12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic third book in the series. Dark but with a great romance., Feb 26 2011
By Reviewer Aus - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Deadly Lies (Mass Market Paperback)
Do yourself a favour and read Deadly Fear before you read this one. While Deadly Lies could easily stand up on its own, the traumatic incident at the heart of heroine Samantha Kennedy's story took place in the first book of the series.
I've loved every instalment of Cynthia Eden's dark, twisted and romantic `Deadly' series. She writes fantastic romantic suspense and never shies away from the deeper, darker aspects of her stories. If the bad guys make threats you can be guaranteed they mean them. This isn't prettied-up suspense just so we can read about the relationships, and it's so much better for that.
This one's a little different to the first two in the series, as the hero, Max Ridgeway, is not a member of the FBI's elite team for catching serials (killers, rapists, arsonists). Sam is an FBI agent, but more at home working at a desk than in the field. In the first book a killer who preyed upon people's worst fears got his hands on her, and when she first meets up with Max her plan is for nothing more than casual sex in an attempt to recapture her confidence.
However from the outset it's about more than that for both of them. They're forced to stick together after Max's stepbrother becomes one of a string of young men with rich fathers who are kidnapped for colossal ransoms.
As with Eden's other books you never know quite what is going to happen next. She doesn't play it safe, and there are twists and turns up until the very end. And boy does she ever love beating up her characters!
Another small but significant thing was that the heroine wore glasses/contacts. I was only recently wondering why all heroes and heroines come with 20/20 vision, when in reality there're heaps upon heaps of people who don't. Now we just need the occasional hero with glasses and the world will be perfect!
I felt the author did a good job of pulling off the relationship development during a time where the characters were traumatised and under great pressure. It's hard to know when it's `appropriate' for characters to get together when so many things are going wrong. Maybe once or twice it felt a little forced for the relationship to come into focus.
Luke and Monica from book one have fairly prominent roles in this one, which is another reason I'd recommend you read their story first.
I haven't been disappointed by this series, and every `Deadly' book has been a five star read for me. Cynthia Eden is one of the best romantic suspense writers you'll find.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Deadly Indeed, Mar 14 2011
By Kelly Moran "Author and Reviewer" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Deadly Lies (Mass Market Paperback)
Award-winning author Cynthia Eden writes paranormal romances and romantic suspense novels. She is currently very busy writing her stories for Grand Central Publishing and Kensington Brava. She has always wanted to write, and particularly enjoys creating stories about monsters, vampires, werewolves, and even the real-life monsters that populate her romantic suspense stories. Cynthia graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Alabama where she studied Sociology and Communication. Cynthia has worked as a college admissions counselor, a teacher, and as an editor. Other titles include: Eternal Hunter, Midnight Sins, and Hotter After Midnight.
FBI Special Agent Samantha Kennedy is still haunted by her past. On a previous case for the Serial Services Division, she was abducted and forced to endure her worst fear by a mad man. Her fellow agents aren't sure she's ready to return yet, so she pretends to be a more confident and completely in control woman. In an attempt to keep the darkness at bay, she shares an unbridled passion with a handsome stranger. But personal and professional lines are crossed when successful entrepreneur Max Ridgeway's brother is the next in a line of kidnappings targeting rich families. Some victims have returned with scars, some have returned in pieces. The attraction between Max and Sam is undeniable, but neither is who they seem. Yet they must trust each other to work this case of deadly lies or Samantha's nightmares will become all to real... again.
This is the third book in the SSD series with Deadly Fear and Deadly Heat coming before. Though part of a series, these are stand alone reads. I didn't find this book near as haunting and powerful as the first two, but nonetheless it was a stellar read. Mostly in part because of the author's detail to post traumatic stress syndrome and working it into the plotline for her heroine.
After reading all three books in this series, what stands out most memorable to me is the epilogues, told through the point of view of Hyde, the head of SSD. He has his own traumatic past and reasons for joining this division of the FBI, which we learn little by little at the end of every book. I don't know if this is the last book in the series or not, but I hope not for several reasons, especially Hyde's.
As with all Cynthia's books, she spins a web of lies, murder, and deceit so deep you must keep reading or succumb to insomnia. The secondary characters are essential and interesting, the plot is fast-paced, the romance hot, and the setting vivid. Recommended.
Kelly Moran
Author and Reviewer
Bookpleasures
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Truly chilling villians, Feb 28 2011
By Nils - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Deadly Lies (Mass Market Paperback)
This is my second book by Cynthia Eden, and while I love her writing, her villians are truly terrible. SuperBad, Ultra scary. The first book, Deadly Fear, was very well done, but the serial killer in that one was so horrifying in his method (and madness, for that matter) that I know I will never reread it. Because of that book, I was eager to read Sam's book, since she really seemed like an interesting character.
Which she was, and I adored Max and liked this book a lot. But again, the villians in this story were so bad that it kind of overshadowed the romance. Still, it was a page turner. If you're looking for romantic suspense heavy on the suspense, and don't mind being bummed out by the bad side of human nature a little, excellent book.