🎯💣 "Unknown Threat" (Defend and Protect #1) (2021) 💣🎯 - Book Review
MY REVIEW
Series: Defend and Protect (Book #1)
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Revell (March 2, 2021)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800737954
ISBN-13: 978-0800737955
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information
“US Secret Service Special Agent Luke Powell is lucky to be alive. Three of his fellow agents have died in unusual circumstances in the past ten weeks. Luke is devastated by the loss of his friends and colleagues, and his inability to locate the killer feels like a personal failure. He's an expert at shielding others, but now the protectors are in need of protection.
FBI Special Agent Faith Malone is driven to succeed and confident in her ability to solve every case she's assigned. She's been put in charge of the investigation into the unprecedented attacks, and with Luke's life in danger, the stakes have never been higher. But it's hard to know how to fight back when you don't know who the enemy is.
As more agents are targeted, Luke and Faith will have to work together to bring a killer to justice and prevent any more names from joining their fallen brothers and sisters on the Secret Service Wall of Honor.”
Thank you in advance to the publisher; Revell (a division of Baker Books); for providing an advanced review copy through Library Thing. A positive review was not requested or required, and all words are my own.
I was VERY excited to win a copy of Unknown Threat from Library Thing. And, when I was finally able to read it, I wasn’t disappointed at all. It also helps this is written with short chapters, non-stop action, unexpected twists and turns, along with an exciting and dangerous plot.
Blackburn’s writing is descriptive and she has done her research.
The cover is pretty intriguing and intense as well! It matched the action, intensity, and suspense of the story; and there was nothing really to dislike about this book at all. Well, maybe a few characters and of course putting the protagonists in extreme peril every chance she can. But, that is the idea of “suspense”.
While this ties into DTI, it really isn’t necessary to read them before this one. The author easily ties in the characters without the reader feeling lost. Ryan (Beneath the Surface), Sabrina and Adam (In Too Deep), and Gabe (One Final Breath) are mentioned. Ryan and Gabe make physical appearances in this book. Sabrina is mostly mentioned through phone and video conferences.
I have a mixed reaction to these kinds of “crossovers”. As a reader with limited finances, it can be disheartening to find out that you “want” another series because of the connections. Then again, it is great to see how the characters are doing AFTER that series has ended. Blackburn isn’t the only author who did this. Susan May Warren connected her Montana Marshalls to her Global Search and Rescue series.
I related to Faith’s Cherry Coke habit, and almost laughed as I remembered my days like that, mostly with regular Coca-Cola! Her comment about coffee being “bean water” was hilarious even though I also love coffee as well. I honestly felt like Luke was a pain in the REAR for most of the book. I got why he felt the way he did, but the way he was treating Faith was irritating. Though, I did like his character progression throughout the story and he learned to care about her and most everyone could see what a “cute couple” they were.
There is only about one scene that a nurse is in, Opal, and I really liked that woman! I wanted to see more of her. In her short appearance, she stole one scene!
The first line, right off, drew me in. And, as a reader I had a feeling that the action was already going to get started by it. And, as I thought – chapter one (1) ended with a LITERAL BANG!!
Right off, Faith is assigned to the newest investigation, and it is clear she cares about Luke. I was hoping to find out where that concern originated outside of this story.
The description of a crime scene in chapter three (3) was visceral and surreal. Blackburn definitely put the reader right in the middle of that scene. It was hard not being affected by it.
There is no secret that one of Faith’s co-workers isn’t being diligent in investigating the Secret Service case she had, in fact there is an open bias about the case. That makes Faith look bad right off and gives off agency vs. agency vibes. And, from the beginning, I didn’t like Janice. I felt there was something off. I’m expecting a bad return from her in subsequent books in this series; I just have “THAT” feeling about this woman. She’s going to be trouble.
Anyway …
There is a LOT of character development with Faith’s trust issues. This has to do more with her family background and her sister’s tragic accident.
Barely a quarter (¼) into it and there was a WTH (what the heck) moment! So, Blackburn didn’t ease up for a moment on the surprises. And, it is after a shooting that Faith begins to realize that not all men are unreliable.
Luke, Faith, Zane, and Tessa begin to think the connection isn’t there; but they also learn more about Thad’s death and the woman who was killed with him. Faith isn’t led by agency loyalty. She has no issues confronting Janet and it is quickly explained why Faith didn’t get Thad’s case.
The team gets a lead in the form of a person known as the “tiger”. But, they’re still puzzled on the “why”. They also see a connected between Thad, the woman he was with when he was killed, and another death.
I had my suspicions about “The Tiger” and I was wrong, though the author did a good job of keeping me guessing.
Faith and the others quickly find out that Park Mi Cha, the woman that was killed alongside Thad, is connected to him but for far different reasons than anyone suspects.
Blackburn threw a curveball at me with an accident involving Janice. And, even after reading the book, I’m still not convinced of her story, and I still don’t like her. That shows either I’m far too suspicious of people or the author was that good at creating that doubt.
I don’t think it helped when I learned that Janice snooped around Faith’s desk, tried to demonize a dead person, and didn’t feel sorry for her actions towards a married man! And, this woman’s “incompetence” also led to some bad consequences.
Faith learns about why Luke hates the FBI. This was a heart-breaking and emotional part. It was, after learning about it, very easy to sympathize with him. It showed a lot of development and trust on his part to tell her.
Faith and Luke’s relationship has a long and hard road to go, which also made this a frustrating but emotional read. He isn’t the only one holding a grudge, and Faith’s sister reminds her of that. Something we all need to learn – not to blame someone in our present for what others did to us in the past.
I loved how everything was kept just out of reach of the investigators, though at the same time it was maddening. Tessa brought up a good point about knowing something they don’t know that they know. We’ve all been there, right?
Blackburn draws out the suspense to the VERY end. The killer wasn’t who I thought it was, and the motive was interesting. I didn’t see it going where it did. At least this wasn’t too predictable of a read.
I found this hard to put down and read about 110 pages in a sitting. That was roughly 1/3 of the book (or rather ARC)! In fact it took me a while to decompress after reading it. I would’ve had this finished in about two (2) days had I not been feeling under the weather.
Fans of the author and genre are sure to enjoy this read. Those who’ve read the Dive Team Investigations series probably won’t want to miss this.
As this is distributed by Revell, this is a clean read with no foul language and no intimacy mentioned. Thad is mentioned as a man of faith; Gil is a believer and sees God’s work in Faith. Themes of God and faith are obviously mentioned and/or inferred, but they are not central to the story.
This book hasn’t even officially released (one more day) and I am looking forward to the second book in the series. I am also going to “TRY” to get Dive Team Investigations read some before then.
RATING:
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lynn H. Blackburn is the author of Beneath the Surface, In Too Deep, One Final Breath, Hidden Legacy, and Covert Justice. Winner of the 2016 Selah Award for Mystery and Suspense and the 2016 Carol Award for Short Novel, Blackburn believes in the power of stories, especially those that remind us that true love exists, a gift from the Truest Love. She's passionate about CrossFit, coffee, and chocolate (don't make her choose) and experimenting with recipes that feed both body and soul. She lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina, with her true love, Brian, and their three children.
You can find her on the following social media accounts:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LynnHBlackburn/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnhblackburn/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LynnHBlackburn/
Website: https://lynnhblackburn.com/
* This post contains affiliate links
Comments
Post a Comment