ARC Review: Perfect Shot by Steve Urszenyi

Perfect Shot
Author: Steve Urszenyi
Series: Special Agent Alexandra Martel
Publication: Minotaur Books (November 14, 2023)

Description: A former Army sniper must fall back on her Special Ops skills when a friend’s death uncovers a global nuclear threat, in Perfect Shot, the first in an electrifying new series featuring Special Agent Alexandra Martel.

Special Agent Alexandra Martel has put her days on the battlefield behind her. Charming and disarming, relentless and lethal, she earned a reputation as one of the most renowned and decorated Army snipers in the service before stepping away. But when Alex, now an FBI special agent on loan to Interpol, learns that an old friend, an MI5 officer, has been killed under mysterious circumstances, she’s pulled back into the dangerous world she left behind: a world where some people fear her, some want to recruit her, and everyone seems to want her dead.

Following a trail of clues left behind by the dead woman, Alex pieces together a terrifying conspiracy that only escalates when a nuclear warhead goes missing. Dodging death at every turn, she reluctantly joins forces with a CIA officer, but he has plans of his own for her―and will stop at nothing to achieve them.

Chasing the truth through the streets of London and bustling Turkish markets to the underbelly of Paris, Alex is unrelenting in her pursuit of justice. But as the clock ticks down and the world edges closer to doom, she must fall back on her Special Ops skills to stop the unthinkable. She thought her life as a sniper was over―but with stakes this high, she must use whatever means necessary to render the world safe.

My Thoughts: Tom Clancy meets James Bond in this thriller. Special Agent Alexandra Martel has had a storied career first as an Army medic and then a sniper as she served in Afghanistan. A desire to be home more led her to the FBI and the FBI loaned her to Interpol. When a friend she met at a law enforcement conference sends a strange message and then is found dead, Alex decides to look into the death. 

As she searches through what her friend sent her, she uncovers a plot to set off a nuclear bomb at a Paris Peace Conference. She also discovers that her friend was a Russian sleeper agent who has finally come upon something that she can't tolerate. And the Russians know about her and want to stop her before she can disrupt their plot. 

The story travels from Brussels to Paris to Turkey and back again. The descriptions of the various places were well drawn, and the action was intense.

The story was filled with "technobabble" with detailed descriptions of all sorts weapons. It was also filled with lots of technological spying which was also described in great detail. And it was packed with political maneuvering as she deals with the various agencies she works with. Alex was a more humanized James Bond who knows herself and her purpose and suffers from some flashbacks to earlier actions. 

This one is the start of a series. 

Favorite Quote:

"So, if the Air Force can't get in, does that mean that someone -- or something -- is blocking the attempt?"

"We don't know," said Colonel Mendez. "It's possible the system was already triggered, and we aren't able to establish a connection precisely because the weapon's fail-safe system has kicked in and already self-destructed."

"Or," said Alex, trying to contain her growing concern, "we have a fully functioning thermonuclear bomb out there under someone else's control."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.