Gone Too Far

Gone Too Far
4 Stars

Six months after the terrorist attack at the Coronado base, Lieutenant Sam Starret arrives in Sarasota to collect divorce papers from his ex only to find a decomposing body in her house and his daughter gone. With the investigation more focused on him than finding Hayley, Sam and FBI agent Alyssa Locke reluctanly join forces in the search.

This time around the storyline is set primarily in the present and the WWII thread is minor even though the details surrounding the attitudes toward the Tuskegee Airment are compelling. The present day plots focus on Sam and Alyssa's second chances romance, FBI negotiator Max Bhagat and former hostage Gina Vitagliano's doomed attempts to move on from their past, and updates on Tom show more Paoletti and Kelly Ashton's relationship.

While Sam and Alyssa's story has been a long time coming and their happiness is well-deserved, there are times when their bickering and deliberate goading of one another becomes tiresome. It is almost as if they thrive on their conflict and misunderstandings.

In contrast, Max and Gina's tug-of-war relationship is a highlight. Max struggles with his feelings for Gina, and it is great watching the stoic leader brought to his knees by a slip of a girl with more resilience and determination than all of SEAL Team 16.

The issue of Tom and Kelly's endlessly pending nuptials are also resolved albeit with some heartwrenching scenes, and even Mary Lou gets her HEA even though her character is still intensely unlikable.

This installment brings to an end the ongoing arc from the past few books although there are new directions for many of the characters. The next book appears to focus on a completely new couple and I look forward to seeing how Brockmann merges the new Troubleshooters into the already established atmosphere of the series. show less

Wow. This one was a non-stop rollercoaster ride of a book! All the major plot points left somewhat dangling from the last Troubleshooters book (and a few from some earlier ones) were resolved, and a whole lot of things finally came together. The WWII-era story this time dealt with two groups who don't get nearly enough recognition--the Women Airforce Service Pilots and the Tuskegee Airmen--nice touch; I really like how each book in the series features a story from that era yet they are all so different. Gone Too Far has a bit of a bittersweet ending--some situations had gone too far (pun not *entirely* intended) for them to go back to normal, but there is still hope for the future in the end. I'm anxiously awaiting my next Audible show more credits so I can download book seven! show less

This book made me so giddy with happiness I would give it 6 stars if I could! (The extra star would be for living up to every one of my hopes and expectations for Alyssa and Sam's story. Rarely is the hope so well fulfilled!)

SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT:

Loved the Alyssa and Sam resolution so, so much, and was happily surprised by the bonus Tom/Kelly and Max/Gina storylines. I also enjoyed the flashback storyline, both in the way it continued with the WWII theme from the other Troubleshooter books and in how it supported Sam's backstory. Which was beyond wonderful, as far as I was concerned. After leaving me a little wanting in #5, I was also really happy with how the Mary Lou story evolved--a complete and welcome surprise. I hope we get show more to see more of her as a secondary character in future books.

Oh, and the brand new Paoletti Security Agency? I am so on board. show less

Finally Sam and Alyssa's story. I do like Sam but have always found Alyssa to be too whiny for my tastes. She does okay here. I was surprised at how much I liked MaryLou's story. One of the best things about Suzanne Brockmann is how each of the men are clearly separate people. Alyssa is tough and a good operator. She has just strung Sam along so long that I got tired of her.

Gone Too Far takes place about six months after the events in the previous book, Into the Night. I think readers unfamiliar with that book will struggle to catch up in this one. For fans who've been eagerly waiting for the steamy, antagonistic, on-again off-again relationship between Navy SEAL Sam Starrett and FBI agent Alyssa Locke to reach its culmination, the wait is finally over.

Sam is going to Florida to work out a child custody agreement with ex-wife, Mary Lou. When he arrives he discovers a dead body, presumably Mary Lou, but there's no sign of his daughter, Haley. Meanwhile, Alyssa has been tasked with finding and arresting Sam for murder.

The Troubleshooters books are kind of unique in that they have multiple POV characters, and show more more than one story arc going on. I don’t think it’s a series one can easily pick up in the middle and understand. Traditionally there is a main story, in this case Sam and Alyssa. There's usually a teaser couple that will be featured in a future book. Here it is Max and Gina. There's a plot line featuring Sam's boss, SEAL Lt. Tom Paoletti and his fiancee, Kelly, who were in the first book of the series and are in some legal trouble themselves. Finally, Sam’s Uncle Walt and Aunt Dot are featured in flashbacks. Walt was one of the Tuskegee Airmen and he and Dot found love during segregation and Jim Crow.

I wasn't much of a fan of the Sam/Alyssa story but I ended up liking Sam much more in this book, probably because we get to know him better. I always enjoy the WWII backstory and can't wait to get to the future book featuring Max and Gina. Overall, much more enjoyable than I expected. show less

Sam's story - overly long at 18 hr 41 mins, but wow - I was looking forward to his book, and this is unexpected and revealing about this navy seal, as all the seal's story in this Troubleshooters series all turn out to be. I came to Suzanne Brockmann after reading Linda Howard. Two authors who excel at the romantic suspense genre. But the deep humour embedded in Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooter series is incomparably satisfying! If you know of another like it, readers, please send me your recommendations!

My favourite of the series so far. I loved all the characters and was pleased to see less of the WW2 subplots I usually have to skip over. The pace is relentless. I can't remember the last time I read a book in 24 hours before this one, but there I was up 'til all hours unable to put it down. It's almost like it was the final book of a series and the action just exploded. I guess it is in a way, as after this one, Team 16 appears less frequently. Word of advice, make sure you read the books in order. This one in particular will be lose you if you read it as a stand alone.