Risk Factor, Michael Brandman
Risk Factor, Michael Brandman
List: $12.99 | Sale: $9.10
Club: $6.49

Risk Factor

Author: Michael Brandman

Series: Buddy Steel Mystery

Narrator: Alex Knox

Unabridged: 4 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/25/2025


Synopsis

"The perfect substitute for that good-time trip to California you've decided not to take after all." —Kirkus Reviews

A new breed of brazen criminal forces Buddy Steel into unfamiliar territory. Will he outsmart the ingenious thieves before they get the best of him?

Buddy Steel, acting Sheriff of Freedom, California, is enjoying some well-deserved R&R at a friend's mountain hideaway when he's called home to investigate a home invasion—at his father's address. The break-in is just one in a series, perpetrated by ingeniously inventive burglars. To complicate matters, Buddy must also investigate a spate of cyber crimes targeting local businesses and individuals—an area well outside of his experience and comfort zone.

Already on the trail of the cybercriminals is LAPD Gang Enforcement's foremost computer geek, Detective Quinn Anthony. Buddy teams up with the unconventional—and much younger—brainiac to trace the convoluted trail of the hackers. From the adjunct of a vicious LA-based cartel to outside of US borders, Buddy and Quinn race to take down the hackers and recover the spoils. The closer they get, the more danger they face; and the more danger they face, the closer they become . . .

Reviews

Goodreads review by Abibliofob on April 29, 2021

Buddy Steele is one of my favorite law enforcement officers. He does things a little different but he gets results. Risk Factor is the latest book in this series by Michael Brandman and boy can he write. I love his books and actually a lot of the movies he has been involved with as well. This time B......more

Goodreads review by 3 no 7 on May 20, 2021

Shootings, robberies, and cybercrimes in small-town California “Risk Factor” is part of Michael Brandman’s “Buddy Steel Mystery” series. People have moved on a bit from the last book, but any details new readers might need are part of the current narrative. This is Buddy’s story in his first person n......more

Goodreads review by Linda on April 27, 2021

When Buddy Steel's father .. the Sheriff .. becomes ill, he asked Buddy to take on the role of Acting Sheriff. It's not a job that Buddy particularly wanted, but how to tell his aging father? In the meantime, Buddy and the other deputies have their hands full. Their small town of Freedom, California......more

Goodreads review by Aristotle on May 15, 2021

One word questions with one word answers. A unique way of telling a story. Light, effortless, episodic, reading after the disappointment of Greater Good (Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy #2) by Timothy Zahn "I find your lack of faith disturbing." Uh, oh! Back to the review. Buddy's relationship with Quinn Ant......more

Goodreads review by Chelsea on June 07, 2021

The blurb pretty much sums up what Risk Factor is about. Buddy is a sheriff investigating break-ins happening to mostly wealthy people’s homes when they're away. To make matters worse, now people are hacking and stealing money from these people's accounts too, so Buddy is in charge of solving these......more