For Detective Benjamin Creager and his counterpart Detective Alex Ritch of the Bedford Police Department, Colorado, trouble always seemed to be knocking on their door. They had barely finished dealing with a pandemic ravaging a native community in Bedford when they were forced to respond to a dispatch call involving three armed robbers. Soon they learn that there’s much more going on in Bedford, and hell is about to break loose. The robbery was tied to the murder of a wealthy rancher in Bedford, on whose land huge mineral deposits had been recently discovered. Russian mafia Vory Zakone is after the mines, as is a Mexican drug cartel, and a billionaire, all of them willing to stop at nothing to get ownership of the mines. Will Detectives Creager and Ritch survive the storm of trouble brewing over Bedford? Find out in L. Hanson’s Creager: The Van Joe Parker Saga.

Crime and mystery aficionados will not be able to peel their eyes off L. Hanson’s Creager: The Van Joe Parker Saga. Weaving an intriguing plot, Hanson features a diverse and fascinating cast. The evocative depictions colorfully brought the small town of Bedford to life, making me feel like I was in the middle of all the action, adventure, thrills, drama, and suspense. With an active gossip mill, competent law enforcement officers, and daring crooks, Bedford is a town with a closely knit community and their fair share of crime, blackmail, secrets, murder, shootouts, and so much more. Hanson brings out the cast’s emotions, juxtaposing their complex traits, which allowed me to connect with them. I enjoyed the detective duo. Ritch as the younger man clearly needs the wise guidance of the experienced Creager. Even though it is the second in the Creager Sagas series, this is an amazing stand-alone read. I look forward to the next installments in the series.

Creager: The Van Joe Parker Saga by L. Hanson is the second novel in the series. The story of Detective Creager and his partner, Detective Ritch, continues as they try to keep the sleepy town of Bedford safe. As the population of the town increases, the crime rate climbs, making life difficult for Creager. To make matters worse, one businessman by the name of Van Joe Parker has made a home in Bedford Township and has set up a mining operation. While the new setup is great for the small town, someone clearly doesn’t want Van Joe Parker in Bedford Township and is ready to do whatever it takes to stop him. Keeping Parker safe was tough enough, but keeping the town safe from vandals, hooligans, and drug sellers was also keeping him busy. However, things became serious when Parker’s daughter Savannah and a visitor were kidnapped. Now, it was up to Creager and Ritch to bring them back home and restore peace in their town.

After reading the first book, I was excited to see what would happen next in Bedford Township. I loved Creager before, and now I absolutely adore him. His dry sense of humor, wit, and charm are endearing. I loved his responses and the way he reacted to everything happening around him. He relied on his senses and his own mind, observed what was going on, and made decisions accordingly. The banter between Creager and Ritch was entertaining, as always. They made sense of the chaos around them in their own way and created a synergy that worked for them. The bank robbery was scary, but they handled it well. Savannah and Linda Lou were great new additions. Parker was secretive and selective about who he opened up to. I enjoyed his character the most out of all the characters introduced in The Van Joe Parker Saga. The ending was exciting, and I shared Creager’s enthusiasm for what would happen next. I cannot wait for L. Hanson's next novel in the series.

In Creager: The Van Joe Parker Saga by L. Hanson, Van Joe Parker, a miner in the oil and mineral industry, filed a complaint, and Detectives Creager and Ritch went to investigate. Parker's camp had been under attack, and someone had employed mercenaries to kill him and his crew. Parker had discovered cobalt, lithium, magnesium, and copper, and the core samples he and his crew had extracted were encouraging. A contract to sell Diff McGiffer's ranch to Parker was signed before Diff passed away, but someone tried to persuade Diff's son to cancel the contract after Diff’s death. Parker and his group were not the only ones who wanted to extract these precious metals because of their great demand.

Creager: The Van Joe Parker Saga by L. Hanson was a roller coaster ride of action, suspense, murder, and crime. I was hooked from the start by this page-turner and had a hard time putting it down. I never knew what would happen next with all the twists and turns and was kept guessing until the end. The story was intertwined with several plots, all of which had their motives and were independent. The characters were typical of a small town where everyone knew each other and it was easy to become part of the community of Bedford. The pamphlet Creager read on the history of Bedford was interesting and added to the story's uniqueness. I was captivated by this well-written thriller that held my interest the entire time.