Tuesday, October 23, 2018

ARC Review: Vendetta by Iris Johansen

Vendetta
Author: Iris Johansen
Series: Eve Duncan (Book 24)
Publication: St. Martin's Press (October 23, 2018)

Description: With his dying breath, Carl Venable, head of the CIA task force on terrorism and Jude Brandon’s final link to terrorist ringleader Max Huber, gives Brandon a mandate: keep his daughter, Rachel, safe at any cost. But Rachel Venable has a shocking, twisted past of her own, one that comes rushing back after her medical clinic in Guyana is attacked by Huber―the same man who murdered her father and kept her imprisoned for months.

Brandon and Catherine Ling, Rachel’s longtime ally and fierce protector, are determined to keep Rachel out of danger, but she knows that it’s impossible to stay hidden when Max Huber wants you dead.

As Rachel and Brandon race against the clock to bring Huber down before he can orchestrate a disaster that will lay waste to half the country, they also fight a growing attraction to each other – an attraction that could prove just as dangerous as Huber himself.

In this gripping, fast-paced novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen, one thing is clear: everyone has a vendetta, and no one will rest until they get their revenge.

My Thoughts: This was a fast-paced thriller with a fantasy feel. Carl Venable enlists Jude Brandon to protect his daughter Rachel from terrorist Max Huber when Brandon attempts to rescue Venable. Unfortunately, he too late. But Venable tells Brandon that his daughter has a secret about Huber that makes her a target.

Rachel Venable is a doctor who is with a humanitarian organization and is currently working in Guyana. She is estranged from her father and has a complicated relationship with him. Venable has been a CIA agent all of Rachel's life which means, to Rachel, that he has always put the needs of the country about the needs of his family.

When Rachel was fifteen, she was captured by the Taliban in the same accident that killed her mother and brother. Venable was responsible for negotiating to get Rachel out of the Taliban's hands. It took him five months. During those months Rachel was being tortured and raped and each time her father was being blamed. In Venable's defense, his informant in the prison was telling him that Rachel was being well-treated.

Rachel was finally gotten out of the prison by Hu Chang, a mysterious figure in the espionage world, who taught her how to heal and how to concoct many untraceable poisons. As a doctor, she is secretly using her talents to concoct medicines that cure.

Brandon rescues Rachel just ahead of Huber's men. He wants to protect Rachel but he also wants to bring down Huber before he can successfully execute a "bigger than 9/11" terrorist event in San Francisco. Huber is responsible for killing Brandon's father and he wants revenge for that too.

Also involved in protecting San Francisco is Catherine Ling who is also a protegee of Hu Chang's and one of Rachel's best friends. Trailing her is Richard Cameron who brings in the paranormal element. Cameron is using his mental abilities to create a utopia. He and Catherine have a complex relationship. They are intensely physically attracted but have very different philosophies.

Besides being a fast-paced thriller this story had tons of emotional intensity. Rachel is so conflicted about her relationship with her father and so conflicted about using her skills as an apothecary to harm as well as heal.

Fans of Johansen's work won't want to miss this story. It is a real page-turner.

Favorite Quote:
He muttered a curse. "I'm not Venable, Rachel, and I don't appreciate your comparing me to him. He told me before he died that he had regrets about the way he treated you. Let me make mistakes of my own and not have to shoulder Venable's. 
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.

1 comment:

  1. I read a book with same title different story!. Just did the review.

    ReplyDelete

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