BOOKS

still waters run DEEP

Brian Brady’s fourth book is a departure from his San Francisco roots and the familiar SFPD Homicide Inspectors. In still waters run DEEP, you’re transported to the previously unfamiliar regions of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming, where you meet new detectives and encounter a violent militia group attempting to establish and fund a new colony in rural, very rural, Montana. The book explores some very current topics and the impact of the group on the area and the nation. It’s a complicated, fast paced journey with some unforeseen twists and turns. Different, but still a great story.

REVIEWS FROM READERS

Readers’ Favorite Review ★★★★★ 5/5 -- Still Waters Run Deep by Brian Brady

Reviewed by Doreen Chombu for Readers’ Favorite

Still Waters Run Deep by Brian Brady is a gripping thriller that centers on a determined militia led by a figure known as the Colonel, and the police and FBI that are investigating his group in Montana. The militia is preparing for a revolution in hopes of creating a separate nation-state. To do it, the Colonel orchestrates heists, grabs cash wherever he can, and arms his people across the state.

But what he doesn’t see coming is just how determined Detectives Jim Rawlings and Maria Ortiz, and FBI agents Charles Blackwell and Tomas Lopez can be. While the Colonel sets his pieces in place, the agents start to connect the dots as they investigate shady individuals buying burner phones, a local man turning up dead, and a bold armored truck robbery. Everything circles back to the Colonel and his crew.

The tension is through the roof as the authorities tighten the noose. The Colonel is scrambling, trying to keep his plan on track, but the investigation just keeps digging deeper, pushing his whole setup toward collapse.

Still Waters Run Deep isn’t just a suspenseful story; it’s a sharp look at how extremism, racism, and radical movements can take root. It reflects a society split by politics, religion, race, and gender. Brian Brady doesn't just keep the suspense rolling with twists you won't see coming; he also offers a behind-the-scenes view of both the militia's tight-knit world and the work of law enforcement trying to bring them down.

And it isn’t just about strategy and crime. The book is full of tangled relationships, betrayals, and sudden deaths that remind you these events are heavy and personal, never just headlines. Still Waters Run Deep is the first book in what promises to be a much bigger and darker saga. I got totally pulled in by this book, and if you’re drawn to stories that grapple with today’s most difficult realities of racism, radicalization, and divided communities, you’ll want to dive in too.

L.G.