My low rating is due to the fact that this book not only is one in a continuing series (a "Shades of Death" novel), but that it is a continuation of a story that ends 24 HOURS BEFORE this one begins. That is, the events of this novel pick up IMMEDIATELY after the events of its predecessor end. As a result, this is not at all a stand-alone book, and 50 pages into it I had to give up, as the exposition had still at that point not been completely established. The characters, like Bobbie, Weller, Nick, LeDoux, et al, their various relationships to each other, as well as the motives for their actions, and plot points, all depend on the reader's foreknowledge of the previous book, which, if you have not read it, will make this one confusing and uninteresting, despite the backstory the author provides. I just could not make it past 50 pages because of this. A reader who is familiar with this story and history would probably enjoy this, however. A word about modern suspense thrillers: unfortunately, as with the modern horror film trend, I find contemporary thrillers like this more in the venue of torture porn than suspense. Machetes hacking up people's bodies are just not of interest.. Thank you to the author and publisher for a review copy. ( )