Series: FBI Thriller #18
Format Read: eGalley
Source: publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 8, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe* | Barnes & Noble
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Blurb from goodreads:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter returns with the newest full-throttle adventure in the FBI series featuring Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock.
Natalie Black, the U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James, has returned to Washington, her job in jeopardy. Her fiancĂ©, George McCallum, Viscount Lockenby, has died in a car accident, and mysterious rumors begin that she’s responsible begin to surface: she broke off the engagement and, heartbroken, he killed himself. Then someone tries to force her off the M-2 outside London. Again, rumors claim it was a sympathy ploy. When she returns to the United States, she’s nearly killed when a car tries to mow her down while she’s out for a run. No one believes her except FBI Special Agent Davis Sullivan.
Meanwhile someone is following Sherlock. A stalker? Then someone tries to shoot her from the back of a motorcycle, but the assailant gets away. Sherlock next gets a call from an Atlanta mental hospital warning her that Blessed Backman has escaped. This is not good news. Blessed is a talented psychopath out for revenge against the agents, primarily Sherlock, whom his dying mother begged him to kill since she and Savich brought down her cult.
How to find out who’s trying to kill the ambassador to the U.K.? How can they get their hands on Blessed Backman before he succeeds and kills Sherlock? The clock is ticking and the danger intensifies . . .
Bea's Thoughts:
I've been a fan of the FBI books since the first one came out many, many years ago. I loved the first few books where Savich and Sherlock were the focus. Then Coulter branched out and each book now features a new couple with S & S in a secondary story line. She quickly established a formula for the books and doesn't vary from it. The books are comfort food, when you need something familiar and unchallenging.
That said, she did tweak a few things this time around and there were some twists that I did not see coming though when I looked back, the clues were there. This time the main couple, agent Davis Sullivan, and sports reporter Perry Black, never actually couple up during the story though there's attraction on both sides. Davis is also mildly attracted to Perry's mother, ambassador Natalie Black. I liked that Davis and Perry didn't actually couple up so there was more focus on the attraction and the build up. There was some good tension between them and a different tension between Perry and her life-long friend Day, who asked her to marry him. She considers him a friend and a brother but he's sure he can talk her into marriage.
Meanwhile, both Perry and her mother are under attack, their lives threatened. The FBI at first thinks the attacks are connected but then new evidence suggests they aren't. While they try to figure that out, Savich and Sherlock are being stalked by a killer they put away in a previous book. As far as I was concerned, there was never any doubt about whether they'd catch him or whether Savich or Sherlock would sustain any serious injury. So, what tension there was had to come from the chase and that was moderately thrilling. I was sure I knew I who was behind the attacks on Natalie but then Coulter gave us a new candidate. As for Perry, well, at one point I suspected the person that it ended up being but then discounted them. The plot around the attacks was overly complicated but it did keep me guessing and I appreciated that.
"Power Play" isn't anything new or fantastic but it's solid story telling, enjoyable, and a good blend of romance and mystery. Davis, Perry, and Natalie are interesting characters and there's a little crossover with Coulter's FBI spin off but if you didn't read that book, no worries, you can still follow along. If you enjoy the series, you'll enjoy. If you are new to the series, you can pick this up, read it and not be lost.
I like FBI books and this series sounds really fun. There's definitely a place for comfort reading!
ReplyDeleteOh wow there are a ton of books in that series. I have book one I think. I love those comfort series :) Nice to hear you can jump in and not be too lost even after all those books.
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