Book Review: Kris Longknife: Emissary by Mike Shepherd

Kris Longknife: Emissary

Author: Mike Shepherd
Series: Kris Longknife (Book 15)
Publication: KL & MM Books (May 1, 2017)

Description: Kris Longknife has discovered that this desk job is not at all what she expected. Being desk bound hasn't even decreased the number of assassination attempts! Then Kris gets home to find her two kids playing with an Iteeche. Ron has come back to human space with a request. Should Kris honor it? Can she finally get some straight answers for her Grampa Ray, King Raymond to most? Does she risk taking the kids into a situation with a whole lot of unanswered questions? Oh, and what can go wrong? Kris knows something will go wrong. Something always goes wrong.

My Thoughts: Kris has been getting very tired of her desk job trying to bring the Navy up to her specifications. Sure, she's enjoyed going home each night to her husband and two children, but work is not what she had hoped. 

When Ron, the Iteeche Kris knows best, comes from his Emperor asking that Kris be sent as Emissary of her people to the Imperial Court, Kris is intrigued. She knows that this is a big job that she may not be totally qualified for, but she has the encouragement of her king and a free hand to build the team she thinks will help her do the job.

Only things are not as they seem. It seems the Iteeche are in the middle of a civil war which no one thought to mention to Kris. And she has been saddled with the role of being Speaker for Humanity along with assorted ambassadors from most of the human settled worlds who all have differing agendas. This doesn't count the large horde of human merchants who are all looking to get rich as the interact with the Iteeche industrial base. 

Then there is the journey which includes an Admiral in command of the escort force who isn't on board with the new Navy Agenda and who needs to be relieved when their convoy is threatened by an Iteeche Rebel space fleet. 

And once they get to the planet where the Emperor lives, they have to fight their way to his palace through other forces who don't want them to meet. Once the meeting is achieved, Kris is saddled with another impossible job: the Emperor puts her in charge of his Imperial Navy and wants her to battle the rebels. Unfortunately, they are all equipped with the same ships and tactics as the Imperial Fleet. Kris has never fought a battle of equals. But she's a Longknife and a smart and tricky one. 

This book definitely has a cliffhanger ending tempting me to begins Admiral which is the next in the series right now. 

Favorite Quote:

She found she had to chuckle. She was actually looking forward to getting her teeth into this whole mess. If she was hones with herself, she'd been missing the excitement of the new and awful.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.