Running Out of Time - Cindi Myers (HI #196 - July 2020)

Series: Tactical Crime Division (Book 4)

When a terrorist is on the loose, the Tactical Crime Division is on the case.

To find out who poisoned medications, two of TCD's agents are tapped to go undercover posing as a married couple and infiltrate the company. But as soon as Jace Cantrell and Laura Smith arrive at Stroud Pharmaceuticals, someone ups the ante by planting explosives in their midst. Turns out that the small-town family business is hiding a million secrets. Could they unknowingly be protecting a vengeful killer?

Terrific mix of suspense and romance. A pharmaceutical company in West Virginia is the victim of product tampering and the TCD is sent to investigate. In addition to the public team that is sent, Jace and Laura are sent undercover as a married couple. Laura will be the admin assistant to one of the executives while Jace will work on the floor of the factory. Neither of them is especially happy about the assignment as they don't get along very well.

I enjoyed the interactions between Jace and Laura. The tension between them at the beginning was evident. Laura is very much a by-the-book agent while Jace tends to be a little more creative in his approach. Laura thinks Jace is a loose cannon and Jace thinks Laura is wound too tight. Both will deal with their dislike to catch the killer. I loved watching the changes they went through as they were forced into close proximity. On the professional side, there were several occasions when Laura saw the benefits of working outside the box. On the personal side, the development of their relationship was fun to watch. Previously they only saw each other as fellow agents, but living together gave them a whole different outlook. The sparks of antagonism that flew before now turned to sparks of passion. Jace notices Laura's long legs and softer appearance when she is dressed casually. Laura gets quite a surprise when she gets a look at Jace in a wet shirt. The more time they spend together, the stronger those sparks grow and the closer they get. As the case nears its end, both Laura and Jace have to decide what will happen with their relationship. A close call at the end opens their eyes to what they really want.

The suspense of the story was fantastic. It opened with a bang, literally, as a bomb detonated at the factory soon after Jace and Laura started their new jobs. Jace and Laura look for motive and opportunity from within the factory while the rest of the team looks at the broader picture of who might have a grudge against the owners or the company. There are multiple options for suspects and with each new attack, the number seems to grow. When a note is found that says "two down, four to go" the TCD is determined to find the killer before anyone else dies. The tension grew as the team closed in on the culprit. I was on the edge of my seat as my suspicions grew about one person. The final confrontation was very much a mind game between the killer and the agents until Jace figured it out. Then it was a race against time to save the last target. 

Midnight Abduction - Nichole Severn (HI #1930 - June 2020)

Series: Tactical Crime Division (Book 3)

For the Tactical Crime Division, no case is left cold.

When Benning Reeves's twins are kidnapped, the frantic father knows who can help: the Tactical Crime Division and Ana Ramirez. Even though Ana once shattered Benning's heart, the special agent is the only one he can trust. But Ana is still tormented by the unresolved case that brought them together years before -- a case somehow entangled with Benning's children. It's up to the TCD and Ana to discover why…before it's too late.

Fast-paced suspense along with a second chance romance. The story opens as Benning's twin children, Owen and Olivia, are kidnapped from their home. Benning has something that the kidnapper wants, and the children are his insurance to get it. For some reason, the kidnapper quickly releases Olivia, but keeps Owen. Desperate to get his children back, Benning contacts the FBI and requests the only person he trusts to help him - Agent Ana Ramirez. He and Ana were a couple seven years earlier, but when the case she was working on ended badly, Ana walked away from Benning.

In the past seven years, Ana has acquired an impressive record of finding missing and kidnapped people. She has a laser-like focus on doing everything needed to find those victims. Ana is driven by the memory of her failure years before and blames herself for allowing her feelings for Benning to distract her from her job. Since that time she has kept people at a distance and keeping her emotions out of her work. She is stunned when she discovers that her new assignment is to recover Benning's son.

This story is action-packed from the beginning. The bad guy desperately wants the item that Benning found during one of his inspections and will do anything to get it. Things get complicated when Benning discovers that the item is no longer where he left it. It seems that every time Benning and Ana get a lead on how to find either Owen or the item, the bad guy is right there to stop them. They survive shootings, fires, explosions, stabbings, blows to the head, and just about any other injury imaginable while refusing to give in until they find Owen. As the case progresses, it also becomes evident that the bad guy has something personal against Ana, and it has something to do with the unsolved case from seven years earlier. By the time the final confrontation came, I was on the edge of my seat wondering how Ana would get out of it alive. The identity of the bad guy was a shock.

I enjoyed the rekindling of the relationship between Benning and Ana. It is obvious from the start that the sparks between them are as strong as ever. Ana is still consumed by guilt over letting her relationship with Benning distract her from that earlier case and tries very hard to keep Benning at a distance. Benning realizes early on that his feelings for Ana are just as strong as they were before, but getting past Ana's defenses won't be easy. Her journey to forgiving herself wasn't an easy one, and the final step came from an unexpected source. With that, Ana is now able to allow her love for Benning show. The ending was sweet, with Owen and Olivia joining Benning in a surprise for Ana.

 

Secret Investigation - Elizabeth Heiter (HI #1923 - May 2020)

Series: Tactical Crime Division (Book 2)

In the wake of a tragedy,

the Tactical Crime Division is the first call.

When ironclad body armor inexplicably fails and soldiers perish, the Tactical Crime Division jumps into action. Agent and former ranger Davis Rogers asks to go undercover to find the traitor responsible for the death of one of his friends, and Petrov Armor CEO Leila Petrov is happy to provide access to her company…especially once she discovers she's being framed. But will their joint efforts be enough to uncover the truth?

Fantastic story that gripped me from the first page to the last. FBI agent Davis Rogers was devastated to learn of the death of a friend of his when her unit's body armor failed. When he learns that his team will investigate the manufacturer, he wants in on the assignment. He is determined to bring the traitor to justice.

CEO Leila Petrov was horrified to discover that her company's armor had failed so badly. She is more than willing to give Davis unlimited access during his undercover operation. She is also determined to be part of the investigation.

Sparks flew between Leila and Davis from the beginning. Part of it was Davis's certainty that someone at Petrov was a traitor against Leila's refusal to believe that anyone at her company would do something so heinous. The other part was the attraction that flared between them. Unlike some romantic suspense stories, both Davis and Leila are aware of the complications that could arise if they give in to their attraction. I liked the way that they got to know each other, admitted to their feelings, yet still managed to keep things professional between them. There was a little trouble with trust between them near the end when they butted heads over the likely suspects. Both had to take a good look at whether love could overcome those momentary lapses. I liked seeing them come together at the end, ready to move toward a future with each other.

The suspense of the story was fantastic. Davis is driven to discover the truth behind his friend's death. Leila will do anything she can to prevent any more deaths. Leila is working at a slight disadvantage, having only recently taken over as CEO from her father. Some employees feel she isn't up to the job, especially after she ended their weapon manufacturing to concentrate solely on armor production. As the investigation progressed, Davis and his team discovered that the problem was much bigger than they suspected. The more they learn, the narrower the suspect pool becomes. The number of twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. Every time I thought I knew who it was, something would point to someone else. Then someone else would move to the top of the list, then back to the first person. I was a little disappointed in Davis because I thought that he allowed his personal feelings to influence him a little more than he should have regarding one suspect. The final confrontation was intense, with an unexpected resolution.

There was also a secondary part of the investigation pursued by Kane, the undercover specialist, and Melinda, the profiler. Kane is a loner, as most undercover operatives are, and doesn't appreciate being paired with Melinda, who sees him more clearly than he likes. There are sparks between them, in equal parts antagonism and attraction. Both of them make mistakes that nearly get them killed. It will be interesting to see if they show up again in later books.

48 Hour Lockdown - Carla Cassidy (HI #1970 - Apr 2020)

Series: Tactical Crime Division (Book 1)

The Tactical Crime Division -- TCD -- is a specialized unit of the FBI. They handle the toughest cases in the most remote locations.

When TCD learns of a school invasion turned lockdown, every agent is ready to engage. With children in jeopardy, the stakes couldn't be higher. But it becomes personal for hostage negotiator agent Evan Duran when he learns Annalise Taylor is one of the captives holed up with the students in a school for the gifted. He'll need every resource available at TCD and every ounce of his expertise to turn this disastrous situation into a rescue mission -- and if he succeeds, maybe reunite with the woman he never stopped loving.

This was a good second chance romance combined with an intense suspense story. Annalise is a teacher at a school for gifted, underprivileged children. As the story opens, she and three students are doing some afterschool computer work. Their activities are interrupted when the school is invaded by a cult leader and several of his followers. It develops into a hostage situation when the rapid police response traps them in the school.

Evan is a hostage negotiator with the Tactical Crime Division. He is very good at what he does, and is ready to go when he hears about the lockdown. When he learns that children are involved, he knows that the stakes are high. But when he learns that Annalise is one of the hostages, the situation becomes personal.

Evan and Annalise have a history together. They were a couple for two years, then three years ago Annalise left Evan, breaking his heart. He thought their love was strong, and had no idea why she left. Though Evan thinks he is over her, it is obvious from the start that he still cares. When Annalise hears his voice, it gives her hope that the situation will be resolved successfully. As the story progresses through the lockdown and the kidnapping that follows it, the time that Evan and Annalise spend together stirs up the old emotions. A little bit older and wiser, both of them take the time to talk about what went wrong before. When Annalise learns about Evan's tragic past, it gives her insight into the issues that caused their breakup. She also has the confidence to push back against Evan when she needs to. Evan is warier. He's not sure that he wants to give his heart to her again and risk having it broken again. I loved his "aha" moment as he realized where he had gone wrong and how it opened his heart to trying again.

The suspense of the story was intense from beginning to end. The cult leader, Jacob, was one scary man. His actions during the lockdown kept the tension high from the moment it started. His refusal to talk to Evan made Evan's job even harder. I was very impressed with Annalise's ability to stay calm and her cleverness in finding a way to use her cellphone to contact Evan. The longer the lockdown went on, the harder it was to see a successful resolution. I loved the courage of the little girl, Sadie, especially when she interacted with Jacob. The rescue operation was a nail-biter and didn't go as well as they planned, when Jacob and his wife escaped and took Sadie with them. I loved the teamwork of the TCD, and how Annalise was a big part of that team. It was fascinating to follow the thoughts and procedures that went into Sadie's rescue. There were several twists, including the realization that there was someone on the inside working against the good guys. The final confrontation with Jacob was intense and led to the unmasking of the insider.