The Mask

I have read a jillion mysteries and thrillers, but Vanessa Michael Munroe, in The Mask, is one of the few investigators/mercenaries I've come across whose thought processes I found myself so rapidly following closely, keeping up with her logic, sussing out the bad guys, replicating the charts and diagrams in my mind that she creates in the story, identifying with her, living vicariously through her. Then, in a sharp and cutting contrast (at least to my nature), experiencing the copper taste of adrenaline as she drops into her kick-ass killer persona and feeling exhilarated along with her when she employs her astonishingly fast and violent skills.

Munroe is a highly intelligent survivor turned predator. She has come to Japan because a show more love she had been separated from, Miles Bradford, has asked for her. He is working on a case of industrial espionage and wants her by his side. However, as is common in mysteries, surface appearances may mask a deeper and different reality. The facade of Japan as a polite, peaceful country is stripped away as a layer of criminality, brutality and bloodshed is exposed in all of its rawness. Munroe's shape-shifting and jaguar-like character is given full rein and the bad guys learn that the person they thought they were dealing with was but another kind of mask, one that covers a dangerous and violent history, and the consequences are deadly.

We are drawn irresistibly into Munroe's perceptions, her thoughts and her emotions. Each of the reader's senses is brought, tingling, into play, caressed, teased to life and then stabbed with a jarringly original but vividly accurate image. Taylor Stevens, the author, wields her writing style and skills with the same adroitness and ability as does her heroine with her hands and knives. It is a real pleasure to watch the both of them perform!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

I love a book that makes you so nervous you can't read it but you can't put it down.

Michael Munroe is not a nice person; as a heroine she is very unlikeable. But she is loyal to a fault. She's a chameleon that gets the job done. And just occasionally her fragile side shows in the cracks.

Set in Japan, we see more of that fragile side until events conspire to bring out her need to feel and cause pain.

Well, my ER book, The Mask A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel by Taylor Stevens, was a disappointment, but it could have been worse. I was sucked in by enthusiastic blurbs like, "If you are a fan of Jack Reacher, Lisbeth Salander, or Nina Zero, you need to check out Vanessa Michael Munroe!” —BookPage. Not this one, you don't. It's the fifth in the series, so maybe the predecessors were better, but I can only give a lukewarm recommendation to this one.

Our star Munroe is in Osaka, Japan, being lovey-dovey with coworker Miles Bradford. He has been hired to find a corporate spy at ALTEQ-Bio, a company which hopes to be first on the market with 3D-printed human organs. If this hadn't been an ER book I might have given up early, as I had to show more battle through cliches (e.g., Miles was "home" to her) and strained metaphors and similes made in apparent pursuit of some "most noir per page" award. Luckily, the author can really write action scenes, and once Miles falters and Munroe joins the battle of wits and fists (and weapons), the story really picks up. Other than a couple of references to Japan-specific environments, like the love hotels, however, there isn't much about the local scene, so this won't be one for armchair travelers. I may some day try one of the earlier ones in the series, as she seems to have an avid fan base, but even fans could skip this one without missing much, seems to me. Two and a half stars. show less

Another outstanding thriller by Taylor Stevens. Androgynous Vanessa Michael Munroe, still scarred from her near death adventures in Djibouti, travels to Osaka, Japan, to meet up with her security consultant lover, Miles Bradford hoping for time to heal mentally and physically in the arms of Miles. Miles current job is trying to track down a corporate espionage employee selling biotech secrets to an unknown competitor. The employee is embedded somewhere in the organization and has covered their tracks well. About to be uncovered by Miles the employee frames Miles who is arrested as a murderer and held without legal counsel by the Japanese police. Vanessa swings into action and the bulk of the book is his/her efforts to untangle the web show more woven by not one, but two, corporate thieves. Vanessa's/Michael's inner viciousness, combined with her innate ability to ferret out evil, match her against a rigid corporate culture that is uniquely Japanese, the yakuza, and hidden employees skillfully stealing the company's secrets. Miles' life is the motivation that keeps Michael moving against all of these overwhelming forces. A suspenseful read up to the last page. show less

Vanessa Michael Munroe can infiltrate any society and gather information. When she goes to visit one of her few friends, Miles Bradford, in Japan it quickly becomes apparent that she has to become involved. When Miles is arrested for murder and Munroe discovers that she is also a target, she shifts into the dangerous predator that is her nature.

Will Munroe be able to save Miles and herself? This is a fast paced thriller that all fans of Munroe should enjoy.

Holey Schmokes! This starts off with a bang and keeps building. This sort of reads as a standalone and could be considered as such, but I know it's part of a series and I really want to know the rest of the story. This is powerful stuff and it's book five in the series. What do books 1-4 throw out there?
I read for escape and this one has it. How Vanessa Michael Munroe (tends to go by Munroe or Michael throughout this book) maintains her edge. She is always on guard even when in her form of relaxation. I want to know how she and Bradford first met and how she became how she is. It's an exhausting book to read, but it is superb reading how Munroe takes in her surroundings and does what she does. She adapts and blends in and protects. show more
Definite recommend. show less

After her most recent adventures, Michael is looking forward to "normalcy" with Bradford whom she meets in Japan while he is working a job. After only a couple weeks, Michael begins asking to work with him. Yet, as he gets closer to powerful forces, instead of enlisting her help, Bradford continues to go solo, so when things do blow up, Munroe finds herself angry and alone as she tries to fix the situation.
Much like the rest of the series books, there is plenty of action, but with a bit more introspection as Munroe contemplates her betrayal by Miles and what lengths she is still willing to go to to save him.