A bomb threat at the New York County Supreme Court changes meeting plans for FBI Special Agent Daniela "Dani" Vega and her supervisor, SAC Steve Wu of the New York Counterterrorism Division. Hours later, she’ll be undercover as Nicola "Nikki" Corazón with recently captured assassin Gustavo Toro. Wu will partner leadership with Detective First Grade Mark Flint with the NYPD Major Case Squad, guiding the team from the Joint Operations Center at 26 Fed. A former Army Ranger, Dani will be using all her military and law enforcement training if she is to save herself and Gustavo from the unexpected twists and turns of the undercover assignment.

From the moment Dani received the phone call from her supervisor changing the intended morning meeting schedule, the action and suspense never stop. Political implications, conspiracy, revenge, and multiple assassins are behind the intensity of the case's spider web. This time, justice may not prevail. The authenticity of the edge-of-your-seat suspense is compelling not only by the author’s writing style but validated in reading “About the Author."

In participating in the Kindle Summer Challenge, one challenge was reading a book by one of the featured Hispanic and Latino authors. I’m grateful for the Kindle Challenge as I don’t know that I would have independently discovered the author’s writing. If you read books on your #Kindle and have not yet participated, I encourage you to enjoy the challenge. Many of the titles offered on featured lists are available through Kindle Unlimited. Finding a must read author is the best motivation.

I’m looking forward to reading more of the series. ( )

Action-packed thriller pits an ex-Ranger against a criminal bent on revenge.

Dani Vega is currently an FBI agent working in New York when she sees an unusual assassination on the sidewalk. The dead man had political connections and soon the hit man has been turned into an informant and will need to work with Dani to uncover a wide-ranging conspiracy. Can Dani trust Toro? As they infiltrate a group of hired assassins to obtain the truth, they soon find themselves trapped in a game of survival.

I was not expecting the events and narrative that this book provided. For some reason, I was reminded of Hunger Games and Squid Games instead of the actual spy story that I was prepared for. It was fast-paced and easy to read with few surprises. I didn’t feel any tension or suspense and I doubt I’d reach for another in this series. The main character, Dani, was quite stereotypical of the genre — at least there was no romance.

Thank you to NetGaley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-book ARC to read and review. ( )

A Killer’s Game by Isabella Maldonado
Daniella Vega #1

Puzzles, codes, and games are right up Daniella “Dani” Vega’s alley ~ Her skillset is just what is required for this first book in a new series!

What I liked:
* Dani: intelligent, lethal, team player, leadership qualities, loves her brother and sister, retired Army Ranger, works for the FBI, strategic thinker, hero-qualities, looking forward to knowing more about her as the series progresses
* Her backstory and how it determined the profession she chose to follow
* The thought processes Dani used to successfully solve what needed to be done to move forward
* That the story, and Dani, grew on me – I have to admit it took awhile to get into the book and considered not finishing but am glad I read to the end as it all came together well
* Being able to easily visualize what was happening
* The fantasy gameplayer and TV-movie feel of the story – though it meant suspending belief more than a few times
* That at least one of the bad guys wasn’t totally evil
* Meeting the characters that will probably play parts in future books of the series – depending on what Nina’s next assignment is.
* Getting in on the ground level of a new series

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how twisted and evil some people can be

Did I enjoy this book? Eventually
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars ( )

A good page turner ( )

A KILLER'S GAME was an action-packed thriller starring Danielle Vega, a former Army Ranger turned FBI Agent. The case begins with the death of a Senator's Chief of Staff and ends in a former missile silo.

Vega sees a man kill the Chief of Staff and chases him. He eludes her. When a friend of the Chief of Staff comes with a letter he was to bring to the FBI if anything happened to his friend, the case becomes more complex. From a band of hired killers run by a former Army Colonel to a tech billionaire with a grudge to a corrupt Senator, the story is packed with a variety of characters.

Vega herself seems too good to be true. She's an elite soldier; she's a master strategist with the ability to solve all sorts of puzzles. She's also only been with the FBI for a matter of months. Yet she's the one for is assigned to go undercover with to find evidence to arrest the Senator.

If the reader is ready to suspend belief, the story was engaging and it certainly was packed with action. Fans of thrillers will enjoy it. ( )