Lonesome Highway

Violet Darger FBI Mystery Thriller, Book 11

By: L.T. Vargus, Tim McBain

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Her body lies tucked in the shadows beneath the overpass. Steel girders yawing over her delicate form. Above her, the traffic thunders without end. Tires thumping over the bridge, over the asphalt. The black ribbon of the highway stretches into the night.

When a second body turns up in a truck stop parking lot, FBI profiler Violet Darger heads to rural North Carolina to investigate. These crimes are quickly connected to more. And more. And more.

The scope of the crisis balloons. Soon, a task force is formed to work a serial murder case spanning a 1,500 mile stretch of the interstate.

A freeway killer stalks up and down the eastern seaboard, his hunting grounds stretching from the everglades into New England.

The logistics strain law enforcement techniques and resources alike. It's overwhelming.

Darger has never worked a case like this one. Progess is slow. Frustration mounts.

And all the while, the killer is out there. On the road. Free to roam.

Darger will need to dig into the history of freeway killers to understand the psychology driving the crimes. Only then can she hope to stop him.

But complications lurk around every corner, and danger lies in wait just down the road. When Darger finally finds her way, somebody is waiting for her.

©2022 L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain (P)2024 L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain

One of my favorites

The neon lights for Big Jon's Travel Center shine like an oasis off of I95 in North Carolina. A beacon for weary travelers to come in and rest. Eat, stretch your legs, fuel your vehicle or just grab some snacks as you travel the long black ribbon of highway that goes north to south on the east coast of the east coast of the US. Tonight truck driver Dwayne Kunkle pulls into Big Jon's a regular stop on his route on I95. He's going to meet up with his friend Randall Hendy who works there and pay him the money he borrowed. Finally be able to get him off of his back about the paltry amount that Randall's been bugging him about. It was great to have that loan but man Randall was a pain in the rear about getting paid back. LOL that's ok, it'll be good to have it done. While Dwayne and Randall are talking they hear a strange sound. Not much of a sound, but something off. Not right, a soft thud and splash. it sent chills down both of their backs. After a minute of doubt they both agree that they need to go look around the lot to see what it might be. Not that either of them want to. As they walk around and through the lines of semis they both it, well her about the same time. It was a girl laying on the ground. Face down, hog tied with slashes all over her back. Her face obscured by murky water from the rain earlier. After getting over the initial shock Randall calls the police. Both knew life would never be the same.

On the drive to Big Jon's Loshak and Darger started going the few facts that they had regarding the case so far from the local police. At this time they knew there 3 victim's, the one in the parking lot at Big Jon's Travel Center and two at The Cozy Motor Lodge, less than a mile from Big Jon's. All three were sex workers who were known to the truckers. When Darger and Loshak arrived they met up Det. Bledsoe at the truck stop and Det. Glenn at the motel. Both knew some of the women who were victims. One was in from out of town. As the investigation moves on and all of the truckers who were there at the center that night were questioned it became clear that one of them was the killer. It also became clear that these three women were not his first victims. That he had been very busy for years as he traveled up and down I95 killing women.

LT Vargas and Tim McBain have been two of my favorite writers for a long time now and I'm quite open about that. I guess that makes me a bit prejudge in my reviews. Yet they so richly deserve every good review and good thing said about their books. I started reading their books several years ago and I have seen them continue to grow in talent and depth with each book. I'm so glad I received that first email from Tim asking me if I would like to read the first book in the series The Scattered and the Dead. I've been hooked ever since. I hope that you will join me in being coming a fan also.

Very Procedural, kind of dull.

I started out liking this series. I thought Violet and the other characters were engaging and the crimes and solutions interesting. But this one was just a slog. It was all procedure with no real intriguing turns and we didn’t learn any more about the characters. But if you’re more into the procedure, this might work for you.

If I’m hard-up for something to listen to, I may come back to this series, but otherwise I’m done.

A very in-depth police procedural read

This was not my kind of read. For me there was way too much in-depth information on non-important things that drug out the book. I kept waiting for the book to turn a corner or take off. It did not. I was very bored with this book and it did nothing for me.

Okay, interesting if a bit predictable.

The story is good, perhaps a bit thin in spots as the investigation sped ahead. There is lots of profiling information and discussion of infamous serial killers. The only serious criticism I have is the reader switching to a stage whisper for asides or inner thoughts. This change in volume made it hard for me to hear, while driving.

I liked it

Took a chance on this story as I’m normally more into zombie and science fiction but I have to say it was well written and kept my attention waiting to see how it was all going to play out.
I’m going to start with book one next.

Okay

While this is a series, it’s the only one I’ve listened to. I may go back and start and one.

The narrator is just okay- she needs to work on her male voices.

Narrator hard to understand at times.

The story line is decent but the narrator sometimes speaks so low you have to turn volume up to hear her, then a second later booms out a voice that really needs to be toned down. Her range of volume is not relaxing as you have to have volume up sort of high to catch all the words.

Liked it!

Good story, kept my interest. I like the characters, as well as the narrator, but agree with other reviewers that she shouldn't use such a quiet voice in places. I had to turn up the volume each time as well. Will try another book in this series.

Not great

Pretty bland story. Narration kind of slow and lifeless and not much of a payoff at the end.

Entertaining enough to keep my attention

Somewhat predictable but interesting enough I enjoyed it. Author gets a little long winded at times. Narrator was fine except at times she was very quiet and other times normal so volume control was a little difficult.