This was a silly story from beginning to end; every character a "bad actor" and double, triple, or quadruple crossing god knows how many other people. Along the way Leine Basso was bested by everyone she crossed paths with yet she miraculously lives to kill scores of people another day. ( )

Every time a Leine Basso thriller falls into my lap, my 'currently reading' book gets finished in double-quick time. I'm Leine's biggest fan!


She's back, with her daughter, in the Amazon jungle this time. Her boss's niece, Nancy, with her father, is on the hunt for an ancient traditional medicine. But the expedition stumbles on evidence that there is a 'lost' city of gold. Knowledge of which hasn't escaped a greedy, immoral, ruthless drug trafficker, Dario. He isn't going to let anything get in the way of the prospect of huge wealth for the rest of his pathetic days. Nancy's kidnap is a way to that end. It's up to Leine and her daughter to find Nancy and stop Dario exploiting an ancient site.

The hardest thing for an author is a series. Each book has to be as good as the first to keep the reader's interest piqued, and I can honestly say, that this, number 10 in the series, is as excellent as the first. As nail-biting, as thrilling, as action-packed.

And now I want the next one yesterday. ( )

I have read other books about the Lost City, so I am eager to see D V Berkom’s spin on it. I do love traipsing through the jungle, with danger lurking, looking for lost treasure.

Martin is concerned about keeping the discovery quiet and the location secret, to protect it from those who would endanger the site and the people who live around it. Nancy, his daughter, is more interested in academic pursuits, wanting to share it with the world, which opens them up to those who want it for themselves.

She drank the Kool-Aid.

Enter Leine Basso…a kickass ex-assassin that takes name and leaves no prisoners. She is pulled from her comfy cozy bed, where she was nestled with Santa, her detective boyfriend, in Los Angeles and on her way to the jungle deep in the heart of the Amazon.

The head bad guy betrays anyone and everyone to get what he wants and I hope and pray he gets a healthy dose of Karma.

I am loving Shadow of the Jaguar and the Indiana Jones vibe I’m picking up. We have action and adventure, loyalty and betrayal, treasure found, and lives lost.

I love books that add the ecological aspects that would accompany a discovery such as this, including theft, clear cutting, eco terrorism and things that would damage the jungle and the people who live there. To me it adds a realistic aspect to the fiction.

The pacing flowed smoothly, making it easy to read on, totally captivated by the characters, trying to figure out who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. I was worried and I wonder…could a good guy do a bad thing and still be a good guy?

I love that D V Berkom has Leine and her daughter on the adventure together. They both work for SHEN, which is an organization that deals with human traffickers and there is never a dull moment. They are well equipped to handle whatever gets thrown at them and it is a pleasure to be along for the ride.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Shadow of the Jaguar by D V Berkom

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