To Die For by David Baldacci

Travis Devine is a secret agent, or a former Army Ranger or perhaps both.  He is assigned bodyguard duty which seems counterintuitive to what he things his rule might be.   His boss and handler, purportedly from DHS, General Campbell, differs with him as to his job description.   The body he is to guard is a feisty 12-year-old girl.

Devine is left in the dark regarding why Betsey needs protection.  Adding to the mix is the “girl on the train” who tried to kill him in the previous book.  Stir, don’t shake, some domestic terrorists, some garden variety thugs, a couple of recovering drug addicts, the FBI and the CIA and you have mayhem and confusion blossom.

The plot was just shy of Machiavellian and there was plenty of action, treachery, and intrigue.

I enjoyed it, recommend it, and look forward to the next Baldacci book regardless of the protagonist's identity. 

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Out in the Cold by Steve Urszenyi

Alex, a medic turned sniper is back.  Alex has trouble playing with others and an aversion to taking orders.  After being pushed out of the FBI and then loaned Interpol she ends up on Caleb’s anti-terrorist group.  A working vacation on a super yacht with her old boss and her boss’s billionaire boyfriend ends up as another typical Alex explosion.

The plot centers around a cabal promoting world war for financial gain.  The action is nearly continuous and makes it very difficult to put the book down at bedtime.  Street, a private security agent, interacts with Alex and Caleb, not without some friction.  

An old adversary turns up unexpectantly and with surprising behavior. 

Urszenyi has crafted a winning protagonist in Alex.   There is more than sufficient intrigue, action, and deceit, although this plot is not quite as byzantine as the first book.

I recommend the book and look forward to reading more from this author. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Spotlight on Sleeping in the Sun by Joanne Howard

Unlikely friends uncover cruel reality of British-led India

Loyalty and identity go to war in historical fiction debut inspired by author’s true family history

Santa Rosa, CA– Whisk away to India in this compulsive novel of two unlikely people who discover hidden truths about a high-ranking British official set against the backdrop of  colonial rule. Sleeping in the Sun (October 22, 2024, She Writes Press) transports readers to the past where a young American and his Indian servant must face the reality behind a faithful family friend and the consequences of knowing this truth. A must-read for fans of The Poisonwood Bible and The Inheritance of Loss.

While originally a part of her MFA thesis at Pacific University, this explosive novel dives into the author’s own grandfather’s story of living as a Christian missionary in British India. Through her extensive research on the British Raj, the work of her grandfather’s missionary group, the effects of colonization in India, and the rich descriptions of India in the early 20th century, Joanne’s story weaves a cinematic tale of discrimination and privilege showcasing the enduring impact of imperialism and the spark of revolution.

In the last years of the British Raj, an American missionary family stays on in Midnapore, India. Though the Hintons enjoy white privileges, they have never been accepted by British society and instead run a boarding house on the outskirts of town where wayward native Indians come to find relief. Young Gene Hinton can’t get out from under the thumb of his three older brothers, and the only person he can really relate to is Arthur, his family’s Indian servant. But when Uncle Ellis, a high-ranking British judge, suddenly arrives and announces he’ll be staying indefinitely in their humble house, far from his prestigious post in Himalayan foothills, life as Gene knows it is interrupted. While his brothers are excited at the judge’s arrival, he is skeptical as to why this important man is hiding out with them in the backwaters of Bengal.

Also skeptical is Arthur. Then an Indian woman appears on their doorstep—and, after growing close to her, he learns the sinister truth about the judge. Torn between a family that has provided him shelter, work, and purpose his whole life and the escalating outrage of his countrymen, Arthur must decide where his loyalties lie—and the Hintons must decide if they can still call India home.

“Sleeping in the Sun”

Joanne Howard | October 22, 2024 | She Writes Press | Historical Fiction 

Paperback | 9781647427986 | $17.99 

Joanne Howard is an Asian American writer from California. She holds an MFA in writing from Pacific University. Her poetry received an honorable mention from Stanford University’s 2019 Paul Kalanithi Writing Award. Her fiction has been published in The Catalyst by UC Santa Barbara, The Metaworker Literary Magazine and the Marin Independent Journal and her nonfiction has been published in Another New Calligraphy and The Santa Barbara Independent. She lives in Santa Rosa, CA. Find out more at her website.

Follow Joanne Howard on social media:

Instagram: @joannesbooks

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Fatal Intrusion by Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado

 This appears to be the beginning of a series.  The ending certainly sets up a future storyline.  Cameron Sanchez, a Homeland Security agent, and Jake Heron, a free-lance intrusion/hacker, become unlikely allies in the search for a serial killer.

 The relationship between the two protagonists is strained at best.   The plot is intricate and has enough twists and turns to satisfy the most sated conspiracy theorists.  The book illustrates the peril that can accompany over-exposure on social media.  

 There is plenty of action and exposure to the less savory side of the internet.

 
I enjoyed the book and recommend it. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Spotlight on What Was Lost by Melissa Connelly

When a young girl feels complicit in her own abuse, how does that thwart the adult woman?

Debut author pens empowering story of one woman’s journey to catharsis

 Brooklyn, NY – A woman returns to her hometown to uncover the truth and confront the perpetrator of the childhood sexual abuse she endured 30 years earlier in Melissa Connelly’s gripping debut novel, “What Was Lost” (October 8, 2024, She Writes Press). Kirkus Reviews calls it “a vivid examination of how troubles from the past affect an unfolding future.”

Melissa Connelly’s debut novel comes after a long career in education. A finalist for the 2019 Montana Prize and at 60, she’s ready to share her first novel; a story about a 40-year-old woman who returns to her old hometown in Vermont and faces the past she was so desperate to forget.

In a world before Roe v. Wade, young Marti is fourteen and pregnant by her 27-year-old art teacher. In desperation, she looks for ways to abort the baby. With the help of her friend, Peter, she hitchhikes across state borders to seek the procedure out. Soon after the abortion, she runs away. Thirty years later, Mari is confronted with disturbing memories from her past and returns for the first time to her small Vermont hometown. She drags along her unwitting and unwilling teenage daughter, heightening the tension between them. Encountering her old friend Peter she learns how the lies she told impacted his life. Together they concoct a plan to find her abuser. Marti is seeking forgiveness for lies told, and revenge for secrets held.

Exploring the vast social change from 1970 to 2000, What Was Lost unfolds in times before language such as #MeToo helped give voice to these all-too-common occurrences. It is a raw, powerful tale of one woman confronting the ghosts of her past. Publisher’s Weekly says “a strong sense of humanity and compassion powers the novel.

“What Was Lost”

Melissa Connelly | October 8, 2024

She Writes Press | Literary Fiction 

Paperback | 978-1647427849 | $17.99

Ebook | B0D3FKK4SQ | $12.99 

Melissa Connelly dropped out of high school at age fifteen. Despite this, she went on to receive a BSN in nursing, an MA in special education, and an MFA in creative writing. She’s had a long career working with children in various roles in schools, hospitals, psychiatric clinics, and daycares. Her work has been published in American Heritage Magazine, Ruminate Magazine and the anthology It’s All About Shoes, and she was a finalist for the 2019 Montana Prize. Connelly has a home in the mountains of Western North Carolina but lives most of the year in Brooklyn, New York. Find out more: https://melissaconnelly.com/

Follow Melissa Connelly on social media: 

Website: https://melissaconnelly.com Facebook: @melissaconnellywriter | Instagram: @melissaconnellywriter

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned