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MWSA Review
Invaders of the Heartland by retired LAPD Detective James Bultema is a fast-paced, all-too-real police procedural mystery. From the first chapter, I became a fan of the main character, Jake Dalton.
Even though Jake saves a hostage and shoots a bad guy, political and personal retribution lead to a hearing for Jake after a shoot-out during a bank robbery in Los Angeles. Rather than take the humiliating demotion offered, Jake tenders his resignation and hands over his badge and weapon. He moves back to his hometown in Fairview, Oklahoma, with the intention of escaping politics and working in his family-owned garage.
When the current chief of police is involved in a scandal and is fired, Jake applies for and gets the job. His first task is to restore integrity to and revitalize the department. He hopes to restore community respect for the local police. One day, it comes to Jake’s attention that rural Fairview has been infiltrated by a Chinese-owned marijuana farming company. Outwardly, everything looks legal and above board, but Jake sees red flags.
With evil intentions to completely take over every business in town, the Chinese plan to launder their illicit money through each legitimate business. Jake documents and observes. When he has enough evidence, he goes to the federal authorities, who promptly dismiss him. Saving Fairview is now up to Jake Dalton and his small police department.
I was drawn to Invaders of the Heartland because of recent reports of Chinese-owned land and businesses currently in the United States. James Bultema has written a page-turner that has me wondering when we will wake up.
Review by Nancy Panko
Author's Synopsis
A town on the brink. A police force outmatched. A chief with everything to lose.
After LAPD brass scrutinized his split-second decision in a deadly bank shootout, Detective Jake Dalton left the city behind for his hometown—Fairview, Oklahoma. But his return to small-town life is anything but quiet.
Taking over a struggling four-person police department, Jake believes he’s left big-city crime in the past—until the Chinese mafia moves in, turning Fairview into the hub of a ruthless billion-dollar marijuana empire
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When Jake sounds the alarm, federal agents dismiss him, and local officials look the other way. Outgunned and outnumbered, he stands alone as the last line of defense against a brutal syndicate determined to seize total control. One wrong move could cost him everything.
Written by a retired LAPD officer, Invaders of the Heartland is a gritty, high-stakes police procedural brimming with real-world authenticity, crime, and conspiracy. The story may be fiction, but the crisis is very real.
Format(s) for review: Paper or Kindle
Review genre: Fiction—Mystery/Thriller/Crime
Pages/Word count: 351 / 67,000