ARC Review: Out in the Cold by Steve Urszenyi

Out in the Cold
Author: Steve Urszenyi
Series: Special Agent Alexandra Martel (Book 2)
Publication: Minotaur Books (November 12, 2024)

Description: Special Agent Alex Martel is thrown back into a deadly world of deception when a series of attacks threaten to incite World War III in this action-packed thriller.

While sailing across the Mediterranean, the megayacht Aurora is rocked with explosions, taken under siege by unknown assailants. On board are some of Europe’s wealthiest and most powerful political players, including the secretary general of Interpol, a high-ranking Finnish diplomat, and Special Agent Alex Martel―whose lethal sniper skills kick in to bring them safely to shore.

Someone is waging a ruthless campaign of attacks against Finland, one of NATO’s newest members, in an attempt to throw the Alliance into turmoil. Teaming back up with CIA agent Caleb, Alex is thrust into the middle of the fray, pursuing the villains from the waters off of Monaco to the Baltic Sea and home to American soil.

As the US is pulled deeper into the conflict, a global catastrophe seems inevitable. But who is really responsible for these escalating attacks on Finland? The Russians, or someone much closer to home? As new allies surface and old enemies reappear, Alex has no way of knowing who to trust―and she might only have one last shot to keep the world from going to war.

My Thoughts: The second Alex Martel thriller was an excellent story. It begins with Alex on a mega-yacht with her friend Celeste who is the secretary general of Interpol. She sees Celeste meeting with a Finnish ambassador who would like Interpol to begin an investigation.

When the ship is attacked, Alex's skills as a medic, sniper, and all around badass are called into play. Her goal is to get Celeste and her boyfriend to safety. Along the way she has to deal with boatloads of invaders. 

The next day Celeste and her boyfriend are attacked. The boyfriend is killed, and Celeste is in a coma. Alex who has been seconded to the CIA was recalled to Washington before the second attack. She goes rogue to find out who is targeting her friend. Then she's called to Finland where she learns that the Finns don't believe that it is the Russians who have been causing all sorts of problems and raising tensions in the area. 

Meanwhile, back in the US, the reader learns that there is a conspiracy that reaches deep into government and even to the President's advisers whose goal is to "restore American supremacy" by bringing the US to war with Russia. 

I really enjoyed the twists and turns as Alex and some of her fellow spies unravel the conspiracy and find a way to end it. Fans of Alex who is a female version of James Bond will enjoy this fast paced adventure. 

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

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.

ARC Review: North of Nowhere by Allison Brennan

North of Nowhere
Author: Allison Brennan
Publication: Minotaur Books (August 8, 2023)

Description: New York Times bestseller Allison Brennan’s latest standalone is an unputdownable race to the dramatic finish.

After five years in hiding from their murderous father, the day Kristen and Ryan McIntyre have been dreading has arrived: Boyd McIntyre, head of a Los Angeles crime family, has at last tracked his kids to a small Montana town and is minutes away from kidnapping them. They barely escape in a small plane, but gunfire hits the fuel line. The pilot, a man who has been raising them as his own, manages to crash land in the middle of the Montana wilderness. The siblings hike deep into the woods, searching desperately for safety―unaware of the severity of the approaching storm.

Boyd’s sister Ruby left Los Angeles for the Army years ago, cutting off contact in order to help keep her niece and nephew safe and free from the horrors of the McIntyre clan. So when she gets an emergency call that the plane has gone down with the kids inside, she drops everything to try save them.

As the storm builds, Ruby isn’t the only person looking for them. Boyd has hired an expert tracker to find and bring them home. And rancher Nick Lorenzo, who knows these mountains better than anyone and doesn’t understand why the kids are running, is on their trail too.

But there is a greater threat to Kristen and Ryan out there. More volatile than the incoming blizzard, more dangerous than the family they ran from or the natural predators they could encounter. Who finds them first could determine if they live or die. . .

My Thoughts: NORTH OF NOWHERE was a fast-paced and action-packed thriller. When he learns that Boyd McIntyre has located him, Tony takes the two kids he has been sheltering for five years and tries to escape.

However, gunfire which wounds Tony and causes the plane to crash in the wilderness leaves sixteen-year-old Kristen and her deaf ten-year-old brother Ryan to survive a coming blizzard and get away from the father who wants to take them back to California to be part of a crime family. 

Boyd and his henchmen aren't the only ones one the kids' trail, Ruby McIntyre is also looking for her niece and nephew. She managed to escape the clutches of her family by joining the Army but her fiancé was murdered when he tried to bring evidence against the family. She cut all ties with her niece and nephew to keep them safe. Now she has to find them.

Nick Lorenzo is also looking for the kids. Tony had worked for him the five years they were in Montana and Nick has grown close to the kids. He's an experienced outdoorsman and a native to the area. His son is good friends with Kristen and Ryan.

Finally, there is a third person searching. Lance Jackson is a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. He's been searching for Tony and has a warrant for his arrest. Tony, supposedly, murdered the kids' mother and kidnapped the kids. 

The story had lots of twists and turns and very realistic characters. Fans of fast-paced thrillers with intriguing characters will enjoy this one. 

Favorite Quote:

Ruby took a deep breath, walked back to inspect Tony's body. He had been injured but alive when he first rested there, then he was shot twice in the chest.

Those two shots had killed him. The others may have been fatal, but someone shot him in the chest.

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

Audiobook Review: Incriminating Evidence by Rachel Grant

Incriminating Evidence
Author: Rachel Grant
Narrator: Nicol Zanzarella
Series: Evidence (Book 5)
Publication: Janus Publishing (March 24, 2015); Audible Studios (September 6, 2016)
Length: 278 p.; 10 hours

Description: From enemies to allies…

When archaeologist Isabel Dawson stumbles upon an unconscious man deep in the Alaskan wilderness, her survival skills are put to the test. She tends his wounds and drags him to shelter, only to discover she’s saved the life of Raptor CEO Alec Ravissant—the man who may have covered up her brother’s murder to save his senatorial campaign.

With no memory of the assault that landed him five miles deep in the forest, Alec doesn’t know what to believe when he wakes in the clutches of the beautiful redhead who blames him for her brother’s death, but he quickly realizes he needs her help to uncover the truth about his lost hours.

Isabel never imagined she’d find herself allied with Alec, and he’s the last man she ever expected to find attractive. But the former Army Ranger-turned-politician proves seductively charming, and he’s determined to win much more than her vote. When their quest for answers puts Isabel in the crosshairs, Alec must risk everything—his company, his campaign, and his life—to protect her.

My Thoughts: Isabel Dawson is working on her Ph.D. in Archaeology and also working on trying to find out about Raptor, a military training center in Alaska, because her only family, her brother Vin died there in what was said to be an accident.

Isabel isn't buying their explanations. She has managed to get the training center shut down temporarily for safety violations which is really irritating to Raptor CEI Alec Ravissant. They multimillionaire is running for the Senate for the state of Maryland and doesn't need the bad publicity. 

When Isabel stumbles upon an injured Alec while exploring Raptor land - despite a restraining order against her - she manages to save his life. However, when he comes to, he attacks her and has her arrested. But when they finally get a chance to talk, Isabel manages to convince Alec that there is something hinky going on at Raptor and the two begin to investigate. 

They also fall in love which might be an even bigger problem than dealing with a secret weapon with considerable power and appeal to any third world dictator with dreams of conquest. After being orphaned at fourteen, Isabel was taken in by her older brother Vin who joined the service to support them both. She hasn't lived anywhere for more than six months and has long ago given up any thought of making friends. Alec was born rich, graduated from Harvard, and was on track for a career in politics before he joined the Army and became a Ranger out of a strong desire to serve.

Alec is out of the military and beginning his political career which seems to leave no place for a nomad like Isabel. But the problems at Raptor in Alaska could derail his political hopes even if they do find answers for Isabel about her brother Vin's death.

The story was filled with action - and some quite steamy love scenes. Nicol Zanzarella did a great job narrating the story. 

Favorite Quote:

She wanted a shower so badly, she could cry.

And she really didn't want him to wonder why she was reluctant to leave him alone with her computer.

I bought the Kindle book and Audiobook. You can buy your copy here.