I believe fans of the Powder River series finally have the closure for which we have been waiting. From beginning to end, RIVER STRONG was a string of events that caught your attention and caused those worry lines between your brows to increase in intensity. Much of this book captures the essence of the characters from this series. It also answered most, if not all, open concerns. And, of course, in true BJ Daniels fashion leaves just a little in gray areas to keep us thinking.

Three main characters assume most of the energy of this story: Oakley Stanford, Duffy McKenna, and Pickett Hanson. They've been friends for many years with a great deal of fondness between them, but their friendship has grown into something more. 

Oakley is still troubled with nightmares of when her brother C.J. accidentally shot her in the back as she raced through the forest. Unfortunately, there is still a black hole in her memory of the several days surrounding the shooting. Oakley’s mother is entrenched in her care of her son, leaving Oakley to manage with the help of her sister Tilly and friends. Something still gnaws at Oakley about that day and what she was doing that caused her to flee from the mountain area through the forest. She had the sense of something or someone chasing her and she's not entirely sure if C.J. is the one to blame, although he did confess... 

In RIVER STRONG, B.J. Daniels once again puts us through our armchair detective skills, testing us page by page to see if we get it. We, the readers, actually know what happened but we are missing some key details. Page by page those missing details become more apparent, but so much still remains murky. Daniels's creative talent is fully on display, revealing enough to draw us in, but compelling us to continue reading to find out more.

Throughout RIVER STRONG, Oakley’s biggest challenge is to find the truth and figure out who she can trust. The betrayal goes deep, but searching out the truth proves to be dangerous... as does remaining in the dark. That’s the moral of this latest in the Powder River series by B.J. Daniels. The cast of characters is numerous and effectively garners a range of emotions from caring, fear, anger, and troubling doubt. This entire series has been excellent and the author has created memorable characters.