Long Live the Queen
In the middle of Texas lies a vast area of rolling hills covering over 31,000 square miles known as the Hill Country. It’s a place like no other in North America, complete with a variety of flora and fauna, luring the world’s most enthusiastic scientists to study the mysteries of the land.
Charley Grant is a cowboy at heart. He’s recognized by many as the man able to work with horses not willing to trust their human partners. Yet Charley is not your everyday cowpoke raised in the Texas Panhandle. He’s a myrmecologist. A PHD candidate from Texas A & M University dedicating his life to the study of the Solenopsis invicta, the invasive fire ants.
Jeb Huber is another protégé cowboy from the small town of Dalhart, Texas, high up in the Panhandle. A collection of silver belt buckles is testament to Jeb’s skill as a rodeo cowboy. Yet the wise decision to finish his degree lands him a prestigious position in charge of the Equestrian Team at the main branch of Texas A & M.
Charley’s new place in life is observing a colony of Solenopsis invicta on a ranch deep in the heart of the Hill Country. Charley finds his ants, but he also finds himself smack dab in the middle of a mystery where the techniques of scientific observation are not sufficient enough to provide the answers needed to solve the riddle set before him.
Reviews for Long Live the Queen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Texas Hill Country holds it all--gorgeous scenery, gorgeous men, and ants...
I've enjoyed all the books that Jon Swank has written from Berlin 1 thru 6, to Nevada Cain Ranch, to Delta Hotel 1 and 2, but I think that I have enjoyed this book of his best of all. This novel combines a love story, a murder mystery, and a bit of history all in one book. Charley Grant is an out and proud gay man and a Texas Aggie. His brother is an FBI agent and his other brother is a cybersecurity specialist.You can see the threads already. Throw in two gorgeous muscle bound hunks to draw Charley's attention and the plot thickens. I adore books where I learn something as sort of an aside to the story and I learned a bit of entomology, forensics and foreign espionage all in one volume. Charley has a very loving family in this story so there is none of the angst associated with a disowned gay individual. I actually found that refreshing. I'd love to say more, but I don't want to give away any of the surprises. This is a tightly woven story with substance that ends on a high note. So good! Heat level on scale of 1 to 5 is about a 2.5 to 3
5.0 out of 5 stars
Certain Kind of Crazy
While the novel suffers from a lack of proper editing, the story is superb. All of the characters are multidimensional and purposeful to the story. It also helps that I married a native Texas man so I thoroughly love and understand their certain kind of Crazy.
5.0 out of 5 stars
another good book in the series
5 stars Have enjoyed all the books in this series
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Definite Good Read!
Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2019
It’s clear that the author, Jon Swank, knows his subject matter, local culture and geography in Texas hill country. The descriptions of place and characters blend well to make a realistic setting for the intriguing story that has as many twists, turns and surprises as an Agatha Christie novel. It is definitely a book worth reading, and provides an imaginative, suspenseful and entertaining story hard to put down once it’s started. The main characters become ever more endearing as their relationship develops and they face challenges as simple as skunk and scorpion attacks, fire ants and more complex human threats that reach beyond hill country.