A Few Good Fish

A Few Good Fish is the third Fish Out of Water book, and if you haven't read the other two, you really need to do yourself a favor and get them. Not because this book isn't fantastic on its own, but because you are cheating yourself out of the depth of the story. It would be like eating a $200 steak on a head cold day when your taste buds are missing. You can, but why?

Jackson Rivers and Ellery Cramer are well and truly screwed. At the end of "Red Fish, Dead Fish", with Jackson very nearly dead once again, they've accidentally uncovered a viper's nest of serial killers and unsanctioned military behavior modification that is going to come for them eventually. Just as Jackson returns to his Ellery-imposed requirement of being able to run five miles without collapsing, which would allow him to return to work, Jackson catches a kid attempting to plant a bug on their car. The four additional bugs that they uncover including the one in their bedroom, along with a college student that needs protecting, spur them back on the trail with fervent hopes that their very active sex life left bleeding ears at Bad Guy Headquarters.

This book is fantastic--it's non-stop action. There were literally times when I had to set my reader down to breathe before continuing on, because Amy Lane takes no prisoners in this one. There's no time to catch your breath and try to guess what's going to happen next and no time for obvious foreshadowing--just a breakneck crash course as you careen from anxiety to disaster and back again. For those who love cameos, you get to see Ace and Sonny from "Racing for the Sun", as well as their friend and protector, Burton, who comes along with his new love Ernie--who also has a unique skill set to bring to the table.

I've read all three Fish books and I think this one may be my favorite. I think if you ask the right questions and, sometimes, listen in between the words that are said out loud, you'll find that we all have damaged souls. There are those of us that are damaged by life and those of us who are damaged because the person that we love has been so damaged. If you're very, very lucky you end up like Jackson and Ellery and find someone who can knit you back together. What I love best about this Fish is that we're starting to see Jackson let go of some of his burdens--he's managed to collect a new and fresh batch of hell in his mind--but he's building a network of folks who can take some of that weight. It's enough to remind even this hardened cynic that life doesn't have to suck.

Amy Lane is a master of fiction. The spirit and snark of her characters always catch me right in the feels. It's rare that I laugh out loud and tear up while reading, especially during the same book, but this series gets me. And I dare you to read the scene in the hospital chapel without your soul bleeding just a little.

I could barely contain my excitement when I cracked open ‘A Few Good Fish’, book three in Amy Lane’s ‘Fish Out of Water’ series. Now, that could be because I was going to be rejoining Ellery and Jackson, two much-loved characters, as they worked to investigate the shady military operation they discovered in the previous volume, that appears to train men to be serial killers. Or, it could be because I was going to get to spend some time with two men I have loved for years, Ace and Sonny, from the author’s marvelous book ‘Racing for the Sun’, as they help Jackson and Ellery in their endeavors. Personally, I think it is all of the above plus the author’s wit, humor, and damn awesome way of crafting a story.

“… Ace Atchison and Sonny Daye were invisible. Two combat vets who owned a garage and outfitted cars. They raced illegally sometimes, sure… Desert dwellers. Rattlesnakes, perfectly content under their rock. But if you poked the two guys with a stick, Jackson was pretty sure things would get bloody.”

After everything that happened at the end of the previous book, it was no surprise to me that Ellery and Jackson were going to look harder into Commander Lacey, a man who to all intents and purposes, seems to be training “super soldiers” for the military, but that is just a polite term for the serial killers he has been churning out of his behavior modification “school”. How are Ace and Sonny involved? Well, they both served in Iraq with one of Lacey’s trainees, and Ellery and Jackson are hoping they might remember something that’ll give the guys a way to get at Lacey.

Of course with the luck that Jackson and Ellery have, Lacey’s men get Ellery and Ace (thinking he’s Jackson) and Jackson partners with Sonny, Ernie, and Jai for a rescue attempt. Oh, and I can’t forget about Burton, super-hot former Marine who works black ops for the government, who got involved because he got a contract to take out Ernie but, well…. I can’t tell you all of that because I’m really hoping the author does a side story featuring those two. Needless to say, Jackson and Sonny get their men back but not before Ellery gets injured leaving Jackson to be the one pacing frantically in the hospital waiting for news.

“Oh God. That was his worst fear. Ellery had always had this curious innocence to the horrors around him. Jackson had known them intimately. His dreams were always that he couldn’t protect the people he loved from the things that had touched him with slimy fingers.”

As exciting as ‘A Few Good Fish’ is just because of the intrigue, the action, the gunfire blazing, and them getting the bad guy(s), I think, at least for me anyway, it’s the strength of Jackson and Ellery’s love for one another that makes it such a phenomenal read. It’s also Ellery’s fight to show Jackson that he IS worthy of being loved, of having family and people who care about him. Jackson can break the world’s biggest cynic’s heart so seeing him struggle to feel worthy, to feel justified in having people (Ellery) love him, is enough to have me wanting to scoop him up and fix all of his broken pieces.

I can’t say I was surprised by the decision Ellery’s law firm made at the end but I sure loved Jackson and Jade’s response to it! Luckily, I only have to wait a few months for the next book to be released and then I can see what these men will get into that, hopefully, doesn’t end up with anyone in the hospital and Jackson not totaling another car. As always, I loved the secondary characters, Ellery’s mom (Lucy Satan as Jackson calls her!) is a definite favorite, but getting a chance to see my Ace and Sonny again plus getting to know Ernie and Burton means I have even more men with stories to look forward to.

A huge, heartfelt thank you to Amy Lane for bringing these men and their stories to such vivid life! I love everything about them.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews

So A Few Good Fish happened today. Amy Lane has found a niche that compliments her talent of writing angst driven characters and reminding us about the principles of basic human kindness, and added major amounts of gunfire and violence, and wrapped it all up in a marvelous bow. I am immeasurably pleased that she was persuaded to set her mind upon the task of writing this series, it is so fast paced and full of twists and turns, that the words just fly by. I seriously had to read the entire book twice to be sure that I had adsorbed the whole plot. And thank goodness there is book 4 just sitting there waiting to be read. I fully understand now how it just had to be written.
I don’t want to give away any of the enjoyment of discovering just what Jackson and Ellery get up to in this installment, but wow!! They are so in tune with each other now and their reactions to each piece of joy and heartbreak they encounter is so gratifying to the reader, we get to experience each new unfurling of the character development as a sort of witness to them both. They surprise each other as well as the reader with their actions and responses, even as we expect them to change and grow, it is never quite the way we see think it will happen and it is therefore so fresh and exciting to read.
That the secondary characters have to be given their own book should be no surprise to any reader familiar with Ms. Lane, but that the link to a previous story ( that is one of my very favorite books ever by this author) is so clear it really surprises me that it hadn’t been written several years ago. The percolations of a very talented writer’s mind never fail to delight and awe me. I am utterly thrilled with this entire series, and can’t wait for the next book. I sincerely hope there is a 5 and 6 (at least) more to come.
I want to encourage anyone who enjoys clever, contemporary, romantic murder mysteries, and a burst or two of humor and sexy times, along with a good bit of noire attitude to dive right in and scoop up this whole series. A Few Good Fish is simply fantastic, and I loved it completely.

**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by DreamSpinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**

A Few Good Fish is book 3 in Amy Lane’s Fish Out of Water series. This is absolutely one of my favorites and one of the best series I have ever read, or listened to. This series, absolutely, MUST be read in order. I know, I always say that, but I’ve never meant it more than I do now. This series follows Jackson and Ellery and each book builds upon the previous one. If you’re a fan of this series, you probably thought the author was done putting Jackson and Ellery in dangerous situations, both emotionally and physically. If you were crazy enough to think that, you ARE SO WRONG.

It’s been a rough few months for Jackson and Ellery and things aren’t getting easier. Jackson thought he had suffered through pain before, but he learns there’s something more painful than physical pain and that’s Ellery’s pain. This storyline continues from previous ones so I’m not going to get into the details or give anything away but Jackson and Ellery still have a lot to clean up. And the hits are coming at them from all sides.

But, no matter what they have to endure, Jackson and Ellery come away stronger as a couple. And, in this book, their future has been mentioned and for me, that felt huge! I love watching the family that Jackson, Cameron and Jade are building because it isn’t just one of them, it’s still all of them. And I loved having Ellery’s family more involved in this book! I’ve always been a fan of Lucy Satan, aka Taylor, but getting time with Ellery’s dad and getting to know him, was just icing on the top!

I love Jackson and Ellery together, especially in this book. If you haven’t read or listened to this series, I can’t stress how highly I recommend you do so now. The author has done a masterful job of building this series. I would love, love, love if the author would continue their series. With the new project Jackson, Ellery and Jade have coming, the series could follow their cases. Maybe with a little (or a lot) less abuse to Jackson and Ellery, but I foresee great things for their future! This book and series gets all the stars there are! Seriously, read or listen to it and it will become one of your favorites too!

Rating: 5+++++++++++++++++ Stars

I was given this ARC book for an honest review. A Few Good Fish by Amy Lane was fantastic. The continuation of Jackson and Ellery story was a nonstop, on the edge of your seat, white knuckled ride I will read many times over.

In pursuit of a rogue military man who tried to kill Jackson in the past was back. Jackson while fighting his doubts and insecurities finds his strength through Ellery and his family as well as a new set of friends turned family. This story amazing in its depth of emotions as well as action. I can't wait to see what happens next.