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Danny Barrett #1
The Sweet Goodbye
Win a free print copy of this book!
15 days and 21:17:29
100 copies available
U.S. only
"In this thrilling new series from Edgar-nominated author Ron Corbett, the most dangerous predator in the Maine wilderness walks on two feet-and it is Danny Barrett's job to bring him down. Something is not right in the North Maine Woods. A small family-run lumber company should not have more than two hundred million unaccountable dollars on their books. Money like that comes from moving something other than wood across the border. The first agent the FBI sent undercover was their best man-sure to get the answers that were needed. He was dead within a month. Now, Danny Barrett is taking his place. Before he was a cop, Danny grew up in the woods of Northern Michigan. He is the only chance the feds have of getting answers, but how many more will have to die first?"--
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 19, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
April 19, 2022
The Sweet Goodbye by Ron Corbett
When Danny Barrett is told what a great undercover agent he is, he's not sure he should consider it a compliment. He's good because he's good at lying, deceiving, blending with lowlife so well that he becomes one of them. He's good because he doesn't care who he arrests. He arrested his own brother and never felt a day of guilt about it. Now the FBI's best undercover man has been murdered and the FBI wants Barrett to take his place.
Lee Forestry Products and the two brothers who own it, Tucker and Travis, are involved in some very dirty business. Beau Lafontaine is the monster that has them under his thumb now. His sister and Travis go way back and Beau saved Lee Forestry Products from going under. Now the Lee's will owe him big time for the rest of their lives. But the FBI is on to this dirty dealing triangle and are gunning for Lafontaine and they plan to get him by going through the Lees.
Barrett is all business and he knows the logging business having been taught by his grandfather so he's perfect for this undercover job. He's undercover as a tree marker but he also worms his way into a drinking friendship with Travis. The job's a little harder when he realizes that he likes Travis. But this is life and death and people have already died and Barrett doesn't let feelings get in the way of doing his job.
It's a cat and lots of big mice game as the FBI is hampered in their goal of bringing the Lee's and Lafontaine down so Barrett does things his way, doesn't follow an order, meets up with folks he shouldn't be meeting up with. We get to know a few players pretty well, Travis, and Beau's cousin who is Travis's mistress. It's a tangled web of deceit and corruption that goes way back and I was caught of in a story that I didn't often understand. I look forward to Barrett's next case which will take place in Seattle.
Publication: April 19, 2022
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.
When Danny Barrett is told what a great undercover agent he is, he's not sure he should consider it a compliment. He's good because he's good at lying, deceiving, blending with lowlife so well that he becomes one of them. He's good because he doesn't care who he arrests. He arrested his own brother and never felt a day of guilt about it. Now the FBI's best undercover man has been murdered and the FBI wants Barrett to take his place.
Lee Forestry Products and the two brothers who own it, Tucker and Travis, are involved in some very dirty business. Beau Lafontaine is the monster that has them under his thumb now. His sister and Travis go way back and Beau saved Lee Forestry Products from going under. Now the Lee's will owe him big time for the rest of their lives. But the FBI is on to this dirty dealing triangle and are gunning for Lafontaine and they plan to get him by going through the Lees.
Barrett is all business and he knows the logging business having been taught by his grandfather so he's perfect for this undercover job. He's undercover as a tree marker but he also worms his way into a drinking friendship with Travis. The job's a little harder when he realizes that he likes Travis. But this is life and death and people have already died and Barrett doesn't let feelings get in the way of doing his job.
It's a cat and lots of big mice game as the FBI is hampered in their goal of bringing the Lee's and Lafontaine down so Barrett does things his way, doesn't follow an order, meets up with folks he shouldn't be meeting up with. We get to know a few players pretty well, Travis, and Beau's cousin who is Travis's mistress. It's a tangled web of deceit and corruption that goes way back and I was caught of in a story that I didn't often understand. I look forward to Barrett's next case which will take place in Seattle.
Publication: April 19, 2022
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.
April 25, 2022
The Sweet Goodbye by Ron Corbett felt like something straight out of a 40s or 50s detective show to me, and it probably helped that the main narrator of the audiobook Adam Gold had a voice that totally made it that way. The book actually has a reference to Perry Mason in it, and I was thinking about someone in my head as I read it, but now that I sat down to write my review, I can't think of who it is. I also never caught what time period this is set in, but it felt very old school to me from the phrases used all the way to how the characters spoke. There was a slower pace overall, but the story was layered, and it turned out a way I hadn't expected it to. It was also super interesting having it set in the North Maine Woods (a brilliant setting) and all the talk about trees and what a tree marker does which is a profession I was not familiar with.
As mentioned, Adam Gold is one narrator for the audiobook but there is also a smaller role which is read by Catherine Ho. The majority of the novel is told from Danny's viewpoint but every so often there will be a chapter titled "The Sweet Goodbye" which is told from the POV of Pearl, who is the mistress of one of the characters in the book. I really liked the tone the narrators set for the story, and I enjoyed Ho's parts the most, but I did find Gold's narration to be stilted and jerky sounding for lack of a better term. I wish it would have flowed better because he really did have the perfect voice for the story, but alas, I don't think I would listen to the next book if he is the one who narrates it. That being said, I am definitely still interested in reading the next book in Danny's story and I think fans of old school detective shows will find The Sweet Goodbye appealing. I did tend to get a little lost in the story, but I still enjoyed it and was able to grasp the overall concept.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
As mentioned, Adam Gold is one narrator for the audiobook but there is also a smaller role which is read by Catherine Ho. The majority of the novel is told from Danny's viewpoint but every so often there will be a chapter titled "The Sweet Goodbye" which is told from the POV of Pearl, who is the mistress of one of the characters in the book. I really liked the tone the narrators set for the story, and I enjoyed Ho's parts the most, but I did find Gold's narration to be stilted and jerky sounding for lack of a better term. I wish it would have flowed better because he really did have the perfect voice for the story, but alas, I don't think I would listen to the next book if he is the one who narrates it. That being said, I am definitely still interested in reading the next book in Danny's story and I think fans of old school detective shows will find The Sweet Goodbye appealing. I did tend to get a little lost in the story, but I still enjoyed it and was able to grasp the overall concept.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
June 3, 2022
When it comes to enjoying Rob Corbett’s crime novel The Sweet Goodbye, it is helpful to first realize rather than it being a page-flipping barn-burner, the novel is instead propelled forward by character development and a slow story revelation. Corbett then tells the story while allowing his characters to breathe and grow, which does pay off in the end.
In The Sweet Goodbye, Danny Barrett is an undercover FBI Special Agent. Barrett is from Detroit but has been stationed in Portland, Oregon, and is loaned to the FBI station in Maine due to his undercover skills.
Not only is Barrett with an uncanny undercover ability to blend in under almost any environment and befriend the most unlikely of all people, but he is also a skilled marker of forest trees for milling, which will play a vital part in his next investigation.
In Maine, the Leeds family has owned a logging company for generations. While under previous FBI scrutiny, a sudden massive capital infusion to the Leeds through an unknown source was discovered, leading to the ongoing investigation involving Barrett.
For his role in the undercover operation, Barrett has been hired to work for and infiltrate the logging company where these vast financial assets were discovered and attempt to discover their origin. Barrett then endears himself to his employers to further his investigation.
Barrett slowly learns this investigation is more dangerous and complex than first thought and mainly because of his unusual growing respect and affection for his main target, Travis Leeds. Barrett then enters a game of cat and mouse with not only Travis, but his wife as well. Along the way, Barrett is exposed to different layers of criminality filled with a variety of nasty criminals.
In alternating chapters with a focus on different characters, the story is slowly revealed while Corbett continues to flesh out the characters in a way that leads to a satisfying ending.
The Sweet Goodbye could best be described as a slow-burn crime story that gains momentum the further one reads into the novel.
For this reader, because of the way the book was assembled with the alternating character chapters, it took about the mid-point before this novel started to really resonate. The Sweet Goodbye did end with a strong enough ending to create an interest to read other novels by this author and any follow-up novels involving the Danny Barrett character.
The Sweet Goodbye is recommended to readers that enjoy character development with plots.
This review was originally published at MysteryandSuspense.com.
In The Sweet Goodbye, Danny Barrett is an undercover FBI Special Agent. Barrett is from Detroit but has been stationed in Portland, Oregon, and is loaned to the FBI station in Maine due to his undercover skills.
Not only is Barrett with an uncanny undercover ability to blend in under almost any environment and befriend the most unlikely of all people, but he is also a skilled marker of forest trees for milling, which will play a vital part in his next investigation.
In Maine, the Leeds family has owned a logging company for generations. While under previous FBI scrutiny, a sudden massive capital infusion to the Leeds through an unknown source was discovered, leading to the ongoing investigation involving Barrett.
For his role in the undercover operation, Barrett has been hired to work for and infiltrate the logging company where these vast financial assets were discovered and attempt to discover their origin. Barrett then endears himself to his employers to further his investigation.
Barrett slowly learns this investigation is more dangerous and complex than first thought and mainly because of his unusual growing respect and affection for his main target, Travis Leeds. Barrett then enters a game of cat and mouse with not only Travis, but his wife as well. Along the way, Barrett is exposed to different layers of criminality filled with a variety of nasty criminals.
In alternating chapters with a focus on different characters, the story is slowly revealed while Corbett continues to flesh out the characters in a way that leads to a satisfying ending.
The Sweet Goodbye could best be described as a slow-burn crime story that gains momentum the further one reads into the novel.
For this reader, because of the way the book was assembled with the alternating character chapters, it took about the mid-point before this novel started to really resonate. The Sweet Goodbye did end with a strong enough ending to create an interest to read other novels by this author and any follow-up novels involving the Danny Barrett character.
The Sweet Goodbye is recommended to readers that enjoy character development with plots.
This review was originally published at MysteryandSuspense.com.
July 18, 2022
Corbett introduces his new crime thriller featuring FBI undercover agent Danny Barrett with a story that takes place in the northern Maine woods. In an effort to save their floundering Lee Forestry Products business, the Lee brothers accept financial support (and a whole lot of trouble) from Beau LaFontaine, the CEO of Five Star Forestry. The level of criminality—money laundering, drug manufacture/smuggling, and murder—attracts the FBI. Their first undercover agent is murdered. The FBI requests help from Portland, Oregon to have Danny Barrett, former Detroiter with time spent lumbering in the Upper Peninsula, go undercover. It is a VERY dangerous assignment.
Corbett develops this character driven story slowly. While Tucker Lee seems to be motivated by money, Travis seems to be more of a ‘good ole boy’, although one with a serious alcohol problem. Travis’ long-term relationship with Pearl LaFontaine, local waitress and relative of Beau, predates his marriage. What will each of them do to protect each other from the FBI and Beau? Corbett’s fine writing will have you guessing until the end.
Corbett develops this character driven story slowly. While Tucker Lee seems to be motivated by money, Travis seems to be more of a ‘good ole boy’, although one with a serious alcohol problem. Travis’ long-term relationship with Pearl LaFontaine, local waitress and relative of Beau, predates his marriage. What will each of them do to protect each other from the FBI and Beau? Corbett’s fine writing will have you guessing until the end.
June 26, 2022
I might have found my newest favorite suspense writer; Corbett is up there with Sandford and Michael Connelly.
Yes, this is crime fiction, but it’s really about what one will do for love. Highly recommend.
Yes, this is crime fiction, but it’s really about what one will do for love. Highly recommend.
April 18, 2022
I have mixed feelings about The Sweet Goodbye, which is the first book in the new Danny Barrett series.
Barrett’s character is interesting. He’s a little dark and brooding, a little edgy, a little dangerous. But he also has that inner nice guy thing going on. I enjoyed spending time with him.
The setting is well done, placing us in dense Maine woods that manage to be both claustrophobic and expansive.
The plot felt scattered to me, especially early on. It took me a while to settle into the story.
Pacing is slow. While this is being marketed as a thriller series, it reads more like police procedural/crime fiction.
Overall, The Sweet Goodbye was a good but largely forgettable read for me.
*I received an eARC from Berkley Publishing, via NetGalley.*
Barrett’s character is interesting. He’s a little dark and brooding, a little edgy, a little dangerous. But he also has that inner nice guy thing going on. I enjoyed spending time with him.
The setting is well done, placing us in dense Maine woods that manage to be both claustrophobic and expansive.
The plot felt scattered to me, especially early on. It took me a while to settle into the story.
Pacing is slow. While this is being marketed as a thriller series, it reads more like police procedural/crime fiction.
Overall, The Sweet Goodbye was a good but largely forgettable read for me.
*I received an eARC from Berkley Publishing, via NetGalley.*
June 6, 2022
4.5… really enjoyed this! Can’t wait to follow this series!
October 30, 2022
arghhh I feel so bad giving this 2 stars but this was not good at all. There was no "thrill", no big mystery. Dialogue was horrendous. And characters were pretty bad.
April 28, 2022
The big lumber concerns of the vast uninhabited North Maine Woods are Lee Forestry and Five Star Forestry; CEO Beau La Fontaine. In addition to lumber, Five Star CEO Beau LaFontaine is involved with smuggling and murder. Lee Forestry owners Travis and Tucker Lee struggle to stay afloat after 2008 by agreeing to launder money for Beau which attracts the attention of the FBI. Enter undercover agent Danny Barrett posing as a tree marker for Lee Forestry. Danny inadvertently saves an inebriated Travis Lee from a beating outside his favorite watering hole and they become drinking buddies. Both are genuinely compelling characters, especially Travis Lee; the target of Danny's undercover assignment.
Travis is a wealthy ex-Harvard football star, raconteur and raging alcoholic. Bored with running Lee Forestry, Travis much prefers getting hammered afternoons at the Starlight Club or surreptitiously meeting with his long time lover, the enticing Pearl LaFontaine. Danny tries to keep his professional objectivity but begins to understand Travis and considers him an honorable man in his own inimitable way. Complications quickly follow with the double murder of Beau and Tucker Lee. Danny and his FBI handlers pressure Travis to wear a wire on it's main suspect and force Danny and Tucker to the limits of their commitment to justice.
I loved this book because it took me down a winding road of originality and style that I rarely read in my crime fiction journey. I'm still thinking about the brilliantly constructed characters, ingenious twist ending and exceptional writing style. Count me in on subsequent additions to the series and thank you author Ron Corbett.
Travis is a wealthy ex-Harvard football star, raconteur and raging alcoholic. Bored with running Lee Forestry, Travis much prefers getting hammered afternoons at the Starlight Club or surreptitiously meeting with his long time lover, the enticing Pearl LaFontaine. Danny tries to keep his professional objectivity but begins to understand Travis and considers him an honorable man in his own inimitable way. Complications quickly follow with the double murder of Beau and Tucker Lee. Danny and his FBI handlers pressure Travis to wear a wire on it's main suspect and force Danny and Tucker to the limits of their commitment to justice.
I loved this book because it took me down a winding road of originality and style that I rarely read in my crime fiction journey. I'm still thinking about the brilliantly constructed characters, ingenious twist ending and exceptional writing style. Count me in on subsequent additions to the series and thank you author Ron Corbett.
August 20, 2022
A decent crime-detective novel. Not a bad read when you are quarantined in your room due to Covid!
April 22, 2022
The setting for this book is perfect, set in the dark woods of northern Maine. Danny Barrett, a determined FBI agent is an enigma as the protagonist. He wants justice no matter the cost, but he is also wounded from his past and is almost creepy in the way he goes about his assignment. His task in this first book in the series is to bring down the Lee Forestry owners, Travis and Tucker and their mob boss Beau LaFontaine. The money coming from the woods has to be more than just trees and Danny follows the leads and finds a trail of drugs and murder. This book is not for the faint-hearted and honestly, at times, it was not for me. It is hard-boiled, rough at the edges crime fiction with few redemptive qualities. I’m not sure I can say I really enjoyed the book because the plot meandered at times and I got lost in the details. The pace was slow, even though I kept expecting it to pick up because Danny was getting close to finding out the truth, but it never really did. I would have to call the pace one that plodded on inexorably to the ending. The book is filled with an intricate web of lies and a truckload of corruption that Danny has to sift through and he brings the reader along on this trip. The book is an okay read for those who like a lot of violence and expletives, but it was really not my cup of tea. I kept picturing a hard-nosed Dick Tracy who would stop at nothing to get the bad guy. This cat and mouse game of good versus evil did not hold my attention well and I was glad to get to the end.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkeley via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkeley via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
August 23, 2022
The Sweet Goodbye A very well plotted out mystery with good characterizations. Thoroughly enjoyable and with an ending that made the story complete.
September 15, 2022
Wow, what an awesome thrill ride this book was! The protagonist is an undercover FBI agent, Danny Barrett, brought into a sting on a money laundering scheme in the North Maine woods. All the characters, good and bad, were extremely likeable. Some lines in this book I read two and three times in appreciation for the artful way they were written!♡♡♡ Absolutely loved this book and can't wait for the next one in the series.
June 19, 2022
I was surprised that I enjoyed this mystery because my tastes tend to skew towards procedural and away from thrillers. But while this could be classified as a thriller, it had a solid and intriguing storyline. I liked the main character, Danny, who is smart with how he pursues his targets while working undercover. This book also shows that while the rich are different and spoiled, their lives can be sad, lonely, dismal. All in all, a good read!
January 9, 2023
A very straight-up pedestrian crime novel. Interesting that this is listed as book 1 in a series but not a hint about a book 2.
Nothing wrong with the plotting or the story, all hung together. It's all subjective here, but none of the characters particularly grabbed me. You might be different.
Nothing wrong with the plotting or the story, all hung together. It's all subjective here, but none of the characters particularly grabbed me. You might be different.
March 3, 2023
This might be the best book I have read so far this year. The writing was perfect the characters were so believable the location North Main Woods was a place not many have been. The first book in the Danny Barrett series. Barrett a cop working undercover as a tree marker. He is working with the FBI investigating a lumber company. Corbett is one hell of a writer and he got it right. enjoy.
May 19, 2022
A good crime fiction read, I thought that the characters and story were strong and that the unusual setting gave this story an added interest.
October 12, 2022
It starts off a little slow but I ended up really liking this book and I will definitely read the next one.
March 21, 2022
THE SWEET GOODBYE was an entertaining beginning to a new series. Danny Barrett has been an undercover agent for twelve years and successful. But his new case, which takes him to a dying town in Maine and the deep, uncharted Maine woods, is going to test him in many ways.
Lee Forestry Products has too much money on its books - what accountants call "funds without provenance" - which makes the FBI think something illegal is going on. The first undercover agent they sent to investigate was found murdered.
Now, it's Danny time to try to find out what is going on. He was a Detroit cop but grew up in the forestry business in Upper Michigan. His cover as a tree marker gives him a chance to investigate.
As Danny gets to know the players - the two Lee brothers who own the business, Beau Lafontaine who has a reputation in the Maine woods, and Pearl Lafontaine who's a diner waitress, cousin of Beau, and Travis Lee's long-time lover - he gets tangled up in a twisted situation.
The story is part mystery, part twisted romance, and all-around compelling read. The story is told from multiple viewpoints and sometimes in flashbacks. I enjoyed the story very much and look forward to more in the series.
Lee Forestry Products has too much money on its books - what accountants call "funds without provenance" - which makes the FBI think something illegal is going on. The first undercover agent they sent to investigate was found murdered.
Now, it's Danny time to try to find out what is going on. He was a Detroit cop but grew up in the forestry business in Upper Michigan. His cover as a tree marker gives him a chance to investigate.
As Danny gets to know the players - the two Lee brothers who own the business, Beau Lafontaine who has a reputation in the Maine woods, and Pearl Lafontaine who's a diner waitress, cousin of Beau, and Travis Lee's long-time lover - he gets tangled up in a twisted situation.
The story is part mystery, part twisted romance, and all-around compelling read. The story is told from multiple viewpoints and sometimes in flashbacks. I enjoyed the story very much and look forward to more in the series.
July 20, 2022
SPOILER ALERT
Outstanding story, leaving me haunted and not sure whose side I was on. Danny Barrett is a tree marker and is also undercover. He is descended from a family of loggers from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He is now seconded from another agency to the FBI in the north Maine woods. In the 3.5 million acres of wilderness there is zero population, but there is danger, from the gangs that are involved in a criminal drug enterprise throughout the area. Brothers Travis and Tucker Lee run the Lee Forestry Products in the declining town of Birmingham. Tucker is the one running the show; Travis drinks. For a year the FBI has been conducting an investigation into the business that has had $250 million deposited into their accounts. They have been unable to determine where the money is coming from. They bring Danny in undercover in the company after the local banker, Robert Powell, from the Savings and Loan where the money is going, is shot. It is coming from as shell company with Beau Lafontaine as CEO. Danny is looking into the Paradise lumber camp in the extreme north. When he finds the camp, run by Beau Lafontaine, he sees that there are at least three meth labs, a fentanyl lab, and other buildings. The logging trucks leaving the camp have containers under them to transport the huge numbers of pills that are smuggled out. Beau is head of the Malee gang, descended from the Acadians, a cult-like criminal organization, with mythical leaders like seers. His cousin Pearl Lafontaine is the girlfriend of Travis Lee and has been for over 30 years. She acts as a communications link between Beau and the Lees. Beau has no record in the US, only one is Canada. He is reputed to be ruthless and deadly. Travis' wife Amanda is also a conduit of information for Beau. Danny witnesses his violence when Beau cuts up a man he believes to be an informer with a chainsaw while he is still alive, his body parts thrown into Paradise Lake. Amanda eventually disappears, having become a problem for Beau. Danny also finds himself in direct contact (contrary to his instructions) with the players, Travis and Amanda. He ends up drinking with Travis on several occasions at the Starlight Club, and he finds he likes Travis. He tells someone later "In this day and age, finding an honorable man, a kind man, it's like finding a precious gift." This ties into Pearl's feelings "A precious gift? Beau used to say Travis was one of my baubles, a bright shiny thing I went out and collected one day. Did you know I like shiny things?"
The narrative moves from a report by Danny of the progress of the investigation, the shoddy work of the FBI, and his story, to descriptions of the economic hardship of the area, and a love story. Once a prosperous community of fishing (cod), and textile and pulp mills, squared lumber for building Navy ships, it is now devoid of jobs, the mills closed as the newspapers closed down, the fish disappeared. We learn of the tree marker job, how trees are evaluated for harvest, and how the industry has changed. The woods were once the arena for smuggling Canadian whiskey and Maine lobster; now they are used to move meth, automatic weapons and Asian women for prostitution. The camp is described in its filth and degradation, the processors of the meth capsules filling them naked, hides and carcasses of animals on poles lining the camp and the stench of the meth making eyes water.
We are also treated to the elusive and strong love story between Pearl and Travis. Pearl uses the description Pattie Boyd used when asked about how each of the Beatles regarded fame. For the Lees, Tucker thought he deserved the family fortune, the old man thought he earned it; Amanda was just glad to have it; and Travis---he never understood it. Why had he been chosen to be rich when almost everyone else in Birmingham had been chosen to be poor. "George Harrison eased his guilty and questing mind with..." Travis eased his with McCallum's and trips to the Starlight. She thought life was full of mysteries, but what are you supposed to do when a man describes to you the only way you've felt since you were sixteen? Just what exactly are you supposed to do? She fell in love. It began with his picking her up "Go for a ride, girl?; Just got in, didn't I?" She loved Travis despite his faults, his drinking. Travis was pretty much always drunk, though functional. He is perfect for setting up to take the fall for his wife's disappearance, the shooting of Powell and the crimes of the company. Pearl can see it coming. Travis was the "spare". She tells Travis to stay at her farm. She travels to Paradise to see Beau; to tell him not to go after Travis. He is pissed and tells her so. Beau verifies Travis has to stand trial for the banker. She seems to concur. "And there it was. Her path ahead. Her cousin had received fair warning, been told clear as clear ever got that this mattered to her. But he didn't care...She was ready for that." When she returns, she tricks Tucker into revealing where the meeting will be with Beau. She drives to the Northwoods trailhead parking lot; kills them both. Her car is seen on CCTV. The FBI approach Travis. He is told they are ready to arrest Pearl. He can reduce his jail time to ten years if her will betray Pearl. He agrees. But he wants a last time at the Starlight. And he wants time with Pearl, at Champlain Lookout for a picnic. They remember as they drive to the site, where the FBI have set up cameras. They pick wildflowers and exchange them. They eat their meal and admire the view. Travis puts his head in her lap. He wanted to know if she ever wanted to go back in time and make a different decision, go in a different direction, wanted to do that so badly that it became just about the only thing she ever thought about night or day. Had she ever felt that way. He then says "Did you know the only good dreams I've had since I was 22 (and she was 16) have had you in them? Pearl remembers an earlier conversation "We see the world different, hon. I was raised believing the toughest days are always ahead, and you were raised believing they don't even exist." Travis then says: "I never should have murdered Tucker and Beau. Never should have gone up to the Northwoods trailhead and done that." While the FBI are screaming at each other questioning what he had said, Travis shoots himself. Pearl simply holds him.
Pearl and Danny talking afterward. "Do you think Travis wanted it to end a different way?" Danny responds "No. I think he was at peace with how it ended." Pearl continues: "...people die all the time; and you never get much of an explanation for it. Same way a town can die for reasons that never seem clear to you." Flying home Danny thinks: "I was in the air almost an hour before I put it all together. Travis Lee had made Pearl Lafontaine bulletproof. Last thing he ever did."
Danny contemplates during and at the end when it all fell apart. With the call to Portland about Pearl being Beau's cousin..."that was the moment a diner waitress walked onto the stage and took over the play." What the reader gets are characters studies of three people, an undercover cop, a diner waitress, and a man lost. It is the story of loyalty and betrayal, sacrifice and redemption. Pearl continues her life at the diner and sitting at Travis' grave telling him her days, and dies of a heart attack at 59. I found as I wept for Travis and Pearl that I struggled with ethical questions and whose side I was on. A brilliantly told tale.
Outstanding story, leaving me haunted and not sure whose side I was on. Danny Barrett is a tree marker and is also undercover. He is descended from a family of loggers from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He is now seconded from another agency to the FBI in the north Maine woods. In the 3.5 million acres of wilderness there is zero population, but there is danger, from the gangs that are involved in a criminal drug enterprise throughout the area. Brothers Travis and Tucker Lee run the Lee Forestry Products in the declining town of Birmingham. Tucker is the one running the show; Travis drinks. For a year the FBI has been conducting an investigation into the business that has had $250 million deposited into their accounts. They have been unable to determine where the money is coming from. They bring Danny in undercover in the company after the local banker, Robert Powell, from the Savings and Loan where the money is going, is shot. It is coming from as shell company with Beau Lafontaine as CEO. Danny is looking into the Paradise lumber camp in the extreme north. When he finds the camp, run by Beau Lafontaine, he sees that there are at least three meth labs, a fentanyl lab, and other buildings. The logging trucks leaving the camp have containers under them to transport the huge numbers of pills that are smuggled out. Beau is head of the Malee gang, descended from the Acadians, a cult-like criminal organization, with mythical leaders like seers. His cousin Pearl Lafontaine is the girlfriend of Travis Lee and has been for over 30 years. She acts as a communications link between Beau and the Lees. Beau has no record in the US, only one is Canada. He is reputed to be ruthless and deadly. Travis' wife Amanda is also a conduit of information for Beau. Danny witnesses his violence when Beau cuts up a man he believes to be an informer with a chainsaw while he is still alive, his body parts thrown into Paradise Lake. Amanda eventually disappears, having become a problem for Beau. Danny also finds himself in direct contact (contrary to his instructions) with the players, Travis and Amanda. He ends up drinking with Travis on several occasions at the Starlight Club, and he finds he likes Travis. He tells someone later "In this day and age, finding an honorable man, a kind man, it's like finding a precious gift." This ties into Pearl's feelings "A precious gift? Beau used to say Travis was one of my baubles, a bright shiny thing I went out and collected one day. Did you know I like shiny things?"
The narrative moves from a report by Danny of the progress of the investigation, the shoddy work of the FBI, and his story, to descriptions of the economic hardship of the area, and a love story. Once a prosperous community of fishing (cod), and textile and pulp mills, squared lumber for building Navy ships, it is now devoid of jobs, the mills closed as the newspapers closed down, the fish disappeared. We learn of the tree marker job, how trees are evaluated for harvest, and how the industry has changed. The woods were once the arena for smuggling Canadian whiskey and Maine lobster; now they are used to move meth, automatic weapons and Asian women for prostitution. The camp is described in its filth and degradation, the processors of the meth capsules filling them naked, hides and carcasses of animals on poles lining the camp and the stench of the meth making eyes water.
We are also treated to the elusive and strong love story between Pearl and Travis. Pearl uses the description Pattie Boyd used when asked about how each of the Beatles regarded fame. For the Lees, Tucker thought he deserved the family fortune, the old man thought he earned it; Amanda was just glad to have it; and Travis---he never understood it. Why had he been chosen to be rich when almost everyone else in Birmingham had been chosen to be poor. "George Harrison eased his guilty and questing mind with..." Travis eased his with McCallum's and trips to the Starlight. She thought life was full of mysteries, but what are you supposed to do when a man describes to you the only way you've felt since you were sixteen? Just what exactly are you supposed to do? She fell in love. It began with his picking her up "Go for a ride, girl?; Just got in, didn't I?" She loved Travis despite his faults, his drinking. Travis was pretty much always drunk, though functional. He is perfect for setting up to take the fall for his wife's disappearance, the shooting of Powell and the crimes of the company. Pearl can see it coming. Travis was the "spare". She tells Travis to stay at her farm. She travels to Paradise to see Beau; to tell him not to go after Travis. He is pissed and tells her so. Beau verifies Travis has to stand trial for the banker. She seems to concur. "And there it was. Her path ahead. Her cousin had received fair warning, been told clear as clear ever got that this mattered to her. But he didn't care...She was ready for that." When she returns, she tricks Tucker into revealing where the meeting will be with Beau. She drives to the Northwoods trailhead parking lot; kills them both. Her car is seen on CCTV. The FBI approach Travis. He is told they are ready to arrest Pearl. He can reduce his jail time to ten years if her will betray Pearl. He agrees. But he wants a last time at the Starlight. And he wants time with Pearl, at Champlain Lookout for a picnic. They remember as they drive to the site, where the FBI have set up cameras. They pick wildflowers and exchange them. They eat their meal and admire the view. Travis puts his head in her lap. He wanted to know if she ever wanted to go back in time and make a different decision, go in a different direction, wanted to do that so badly that it became just about the only thing she ever thought about night or day. Had she ever felt that way. He then says "Did you know the only good dreams I've had since I was 22 (and she was 16) have had you in them? Pearl remembers an earlier conversation "We see the world different, hon. I was raised believing the toughest days are always ahead, and you were raised believing they don't even exist." Travis then says: "I never should have murdered Tucker and Beau. Never should have gone up to the Northwoods trailhead and done that." While the FBI are screaming at each other questioning what he had said, Travis shoots himself. Pearl simply holds him.
Pearl and Danny talking afterward. "Do you think Travis wanted it to end a different way?" Danny responds "No. I think he was at peace with how it ended." Pearl continues: "...people die all the time; and you never get much of an explanation for it. Same way a town can die for reasons that never seem clear to you." Flying home Danny thinks: "I was in the air almost an hour before I put it all together. Travis Lee had made Pearl Lafontaine bulletproof. Last thing he ever did."
Danny contemplates during and at the end when it all fell apart. With the call to Portland about Pearl being Beau's cousin..."that was the moment a diner waitress walked onto the stage and took over the play." What the reader gets are characters studies of three people, an undercover cop, a diner waitress, and a man lost. It is the story of loyalty and betrayal, sacrifice and redemption. Pearl continues her life at the diner and sitting at Travis' grave telling him her days, and dies of a heart attack at 59. I found as I wept for Travis and Pearl that I struggled with ethical questions and whose side I was on. A brilliantly told tale.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2022
This book met my expectations and more! Set in rural Maine, I could picture every scene in my head thanks to the gritty descriptions of towns, forests, characters, and their interactions. I loved every minute of it as it unfolded and we went deeper and deeper into the story. It's one of those books that you don't want to finish because you're enjoying it so much. I absolutely loved the characters and hope to meet them again. Great writing, great plot, and real pleasure to read.
May 16, 2022
I got about 26% of the way through this before I had to quit. I thought the time line was confusing. It seemed to be told in present tense but then there would be a "as I learned later" statement. I also had trouble with the amount of similes that were used. If you start to notice them, there are too many.
I received a copy of this as part of a Goodreads Giveaway in return for an honest review.
I received a copy of this as part of a Goodreads Giveaway in return for an honest review.
May 4, 2022
The mountains of North Carolina are my favorite country noir setting for the simple reason that they are home, and there is a rich tradition of country noir set in the Ozarks that we can probably credit to Daniel Woodrell, but it is always nice to get the chance to visit someplace new via fiction. The Sweet Goodbye is set in the North Maine Woods in the vast, empty, northernmost reaches of the contiguous states.
“I tend to work in places past their best-before dates—mill towns that no longer have a mill; fishing ports where the fish are remembered like mythical beasts; town sand cities where the workforce is unemployed, working recall hours, or gone. People having their financial security threatened is what a lot of crime depends upon. From what I’ve seen, it might even be the straw that stirs the drink.”
Danny Barrett works undercover for the FBI. He is on his current case for two reasons: he is very good at what he does, and he grew up around timber in northern Michigan. The latter is vital to passing as a tree marker. The investigation is focused on a local timber company that has way too much cash. Not much money in timber anymore. Not much money in anything legal in rural Maine anymore. The investigation immediately goes bad when a cooperating banker is murdered. It takes him into the orbit of the lush, co-owner of the timber company, Travis Lee, Lee’s girlfriend Pearl Lafontaine, and Pearl’s kin Beau, who is operating a smuggling and drug empire nestled up against the border with Canada.
I saw something that billed The Sweet Goodbye as something of a romance. And it is, of a sort. Romance is one literary tool seldom used in country noir. The way the story gets set up early on reminded me a lot of The Tilted World. But Corbett goes in a different direction with the story. What he does isn’t unappreciated, but my basic gripe with the book is that the way things play out Barrett is mostly just an observer. Watching a character lacking agency watch the story happen doesn’t tend to make for compelling storytelling. (This is probably a more realistic than usual depiction of undercover work, but realism is only valuable to the extend it enhances the story.)
Disclosure: I received an advance copy of The Sweet Goodbye from the publisher.
“I tend to work in places past their best-before dates—mill towns that no longer have a mill; fishing ports where the fish are remembered like mythical beasts; town sand cities where the workforce is unemployed, working recall hours, or gone. People having their financial security threatened is what a lot of crime depends upon. From what I’ve seen, it might even be the straw that stirs the drink.”
Danny Barrett works undercover for the FBI. He is on his current case for two reasons: he is very good at what he does, and he grew up around timber in northern Michigan. The latter is vital to passing as a tree marker. The investigation is focused on a local timber company that has way too much cash. Not much money in timber anymore. Not much money in anything legal in rural Maine anymore. The investigation immediately goes bad when a cooperating banker is murdered. It takes him into the orbit of the lush, co-owner of the timber company, Travis Lee, Lee’s girlfriend Pearl Lafontaine, and Pearl’s kin Beau, who is operating a smuggling and drug empire nestled up against the border with Canada.
I saw something that billed The Sweet Goodbye as something of a romance. And it is, of a sort. Romance is one literary tool seldom used in country noir. The way the story gets set up early on reminded me a lot of The Tilted World. But Corbett goes in a different direction with the story. What he does isn’t unappreciated, but my basic gripe with the book is that the way things play out Barrett is mostly just an observer. Watching a character lacking agency watch the story happen doesn’t tend to make for compelling storytelling. (This is probably a more realistic than usual depiction of undercover work, but realism is only valuable to the extend it enhances the story.)
Disclosure: I received an advance copy of The Sweet Goodbye from the publisher.
September 21, 2022
The Sweet Goodbye is a pretty decent crime novel and was mostly interesting in the choice of local and the untypical criminal types that you usually find in these books. The bad guys are the Lee brothers Travis and Tucker, lumber barons whose company bank accounts have unaccounted for large deposits that have attracted the attention of the FBI. To try to discover the source for this huge influx of cash the feds have called in a special undercover agent who is operating under the name of Danny Barrett. Barrett is posing as a tree marker which is a highly skilled position in the forestry industry and he is very convincing in that he had an uncle in the lumber industry in Michigan that taught him the ropes of the business. This seems a little too convenient to make this undercover job work for my taste. It seems that the Lee brothers once thriving business has fallen on tough times and has to resort to getting help from a really bad dude in the form of Beau Lafontaine, the gang leader and crime boss of the northern Maine woods. This is a guy who controls manufacture and distribution of meth, fentanyl, opioids along with marijuana fields in his lumber camps near the Canadian border. To further complicate matters, Pearl Lafontaine the cousin of Beau has been having an affair with Travis Lee since they were teenagers. The story seems to drag a bit with a lot of unnecessary details and like many of these crime novels the hero cop has to deal with an obnoxious and incompetent supervisor until a real old pro shows up to take charge. There are several murders that occur in the book that causes Barrett, the hero of the story to be conflicted in that he has formed an unusual friendship with Travis Lee while still trying to catch him for numerous criminal acts. There are questions about duty to the law and loyalty and friendship affecting Barrett and Travis and Travis and Pearl. This is not a run of the mill who done it and was a fun read. I just wonder what background job experience will Danny Barrett will have in the next book in this series that will make him the perfect undercover agent for the next crime to solve.
August 11, 2022
This is an interesting book. Danny Barrett (not his real name - we never learn his real name) is an undercover agent seconded to the FBI. He goes where he is needed. Right now he is Danny Barrett. He grew up with an uncle in the logging business which gives Danny the perfect background to go to work at the Lee Forestry company in northern Maine. He takes a job as a tree marker - a skilled position marking trees for cutting. It gives him the opportunity to travel deep into the woods to try to find a major drug making and smuggling operation near the Canadian border. A French "family" called the Malee runs the operation and is headed by a man named Beau Lafontaine. He is enigmatic and very, very powerful. He has been using Lee Forestry, run by brothers Tucker and Travis Lee to launder his money. The FBI has been building their case for over a year. Now they need an inside man to get the details. Danny strikes up an unlikely friendship with Travis Lee. Travis is a lovable drunk, not the mastermind of the money scheme, but in the know. Travis has had a 30+ year affair with the niece of Beau Lafontaine, Pearl. As Danny gathers intel deep in the woods, the story of Travis and Pearl is told. They are soul mates even though Travis is married. Their affair is an open secret. When the feds start looking into the bank where the small forestry company suddenly has over 200 million dollars, the banker wants out. He is shot and killed in broad daylight and it looks like Travis did the deed. But the story is murky. As Danny tries to keep his cover going, more deaths and more questions arise. The story is a good one. Danny has a soul. He likes Travis and hates what he must do. Pearl is a mystery. She is loyal to Travis and is protected by her last name. The small Maine town is dying and Lee Forestry is its last company. The story is about love and loss. It is about greed and loss. It is about justice and loss. A very good read.
April 15, 2022
Are you an outdoorsy person? Do like hanging out deep in the forest? The Sweet Goodbye by Ron Corbett takes place in the rugged wilderness of Northern Maine.
"Danny Barrett works undercover for the FBI. He is in northern Maine because a logging company has unexplained millions in their bank accounts - and the last undercover agent was found hanged and shot."
Danny Barrett is an interesting character. He's more than just a tree marker and undercover agent. He askes questions about motive and history. And seems to have a little morally gray to him. "I need to arrest you but I respect you" Pearl is another character that will surprise you a lot. This book is more about the characters than the crime.
Corbett does a nice job with the narrative. It would have been easy to fill it full of cliches (only saw a couple) and caricatures of characters. But he writes a fast-paced story.
There's a scary bad guy - one I'd really like to see with his own book.
A surprise ending that Corbett leaves a little open. Things are resolved but specifics are implied.
Fans of C.J. Box should enjoy this new novel from Corbett.
"Danny Barrett works undercover for the FBI. He is in northern Maine because a logging company has unexplained millions in their bank accounts - and the last undercover agent was found hanged and shot."
Danny Barrett is an interesting character. He's more than just a tree marker and undercover agent. He askes questions about motive and history. And seems to have a little morally gray to him. "I need to arrest you but I respect you" Pearl is another character that will surprise you a lot. This book is more about the characters than the crime.
Corbett does a nice job with the narrative. It would have been easy to fill it full of cliches (only saw a couple) and caricatures of characters. But he writes a fast-paced story.
There's a scary bad guy - one I'd really like to see with his own book.
A surprise ending that Corbett leaves a little open. Things are resolved but specifics are implied.
Fans of C.J. Box should enjoy this new novel from Corbett.
April 21, 2022
I love crime dramas/thrillers, even more so when I get a series so I can get invested in the characters and their cases. It's kind of like visiting a friend every now and then. The Sweet Goodbye introduces undercover FBI agent Danny Barrett. Danny is certainly not a by the book man, but he does have a good sense of right and wrong - his idea of the line between the two may not jive with his fellow agents, and he may cross that line from time to time, but he has a sense of honor.
Ron Corbett knows how to paint a picture and draw you into the setting. His descriptions are vivid and detailed. That part kind of goes both ways for me. There's a line between just enough and too much, and I feel like Corbett crosses it a little too often. I found my mind wandering at times when some descriptions went on a little too long when what I wanted was more of Danny. I really enjoyed Danny's point of view. There's almost a melancholy feeling at times, and I liked him, flaws and all.
This first book in Corbett's Danny Barrett series turned out to be more crime drama than thriller, but it held my interest and I look forward to seeing what's next for Danny Barrett.
Ron Corbett knows how to paint a picture and draw you into the setting. His descriptions are vivid and detailed. That part kind of goes both ways for me. There's a line between just enough and too much, and I feel like Corbett crosses it a little too often. I found my mind wandering at times when some descriptions went on a little too long when what I wanted was more of Danny. I really enjoyed Danny's point of view. There's almost a melancholy feeling at times, and I liked him, flaws and all.
This first book in Corbett's Danny Barrett series turned out to be more crime drama than thriller, but it held my interest and I look forward to seeing what's next for Danny Barrett.
May 20, 2022
The Sweet Goodbye, is the first installment in the Danny Barrett Thriller Series, by Ron Corbett, and if this book is any indication of how the subsequent novels will read, I’m all in. I heard about this book through a mutual mystery lover, and I was intrigued by the cover. I liked the narrators voice (One of the best Narrators I’ve heard), so I decided to listen to the Audible version. The writer’s description of setting and character were poetic and engaging, and his weaving of intrigue and mystery read like I was sitting in the movie theater, watching the details of the story play out. Young Barrett plays the role of an undercover agent posing as a tree marker in a small Maine town. Travis Lee has all the makings of a Southern Comfort Good Ol’ Boy. Miss Fontaine is as hot as Jessica Rabbit, but sly as a fox. Money laundering, drugs, missing persons and homicide have all the makings of a good who done it, but the page turning element for me was the why. This hardboiled thriller was methodical and highly entertaining. Readers who enjoy Jack Reacher and the Prime Series, Jack Ryan, will love Corbett’s, The Sweet Goodbye.
August 31, 2022
Yikes, this book was endlessly frustrating to read. I found Danny Barrett to be wildly uninteresting, with no internal struggle to drive him forward and no stakes in the story. There is nothing special about him and he has no depth. In fact, you could remove him from this story all together and the outcome wouldn't have changed at all. Really, when the main character doesn't actually affect the plot, that's a problem for me.
What did Danny learn throughout the story? How is he different at the end compared to the start? What was at stake for him if he failed to do his job? I have no idea, and so I can't possibly care about him or the story he was part of.
Along with the lack of character set up and development, I found some chapters/scenes also lacked coherent set up. Like, I shouldn't be almost done a scene to learn that the two characters are actually in bed. I don't want to be kept in the dark about who a character is talking with. And when you're annoyed once by that, it becomes infinitely more annoying every time you run into that problem.
Moving in and out of first-person was also annoying since it didn't add anything to the story.
What did Danny learn throughout the story? How is he different at the end compared to the start? What was at stake for him if he failed to do his job? I have no idea, and so I can't possibly care about him or the story he was part of.
Along with the lack of character set up and development, I found some chapters/scenes also lacked coherent set up. Like, I shouldn't be almost done a scene to learn that the two characters are actually in bed. I don't want to be kept in the dark about who a character is talking with. And when you're annoyed once by that, it becomes infinitely more annoying every time you run into that problem.
Moving in and out of first-person was also annoying since it didn't add anything to the story.
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