Inge-Lise Goss

Mia Sloane is a rising young advertising executive--and together with her brother, Andy Carlyle, a jewel thief. She mostly lives on her legitimate income, and uses her ill-gotten gains to build a nest egg for the future. But now Andy is in trouble; he went gambling with a part of a stash of uncut diamonds--and lost them, instead of winning big. Now he needs to have either uncut diamonds of the amount that he lost, or $5 million in cash, in just a week.

This doesn't leave time for their usual show more careful planning. Andy picks a target, the owner of a chain of jewelry stores, and sends Mia in to check the place, and the owner, out. As hoped, she connects with him, and gets both more information about the shop, and a date with the man, which will give her a chance to check him and the store's operations out further.

Soon, though, it becomes clear that something odd is going on. Someone is following Mia. Andy's criminal connections are suddenly distant. This whole situation may be not about Andy stupidly gambling with diamonds he stole for a far more dangerous criminal, but about Andy and Mia's father, Leo Carlyle, who hid a large stash shortly before he was arrested, tried, and sent to prison. Murdered in prison, Leo never told anyone, not even his kids, where the stash was hidden--but the local gangsters don't necessarily believe that.

Meanwhile, Mia is beginning to suspect that the man she met at the jewelry shop, the mark she's supposed to be playing, may be playing her.

The characters are interesting, and layered, and unexpectedly likable. I won't call the plot believable, but it's fun and exciting. I enjoyed it.

The narrator, though, is mixed. She has an excellent, clear voice, with good control--and repeatedly mispronounces words that aren't especially unusual. Every time it happened, it kicked me out of the story for a moment. I hope she works on that, because her voice is wonderful.

I won this audiobook in an author giveaway, and am reviewing it voluntarily. show less

This book places the reader right into the story from practically the first page, and I found myself reading half of it in one sitting because the characters, the story line, and the mystery had such a great pull on me I just had to find out what happens next. The story is told from the point of view of an independent and strong female protagonist Sara Jones who is desperately trying to make sense of her life in light of all the unexpected things happening to her lately.

Sara comes alive on show more the page and the author did a great job of getting inside her head and showing her emotions and innermost thoughts, so the reader is right there with her as her story unfolds. I don’t like to give spoilers in my reviews, but I will say that this is one of the most unique paranormal romances I have read in quite a while. The world this takes place in is meticulously constructed, and the language flows so well I had no trouble picturing the scenes in my head as they unfolded. It is also fast paced and packed with action and twists, which keep you guessing right until the end.

Highly recommended for all fans of paranormal romance and urban fantasy! show less

This story sucked me in and only let go in the final chapter, as happened to the main character. Apart from making me feel the inexorable loss of freedom, the story also presented a few AI conundrums the future will face if we are not careful. This was all done at a fast pace without deep character development. I was interested that the book could be so effective without support from detailed characters.

Exciting and Suspenseful Thriller

I love thrillers, but the one thing I’m always missing is a story with a strong female in the lead role. And that’s exactly what this book has. Gwynn Reznick is a resourceful young woman, who knows her stuff when it comes to stealthy, undercover operations, and she uses all her skills and charms to get the job done. The one thing I really loved about this book is how the author managed to portray Gwynn as a skilled undercover operative, or PI, in a world show more of high stakes business without sacrificing her femininity, or having her do her job using seduction, etc. which seems to be the stereotypical role of women in thrillers.

Overall, the book is very well written and well paced. The author has a clear and concise writing style and I had no trouble picturing the scenes in the book as they unfolded. The twists and turns will keep you guessing right up to the end, and, believe me, you’ll be glued to the page for the duration. I know I was!

Highly recommended for all thriller fans! show less