Reviewed by Tanzey Cutter
Posted April 15, 2009

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Coming from five generations of Texas Rangers, Caitlin Strong held the traditions of honor and duty in high regard. Then she started to question herself following a terrible confrontation along the Mexican border that left her wounded -- and her partner dead. Five years have passed. In that time, Caitlin quit the Rangers and started dealing with the guilt of being a survivor. She went back to school and is now applying for a job as a counselor/therapist at the Survivor Center for Victims of Torture.

When Caitlin meets the center's most recent patient, a PTSD man with amnesia who was physically and mentally tortured worse than any of the others, Caitlin is in for the shock of her life. This devastating discovery has far-reaching consequences as Caitlin soon finds herself reopening an investigation into the border incident from five years ago - with more recent ramifications.

When she realizes that to learn the truth she must work with Cort Wesley Masters, a ruthless ex-con she put behind bars years ago, Caitlin fears the outcome. Cort has just been released from prison because of a DNA technicality. The last thing he wants to do is help the woman who put him behind bars in the first place. But it seems neither of them has a choice, since the stakes could not be any higher. They must uncover a terrifying plot to bring down the country.

Wow! Talk about a kick-butt, knock-your-socks-off action thriller! This one will have you reading long into the night, since you won't want to put it down until the final page is turned. With a heroine who's as tough as they come and an anti-hero who unconsciously (and awkwardly) evolves into a hero, Jon Land has outdone himself with STRONG ENOUGH TO DIE. I'm telling everyone I know who loves tense, taut thrillers that this one should not be missed. It's going on my keeper shelf for reading again. Yes, it's that great!

Strong Enough To Die by Jon Land

Summary

Caitlin Strong is a fifth-generation Texas Ranger, proud to wear the badge of her father and grandfather—until a deadly shoot-out along the Mexican border causes her to question her calling.

Five years later, Caitlin is still trying to purge herself of guilt from the day that ended her Ranger career. But a shattering discovery will reopen old wounds, and Caitlin’s renewed investigation into the truth behind the bloody desert firefight uncovers a terrifying plot that reaches into every home and threatens the very core of the country.

Her only hope for success—and survival—is to team up with Cort Wesley Masters, a deadly outlaw who has every reason to want her dead. But he also holds the key to the truth she desperately seeks in the anguished brain of an amnesiac torture victim.

Caitlin’s tormented quest for redemption takes her to a dark world, ranging from Washington to Bahrain to the wastelands of Mexico, as she finds that the strength to live comes from learning how to die.