TJ O'Connor

The adrenaline spikes from the very first sentence, and the suspense builds with every turn of the page, leading to the storyline climax of gripping intensity. A CIA consultant more at home in foreign lands than the streets he left behind. He’ll have to find a way to live with the facts. The fact that his brother wrote him a letter asking for his help after 20 years of no communication. The fact that he didn't receive the letter until weeks after it was sent. The fact that the riverbank, show more once the favorite fishing spot for him and his brother, is the place he held his brother while he said his final words and took his final breath. The fact that he didn't get home in time. The fact that hours after meeting his brother's wife and son, a wife and son he didn't even know his brother had, he's amid shadows and terrorism on domestic soil.

The story is filled with suspense, intrigue, deception, unexpected twists, and tangled threads. It's riveting, with characters who draw attention to threats that may never make the headlines for what they truly are. Each chapter starts by specifying the day, date, and time in military format, along with the location, keeping the precision taut over the course of the seven days of the narrative.

Some people may not appreciate Hunter's sarcastic commentary, which he calls wit and charm, but don't be deceived into thinking he's not the man for the job. Similarly, some may not appreciate his mentor, Oscar LaRue, but don't be deceived into believing he's more interested in drinking his tea or eating his meal. In reality, he is a master strategist, always steps ahead of his team, analyzing data as soon as it’s available, piecing it together, giving his team directions and support if he can, and giving them leeway when he cannot but always reigning them back in at the end.

The answer to the authenticity that illuminates every chapter may be discovered by reading the author’s Dedication and Acknowledgements at the beginning of the novel and Bio on his website. show less

Ana Montilla left her life as a guerilla within The People’s Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Ana has a child to protect. A child to love. A child named Sarah. Changing her name to Ana Karras, she is healing and restoring her strength under the watchful and caring eyes of her grandmother in New York. However, Ana can only enjoy the changes she has made in her life with Sarah if she finds her parents and brings them out of Columbia.

Catalina (Cat) Reyes has a child to protect. show more A child to love. A child named Mateo. However, Mateo has been taken from her in Cuba, and Cat must get him back. Ana's father, Dr. Manuel Montilla, is critical to Cat's success. Dr. Montilla's contacts provide the most crucial stepping stones to entry into the United States. Before Cat is reunited with Mateo, Operation Perro must succeed in Washington, D.C.

The international intrigue is gripping. There is armchair travel from the boroughs of New York to Columbia to Washington D.C., to Honduras to Mexico to New Jersey to Virginia to Pennsylvania and circling back and forth through the skies but not for pleasure. This travel by book is not for tourists. Guerillas. Cartels. Government agencies. The actions behind headlines. Truth shielded from direct view. Ruthless. Corrupt. Callous. Secrets layered with more secrets. The mystery, suspense, and tension of deciphering the person behind the name Hemingway is a road with hairpin turns, each curve a red herring before the surprising reveal.

The answer to the authenticity that illuminates every chapter may be discovered by reading About the Author. show less

Calling all fans of spy books. I used to pretend that I was the top agent for the FBI or CIA and sometimes I worked as a double agent. These types of books were my "jam". Sadly, as the years have passed, I found myself wandering away from these books as they did not intrigue me so much. Recently, I have found a hand full of authors and series that I really enjoy in this genre. This first book in this series from Mr. O'Connor is in my top three picks.

Instantly, I was a fan of this book and show more Mr. O'Connor within the first few pages of reading this book. Hunter is a great main lead character. Although, I was a fan of his mentor, Oscar as well. Oscar may be cool on the outside but he does have a "soft" spot for Hunter. Also, he still taught Hunter a few tricks. Hunter in a way was like Bryan Mills from the Taken movies made famous by Liam Neeson.

Yet, can we talk about all of the action that took place within these pages. It was nonstop. There was never a dull moment. Plus, it helped that the book had a strong and believable storyline. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. A recommended read for sure. The Consultant will have you on the edge of your seat packing a punch of high, intensity, action that will have you coming back for more! show less

Detective, or should I say former detective, Oliver Tucker, likes to be called Tuck, describes hinself as a puff of dust. That’s because he’s dead. But that doesn’t stop him from detecting and theirs one heck of a muder and mystery to be solved.

While his widow, Angel is on board and accepts he’s still around, albeit as a ghost, friends and his former partner, Bear, are still in denial. I had many a chuckle as Tuck used his ghostly presence to give them a spooky Boo now and then and show more steered them where he wanted them to go with comments from beyond the grave.

I realized pretty quickly this was the second book in a series, but the author caught me up quickly on the history. The first book is about Tuck’s own murder and how he stayed around afterwards and helped solve his own case. I imagine it was just as fun as this book and I’ll be going back to read it too.

So the skinny is, Angel, Tuck’s widow, holds a swanky charity ball and someone gets murdered right in front of everybody. To top it off, all the charity donations get snatched right out from under their noses.

As Tuck digs into the case, he meets some other ghosts, those being mobsters, the sexy Sassy, and even some relatives from long ago. All of them are tied to this case, which stems from events about a book back during the cold war and before.

Russian spies. Mobsters from the 30’s. Dead guys, several of them. A mysterious book. And a trail that leads to Tuck’s own ancestors. Lots of shenanigans and mystery in this one.

Tuck is a hoot. He gets a kick out of taunting his former partner, Bear. The poor guy is in denial and Tuck likes to give him a creepy boost now and then. Bear better get on board before people start looking at him like they do Angel.

Angel is a sweetie and she’s got a lot of sass herself. She likes having Tuck around and even gets jealous when he has an encounter with the sexy Sassy, another ghost. People are starting to look at her funny as she talks to Tuck, sometimes forgetting others can’t see or hear him. She takes it in stride.

You’d think after solving his own death, Tuck would have moved on, seen the bright light. But nope, his remaining here was a bit of a mystery even to him. He might have some of it figured out, as other ghosts do approach him to help with their murders. Tuck can do what they can’t, he can interact with the living, be heard and talk to them. Well, some of them. So he’s still detecting and will keep on doing it until it’s time to go.

The end of the book was such a hoot. You tore from one event to the next, all of it culminating in the big bang ending. I wanted to read the end, yet I didn’t want the story of Tuck and his gang to be over. I have a feeling there will be more in this series as Harry has some ancestral mysteries yet to solve. One of them being about his mother and father. Hope to see that soon. show less