Book Review - Unknown Threat by Lynn Blackburn

 

 

Unknown Threat by Lynn Blackburn is about two U.S. Secret Service agents who are racing against the clock to find out who is murdering their fellow agents.  US Secret Service Special Agent Luke Powell was on a run with a colleague when they were attacked. Luke barely made it out alive and his partner is in critical care.  Luke’s attack has been one in a series of attacks against his colleagues. In the past ten weeks, three of his fellow agents had died in unusual circumstances. 

Luke is shattered by the death and loss of his friends. He feels that it’s his personal mission to find the killer and find justice for his colleagues.  Luke feels helpless that he can’t protect the people he loves, especially since they are good people who have spent their lives protecting others.

FBI Special Agent Faith Malone is driven and ambitious. She is confident that she will solve every case that she is assigned. However, when she is put in charge of the investigation of the attacks on Secret Service agents, she is worried that as she and Luke get to know each other on professional and personal levels, it raises stakes higher than any of her previous cases.

Faith and Luke have worked together before but he doesn’t feel that Faith is the right person for the job. He feels that his department should be handling the investigation since the attacks seem to be targeting his team. Faith feels that Luke is hiding secrets that could jeopardize the investigation and cause more people to get hurt. As more people they love are targeted, will Faith and Luke be able to put their disagreements aside and work together?

The book was a quick read. It was interesting to try and guess who the killer was and their motives behind the attacks. There weren't many clues and the story did feel slow at times. However, the ending seemed a bit weird to me and I thought the motive was a bit far-fetched. The romance element between the two characters felt a bit flat. There wasn’t much chemistry or cute moments between the two characters. I might read a few more books by this author but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get them.

 

Book Review - A History of Burning by Janika Oza

A History of Burning by Janika Oza is an epic saga that shows the influence of how one event can affect generations to come.  In 1898, Pirbhai was a young impoverished teenage boy who was desperately looking for work to provide for his family.  He came across a merchant that promises him work that will help feed his family.  Little did Pirbhai know that would be working for the British on the East African Railway and that it would be years before he could see his family again. Pirbhai arrives in Africa and realizes that he has to put his morals aside if he wants to survive. He commits a brutal act in the name of survival that will haunt him and his loved ones for years to come.

Pirbhai meets a young woman, Sonal, while looking for work after leaving the railway company. Sonal’s family decides that Sonal and Pirbhai should marry and leave so they can find work somewhere else to send money back home to help provide for her family. Pirbhai and his wife move to Uganda to start a new life together. Their children are born during the tumultuous days of the waning British colonial rule. The country is moving towards independence from the British along with the countrymen pushing out the Asian people that the British brought.

Pirbhai’s daughters come of age during the time when the nation is divided. His eldest daughter, Latika is an aspiring journalist. She is willing to stop at nothing to defend what she believes in even if it puts her loved ones in danger. His middle daughter, Mayuri, has left Uganda to pursue becoming a medical doctor in India. She was hesitant to put her ambitions before her family and leave the country. His youngest fearless daughter, Kiya, is burdened by keeping her and her family’s secrets.

In 1972, Idi Amin’s military dictatorship passed a mandate that required all Asian families to leave the country or face dire consequences. The entire family is forced to flee and ends up in different parts of the world from each other. Will they be able to find their way to each other?

The book is told from across multiple perspectives and generations throughout the twentieth century. We are able to see how one decision made by Pirbhai shaped the lives of his kin. I thought the book was an interesting and spell binding read. As it was told from multiple perspectives, it was hard trying to keep track of the different narratives and how they related to the story.

There were times that I felt that the story dragged and then there were times I wish more details were given. We learn how Pirbhai ends up in Africa and commits a sinful act but then some time passes before he crosses paths with Sonal. I wish they mentioned why he left and why he lost a part of his finger.  It seems that he became a shell of a person between the two events occurring. The ending was a bit ambiguous and I wish they told us if the two characters did connect in the end.

The books had themes of forgiveness, finding a place to call home, how far someone would go for something they believe in and starting over. It was interesting seeing the role “fire” played in each character’s life and how they had their own moment of reckoning.

Book Review - The Furies by Katie Lowe

Photo Credit - Amazon

Violet is nervous on her first day at the all-girls Elm Hollow Academy boarding school. It's her second chance to have a fresh start in the midst of a family tragedy.  Desperate to fit in, Violet finds herself joining a group of girls who are considered outsiders. She soon finds herself in an advanced study group with the other girls, leads by her mysterious art teacher, Annabel.

The group studies mythology and Greek and Celtic legends but, also the school's own gruesome history.  Annabel tries to teach the girls that class is about learning history and mythology and not about magic. However, this doesn't stop the girls from trying to get their hands on some spells. 

Together, they try to harness the power of magic for themselves. They find themselves wrapped up in power they never had before. When a violent incident occurs, Violet finds herself feeling defenseless. When her friends' actions take a turn for the darker, Violet finds herself conflicted.

I thought this novel was going to be about a group of girls who were using magic to get their way. Instead, I am not sure what this novel is. I have a few mixed feelings about it and I am still not entirely sure if I enjoyed the novel. I was reminded of Emma Cline's "The Girls" (which I was also in-between with). I didn't really feel like the book came together in a cohesive and enjoyable way for me. I didn't really care for any of the main characters and thought they didn't really face any consequences. While I didn't really love this novel, I am open to reading other books by the author.

 **Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - The Fifth Petal: A Novel by Brunonia Barry

Photo Credit - Amazon

On Halloween night, a young teenage boy named Billy Barnes, dies mysteriously. John Rafferty, the newest Salem's chief of police is called to investigate the death. As John investigates the death of Billy, there has been alarming similarities of his death and the town's infamous cold case called "the Goddess Murders".  When the only survivor for the "Goddess Murders" return to Salem, John must rely on Callie Cahill's help to find the murder. What is the connection between "The Goddess Murders" and Billy? What role does Callie play in the murders? Will the  murderer strike again?

The novel is the second book in the Lace Reader collection. However, each book can be read as a standalone and I have not read "Lace Reader" yet. The novel is brilliantly written and keeps reader engage in this magical "whodunit".  However, I felt that the novel had a lot of fluff and minute details that could have been left out and certain parts of the story was just brushed over that could have used more details. A definite good read but I felt was unnecessary too long.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**