g:U} 7׿ާJU) vP{ zzU1Ĕ!8q=V .Eesf,WТWb}q+1qh4\DfyTꥢؗh8wmk@fve-wKXAtpa u=4MQ2b+>0Ne?re{EcĿ$C`M# ,y0* }6SD^` }'Ⱥ>LFh)h5`'u )h ϩB-9}4ux͝Vb·NEʽ5CQV'DLy^g_eLH{k&MZ4Ko<^AGzuF`Z*\ԗ~ ᥶WǠ *Dner+Eq9:ɠiMZ|F5mB&6l@׶3g:bŧJgzs~C"GANdvϱDm{Z0DN "4w]FHz=6`[B$!2GU'RsP9zfI;@(ǿ Y*SVx4p| }HWgBuNe=B܅=Jj2 ;K/+Eewt8n$V^ˈki0ag.Vܪc! \!ڸ_ӚajLu4ght_r#jʟ`B3yq zzA^Eo=1ObO2 3$}GæwJm*6k]3bPF.Cc,}t12dM713F b(PG_͑F\bg#P,PaŌ!X%HI#8ȷOs$]EB R AD(3p/AA8J7sݶl_$I A}^YA>WK*Gsri6@ t=OT<낣肳k5PzG~-Et ,ذNDCgLLTx& VQ⡃@Sh09 贽0ɥlevJNfr!Be#z X ֩}ވSfN#P1¢HqГvrLyʡP|ⴖh٦q[wBIUp!3׵sT 3f{p K6 V6u8X9a(i< ~Z8fVD@2`T,QW[21!>ʊ:flA̛"N}=P:Ʃ8M?pY"W ֌7j,W+ Eg0GDPճО|i">+ٹ"EZNBJSjgEQvZ3 ?1brim Xp201ax&Ew&ZK7k9vt$v<;s ݌/]?/ 'sZG{ 5MjuZ\%$;5sa,Be9U Gfncr~46" &b^np[|#F_5PkIm1^Yc&n)j$`.S\ș۞v dr Q9iҡ nrź CWX4rz՚, /wx/>2`YK:W\i*PIN9TXaxk8w׸nirzK5DZ 1Ԟ%Mwvd`X4e=ߣ9>e'АWK-)*y=c={56D1LF? d"JKha6𛆍8B &h nTara7s\r%XO{Y3 GTm IJi\_y~wL+iS,i#"̊t 1f,!2ӈNtJݘglEHH2\+sZA8-& c e.\'D4;䩘B0*..p2TY$3/#I#e@#KBY 91͝$JVUzƴdFh-U3;-QQ" )t* mf}۰hrвʉ$?EW(, pn?Oo2,1HBhP:CMIwS-&m?l4)|77uA{.<1#,>%(F{*,4W%I<˒(na//_"X0.Dɦ[m4(ą`'<3Z>Y#ٔaŃ9QkLQ2N9`cKx6W޻ȴj@!{//) e-}]P0z׵ݚe(E˹'cHLs5A.-_nHFӸnܘZˢqr@b.upI>Y3K18tqXT2?ޱ25g? |#6݃t1WIVύdDx="Q>5[#1"X7>g/zs JVbqFh͝KYŌBoϞQ.:ZI6Znj7XᰰFve )1T G {^rokS935 P9c $q'dǕLK,=sm69n⼂x Nq^9;zՊEo`X ̡n8?g*@$\E/i qn7t#82CaR.f;nH6b5Jfo)Zh ) 8neaePBJNMw)uҸh?iCg%[sʱAt4XŲ\/~L3Hzp[<1CuƬh}2$XX[ OlCYVTj̼K%gM[VLo|ݔ9UԨVGmlhT:]T[6vrt He237vjnf'| z<ʜ`A?Ɇ2XN%/J?ê oVoWɷ+ Tc(`ΡMGrj@L#W.R2EnkӰ%*L6RfhWsv+(Fi;g\1|ZdJ!JAzMPYj\J]|YA;֝9*;찱a-wݰ2!`F ]Z^#2  Hn1v-iY8q?:ed?_V'lc[vNYo<~>0c7 p- p|t.Sta&{S}ɯȁM=߷s46GvlI|6H>!gmcJ9\ '87*ىz:Unm*EWtcjj{FI{aG8xYg:&eT~Ʋ}#rx>e%/;+[^BL8k+]c>7{0<$Ԣ&!qE϶9RN 5ސ[ʥ 8K8mXp]1{g:g1Xy)^Y8ۇ#5ܬs;@HdUH"[.~B;v3/d-IGt , ᝕W7K@Wb^כGvVͦsR'9cOwbۛYM(I_{#QcƑ,#yYah`r_)T׼Y$VAytU %WMaOTPZm," V]^n8+7qsRXPSY/=6G MXMK tݚc}նʵkِy V[Z~V s翨'TM@ jeVSpT5S}LCU{*7bY!m<88yӆBW-8fU6xR'SؓkRل4vbzێ Yްd+LSV/m\#3VlG=A cB hRCŏ^HIe grElP?i[2ɔ\U I IXc'FZeۂ󡒐9| 7 L >8+y=Zs#Jf|a^^yMd6?멐'MrJF+'[7\4|u#_k:m[J>9x-}XWc63Ӓj$aځYיd,b$z!S X2Jv4]nGyx#>/{D7=e}8Z DP3XUs4lc~ɬh/Tr͡-,̼ACgmdO#FkfC\) ~D8f%WXߍ#pr'`ذ+ƽ#ͳl| Q- Jdka'.q{c56TնA*j:/ǰ:tWE<YOxc8TxR j}j9ab֔tnd??\Tz?Cʏ}-v0[Goy9p7Bc F303}q|?TnF jBl÷UJח)UU6gu '=6ޕl,Y㛖L3bBC%S7 Fj:1yf>^J<`SfV|,iz3)Ô XͼW^ӏi)&N^PwٳJ~ yŘMġ‘uk~s̕rsY*eHzY$ps$(8SzlN7bMۅ'1yP͡5ß9IPу#/&`b|HFO/,ώ|]7`*)>ťp :s첃tFw vcϱqm.)hU&Ss.j.: \$EZ轙+ehM=(!awV۬*8Xq[ C#U]i۫FezZ؄u[ӹX +%6S9_:>vCZȤ3v!ð8*н.^ҷZb8:3ڄE{p _!I't&xwtBӥuGmgeX|sg@*t˗79S(͏['ɒr/ E얽%4'眢)i6/<>(!Kr?[%SA$ n+),pE] .0-Kj&F &.Bpn[سOqSWU!hc/A QNT1ucsOq !d ؉Il GrۗBO6@oQ sFȌ<0=*G+|260f-{t*vN$?/{f3+!&|dA5l!oE!y砍"2 yĨ7nG8-{?7n"x]XY#!ld-Rpa.ٕq/XuQGa''\s.6Hx푆[ڀG[b?!9J 0imv]CWmDoF g7}Gnܿ,PФ? mGV cc<„4b+Y(j lm=1}HJ{Ag (5uC9̃xߠͳSIVɗzv+DZsWQcr2S:AxxʢL7[LW xSg˭G;V+UQS&+UfegWXK2?ʼnK R%;.|;OǒB>klemT6"udO)m# n},fBxak:z/;'y~}(7J:֭U\5uE|E!KU9a\q?L;B aNAȆXM-bz))|_ <Ή©hI!AfT|G9;:x̝'+4%eÚF^5|L֜ 3 d vgstaI.Q'0cZO̵'[&7IET _8 eؙ-REc)-TdPWյ'sYf אcfAp@%^U9Zo>< 8:?=K%dE6Vw܂|"%ՓE@e䣧%y3w+?' :B̍!=4HcMg ˮ+3pրLq
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1