Safety info, content warnings and tropes down below.

I freaking love suspense novels, especially with law enforcement. It has been forever since I read one without a romance as well as a suspense plot though. Usually I need both to keep me invested (and I simply love romance), but this was really engaging and interesting. I was invested throughout the book and enjoyed it a lot.

It’s always more intense when a main character’s child is involved, and I loved exploring the MC’s struggle between reacting as a mom and staying professional through trauma. Sandra is a really badass main character; a crisis negotiator for the FBI. Although this isn’t a romance, she does have a lovely boyfriend/partner who supports her.

The narrator — Kathryn Akin — did a really good job with the story and all the emotional and suspenseful moments.

This works great as a standalones as there’s no cliffhanger or unsolved plot, but I might pick up the next one whenever it’s out anyway.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio ARC.

Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️

⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
FBI negotiator
Single mom
Teenage daughter
Crisis negotiation
Suspense
Divorced MC
Action
Mystery thriller

⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Death of sibling (past, child murder)
Mention of parent deaths (past)
Parent with Alzheimer’s
Parent suicide (past, few details)
Hostage situation (unknown hostages)
Gun violence
POV chapter from intoxicated bad guy
Alcohol consumption
Death of hostage
MC’s teenage daughter abducted
Teenager held captive
Teenager drugged on page (chloroform)
Teenager injured on page (hit)
Side character murdered on page
Sexual harassment (forced to strip)
Suicide bombing — successful
Underage drinking

⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, multi
Genre: Mystery thriller
Pairing: M/F
Strict roles or versatile: N/A
Main characters’ age: 47
Series: Series, standalone
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 348
Happy ending: Yes