Tag Archives: international thriller

Review: Acceptable Risk, by Lynette Eason

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Acceptable Risk, by Lynette Eason

Acceptable Risk, by Lynette Eason (Revell, 2020)

Captured in a Taliban raid on a girls’ school, American military journalist Sarah Denning is injured in a nick-of-time rescue mission. Not until she’s flown home to the US against her will does she learn that her high-ranking father has arranged to have her discharged as a suicide risk.

Sarah’s been fighting her father since her mother died, and she’s not about to give up now. But before she can prove herself fit for duty, she must heal from her wounds—and from the devastating loss of her brother.

Former Army Ranger Gavin Black, who led the rescue mission in Afghanistan, runs a security organization based in the US. Now Sarah’s father hires him to guard her—but if she finds out, she’ll refuse the protection out of spite.

And she needs the protection. Threats on her father’s life could extend to his family. Plus, Sarah is pushing for answers about a missing patient she encountered in the hospital—who staff deny was ever there.

Like book 1 in the series, Collateral Damage, this is romantic suspense where the violence and trauma of serving in Afghanistan follows the hero and heroine home to civilian life. Sarah and Gavin are strong people carrying PTSD and other wounds, needing time to heal but finding they’re still in danger in a conflict where they don’t know how to identify the enemy.

I like Sarah and Gavin, and the solid friendships they’ve developed with a small core of people they’ve served with in the past. And I like how Sarah, even when injured or overpowered, keeps her head and plays an active part in her own rescue. Gavin may be there to defend her, but there are times she defends him.

Acceptable Risk is Book 2 in the Danger Never Sleeps series. Book 3, Active Defense, releases in early 2021. For more about award-winning author Lynette Eason, visit lynetteeason.com.

[Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions are my own.]

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Review: Outbreak, by Davis Bunn

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Outbreak, a novel by Davis Bunn

Outbreak, by Davis Bunn (Bethany House Publishers, 2019)

Epidemic? Plague? Whatever’s killing whole villages on Africa’s western coast seems connected to the changing sea currents and prevailing winds. Winds which, come hurricane season, will blow toward North America.

It’s not just certain African governments who want to keep this a secret at all costs. Someone in the US has enough power to bring the courts and the FBI—and a high-priced assassin—against the small team of Americans racing to develop a cure.

From the African continent to North America, Outbreak moves at Davis Bunn’s breakneck pace, immersing readers in danger and suspense while investing us in the lives of the main characters. The unlikely heroes are Theo Bishop, an economics professor and business-owner, Della Haverty, a journalist who’s infiltrated Bishop’s brother’s company with ulterior motives, and Avery Madison, a brilliant biologist catapulted out of his lab and into a danger zone.

A clean international thriller with threads of romance and faith, Outbreak is plausible enough to be frightening. In that sense, it reminds me of The Domino Effect, also by Davis Bunn (except where Outbreak deals with an environmental/medical risk, The Domino Effect is economic).

Davis Bunn is an incredibly prolific writer whose fiction spans multiple genres. He also writes as Thomas Locke. For more about the author and his work, visit DAVISBUNNBOOKS or see his page on Goodreads.

[Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.]

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Review: Two From Isaac’s House, by Normandie Fischer

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Two From Isaac's House, by Normandie FischerTwo From Isaac’s House, by Normandie Fischer (Sleepy Creek Press, 2015)

Rina Lynne’s father insisted they had to live on limited funds, but she inherited a fortune when he died. She’d always lived a safe, predictable life, so now, before she marries her fiancé, Jason, and settles down, she’s off to see the world.

First stop: a small town in Italy, for a month of language school. But a passenger on the train is murdered, and the man she shared a carriage with looks like a terrorist.

Favourite line, from when she spots the man’s gun. Can’t you feel this?

She tried to smile as she recovered, but her upper lip caught on too-dry teeth. [Kindle location 134]

Rina blossoms in Italy, away from the restrictions of home. She makes new friends, including the handsome Tony Rasad, who seems to have connections with the same Palestinian group which may be behind the death on the train.

From chapters in Tony’s point of view, we learn that he’s a reluctant spy for Israel, trying to infiltrate the terrorists’ ranks. He’s torn between desire to get to know Rina despite her distant fiancé and the need to stay away from her for her own safety.

Danger chases Rina from Italy to Jordan to Israel, where she tries to find her Uncle Adam.

Two From Isaac’s House is an intriguing romantic suspense with a strong sense of place. The title refers to Rina’s and Tony’s heritage: he’s a Jew, and she’s half-Jewish. The danger they face draws them both to depend on the God of their people. Rina’s uncle is seriously considering the claims of some friends who are Messianic Jews (believing Jesus is the Messiah). The spiritual thread is low-key, and shouldn’t be a barrier to non-believing readers.

Author Normandie Fischer writes women’s fiction and romantic suspense. She’s also an avid sailor. For more about the author and her books (and boats!) visit normandiefischer.com.

[Review copy from my personal library.]