"Fast-paced story of vengenance!"
Ex-FBI agent now consultant, Sloane Burbank and her
boyfriend FBI agent Derek Parker have finally decided to
move in together in Sloane's cottage in New Jersey. They're
staying in Derek's tiny New York apartment until the
weekend, when they plan on moving the rest of Derek's
things to her cottage. Even Sloane's three dachshunds are
anxious to get back home, but Derek is doing his best, even
going out jogging with "the hounds" as Sloane calls them.
Now that they're finally back together again, neither one
of them intends on doing anything to jeopardize their
relationship. Until Sloane gets a call from her father. Turns out her
mother is in the hospital after surprising burglars in
their apartment. The fact her father requests that Sloane
comes alone raises all kinds of red flags, but Sloane
respects his wishes and manages to leave without Derek.
When she gets there and sits down with her father, the
story he tells her throws her for a loop. See, Sloane's dad
is an art dealer and he's got partners in his business.
Back when they were starting out, they managed to acquire a
painting and sold it in Hong Kong. When three of the five
partners went to collect their money from the man they sold
the painting to, they saw—clearly—a man come out of the
office with the painting. They also saw the man they sold
the painting to dead, leading them to the conclusion they
were witnesses to a murder. All of them agreed to say
nothing and go back to their lives. Not that long ago,
Sloane's dad saw the murderer in New York and when his home
was burglarized, the files on that particular painting were
stolen with a fortune cookie left on top of the empty file
folder. Since Sloane still has her license to practice law
in New York—she was an assistant DA before she joined the
FBI—her dad retains her. Now comes the tricky part. Derek
works for C-6 in the New York FBI Office—the task force
which deals with Asian Criminal Enterprise—and Sloane knows
what her father has told her should be reported to Derek,
however, her father has asked her not to say anything. One thing leads to another and eventually, Sloane's father
ends up being contacted by the FBI, along with his
partners. So in exchange for the information her father and
his partners have, Sloane will be a part of the
investigation. Not that Derek is happy with this, for
Sloane's mother ends up being kidnapped by a thug working
for the head of a gang Derek is investigating. Before her
mother manages to escape, the thug tells her he has been
ordered to kill her. Now Derek knows the gang will go after
Sloane as well. Will Sloane and Derek be able to maintain their
relationship during the investigation? Will Sloane be able
to follow Derek's orders as Lead Investigator? Will they be
able to figure everything out before any of the partners
are killed? Who is behind all this? Why? DRAWN IN BLOOD is a thrilling ride of secrets and revenge.
Andrea Kane is a master of suspense and proves her talent
with this exceedingly fast-paced story. There are secrets,
a suicide, Asian gangs and a father's need for revenge with
the resources to achieve it and the perfect henchman to
carry it out. Add in Sloane, a woman injured in the line of
duty and wanting more than anything to be back in the FBI,
plus Derek, a pure Alpha male who wants a future with
Sloane, and we come up with a story that kept me reading
way beyond my bedtime. I was there right along with Sloane
as she kept trying to find new leads to keep her parents
safe. I was right there with Derek as he had to do things
he knew would hurt Sloane to get to the truth. And the
ending was just perfect. A masterfully written tale and one
I highly recommend.
Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Posted October 11, 2009
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Former FBI Special Agent Sloane Burbank has seen her share of danger. She's faced down a serial killer and survived life-threatening injuries . . . but she never expected that danger to invade the lives of her family. . . . Then her mother is viciously attacked in the posh Manhattan apartment her parents share and it quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary robbery. The thieves were too clever, too knowledgeable, and so obviously after something of her father's. But what could a respected art dealer have done to merit such violence? When a mysterious message is left for him, Sloane knows her father's in over his head. Determined to find out the truth, Sloane discovers a deadly secret buried in his past that has made him the target of a power-hungry mobster with a lethal agenda and nothing to lose. Sloane is desperate to save her father, but to do so she must hold on to secrets of her own—especially from FBI Special Agent Derek Parker, the man she has grown to love deeply. She knows she must tell him everything, but how can she betray her father's confidence? Can a couple who's faced so much survive this ultimate test of trust? Will they survive at all? As the decades-old secret claims the lives of her father's oldest friends and the killer closes in on him, Sloane finds herself in foreign territory: alone, facing escalating personal danger, and hunting a moving target in a world where memories are long and loyalties are drawn in blood. Genre: Mystery, Thriller
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