Fatal Code - A Review

 

Fatal Code

by

Natalie Walters

A Review

The space race meets Los Alamos meets pseudocode in this modern faith-based thriller. Theoretical physicist, retired Iowa State professor, and grandfather of Elinor Mitchell has died - the book opens with his funeral. Unbeknownst to Elinor Mitchell, her grandfather has left behind the secrets to a decade old, unfinished, experiment from Los Alamos NM. Elinor had her own secret projects as well. And there were Russian, Chinese, and Industrial spies willing to kill for both.

Into the middle of this steps Kekoa Young, an Hawaiian cyber-expert working with SNAP, a defense contractor assigned to monitor the deepest secrets within the US and other Western governments. His current assignment is to build a relationship with Elinor to determine her commitment to the secrets she has access to - and the evidence suggests she is not as committed as she needs to be.

While most of the story takes place along the streets and areas around Washington DC, the story ends with a distant trip to Hawaii. It will be a difficult journey from the streets of the nation’s capital to the beaches of Hawaii - one that will threaten the lives of both Elinor and Keoka as well as their colleagues.

The book provided the suspense and thrills needed for a few Spring evenings. It deserves the five-star review I am giving it.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Trust Me - A Review

 

Trust Me 

by

Kelly Irvin

A Review

Delaney Broward (aka Laney) had lost everyone. Her parents had died in a car accident when she was young. Her grandparents had died months apart while she was in college. Her brother, Corey, was murdered. And her best friend, Hunter Nash, the man she thought she was going to marry, was charged with the murder and was convicted of manslaughter 10 years earlier. And now he was out on good behavior and was hounding her a bit too much. It was not just her opinion - it was an opinion shared by the San Antonio TX Police Department and Laney’s friends.

The day Hunter Nash returned was also the day that Ellie Hill, Delaney’s best friend now, was killed in an horrific murder.

Suspect number 1 for Ellie’s murder was Hunter Nash - if he had any hopes of rewinning Delaney’s heart, he now had to prove that he was innocent of two murders. And that was something Delaney, the San Antonio TX PD, and Laney’s friends did not think possible.

The resulting story is a stomach-churning, edge-of-your-seat, thriller, that did not let this reader relax until the very last chapter. The story has the reader traveling throughout San Antonio, gathering clues, with and without the help of the police department. In the midst of this story we watch two young adults struggle with their faith. One’s faith grew in the most harrowing of places; the other lost their faith through a similar set of circumstances.

With the exception of the last chapter, the book was perfect. Most (all?) of the last chapter could have been omitted, allowing the reader to fill in the story’s final details. I give the book 4-½ stars.

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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Life Flight - A Review

 

Life Flight

by

Lynette Eason

A Review

Lynette Eason has created another suspense-filled, faith-based thriller. Beginning with an helicopter crash in the mountains outside Asheville NC and ending with the successful apprehension of two (or is it three) serial killers, the reader is kept on the edge of their seat throughout the story.

Penny Carlson is the Life Flight helicopter pilot that day as they are bringing the young hiker who had fallen down the side of the mountain to the hospital. But the storm had gotten worse and she had lost control of the copter. Though the tail was damaged, she was otherwise able to set the plane down safely. Penny had no way of knowing that there was an escaped serial killer on that same mountain - she not only was responsible for the life of the on-board patient along with the two medical members of her team, she also had to protect them from the murderer who had discovered their presence.

Penny and FBI Special Agent Holt Satterfield would have their hands full as they both tried to evade and apprehend the men who roamed the mountain that day. My only disappointment with the book was the level of violence seen throughout the book. I felt I was watching a Hallmark Mystery churned together with a violence filled episode of Criminal Minds (CBS) - it did not quite work. I can only give the book 4-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

Dark Intercept - A Review

 

Dark Intercept

Attributed To

Andrews & Wilson

A Review

The authors present a four-star plot with a two-star theme. The story is good and would make a great faith-based book except it attempts to embody spiritual warfare into real armies, both good and bad. The plot would work very well without the addition of the fictionalized creation of spiritual beings that can read people’s minds while also attempting to coerce them to act in ways that are against their best interest and the best interest of humanity. I felt like these “spiritual” elements were sometimes added because the authors did not know how to make the necessary transitions without their additions to the story.

The underlying plot - a young girl being kidnapped, and a former Navy Seal being asked to find and rescue her, would make a great thriller. But with addition of spiritual warfare, the story lost its thrill. Spiritual warfare is real, but not as personified in this book.

If written as a fantasy, rather than a faith-based story, it may have been more acceptable. I will look forward to reading more of these "fantasies"; however, as it is, I have to give the book three-stars.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.