Book Review: To Do or Die by Mike Shepherd

To Do or Die
Author: Mike Shepherd
Series: Jump Universe (Book 4)
Publication: Ace (February 25, 2014)

Description: Retired Colonel Ray Longknife and Marine Captain Terrence “Trouble” Tordon come to Savannah via different routes, but what they find is the same. One bully strongman is intent on keeping power no matter what the new rules are for peace. He’s got the population cowered by thugs, and tanks at the ready. He expects to win the coming elections handily.

He doesn’t expect trouble. Or, in this case, Mrs. Trouble—aka Ruth Tordon—a Marine wife on a mission to find the drug lords that almost killed her and her husband and put them out of business—and she’s not about to be stopped by some barely trained roughnecks.

Abandoned by their strongman and desperate in defeat, the heavy armor get ready to roll into town over anybody in their way. But Ray Longknife, Trouble and Ruth are standing in their way…and nothing is going to flatten them.

My Thoughts: Retired Colonel Ray Longknife has been sent to Savannah on a diplomatic mission to check out a President-for-life who is getting ready to hold a "fair and open" election. Marine Captain Mary Rodrigo and her troop and there to protect him. Ray is traveling there on a spaceship that is exploring some of the jump science that Ray learned on Sainte Marie when he battled the supercomputer that ran the place. 

Lieutenant Terrence "Trouble" Tordon and his new wife Ruth are also there on Savannah. They are on the trail of the drug business that caught them up in the previous book. Ruth, as part-time DEA, is looking for the labs that developed the drug.

They find a society that is messed up. The different nationalities are all being urged to fight against each other. The cops are the bad guys.  There are no social services leaving growing numbers of children out on the streets except for a few religious agencies and the Salvation Army who run small shelters. 

Ruth recruits a few of these street kids to be her native guides and help her find her way around the city. The intel she is gaining from the kids is more than the embassy's intelligence agents have been able to learn. 

As Ruth gets closer to the hidden labs, she is drawing more and more attention from the villains who have no intention of giving up any of their power. 

This episode has Trouble and Ruth battling actual land battles with tanks versus Marines while Ray is trying to build a new political system once the dictator can be disposed of. I enjoyed both the battles and the political maneuvering in this story. I liked seeing more of Ray, Mary, Trouble and Ruth. 

Favorite Quote:

Colonel Ray Longknife was frustrated. When frustrated, he was used to giving orders that ended said frustration ... often with loud booms. 

In the 2nd Guard, it worked. 

It wasn't working this morning.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.