Web of Deceit / Susan Sleeman (Agents Under Fire, Book 1)
Howard Books ISBN 9781476717869
Adult Rating: 4
Susan Sleeman kicks off a new contemporary romantic suspense series featuring 3 female FBI agents in a special cybercrime unit. This is a general market book, not specifically Christian fiction (although the author has published primarily in the Christian market over the years).
In Web of Deceit, three years have passed since FBI Agent Kaitlyn Knight tried to arrest Vyper, a cyber-criminal who murdered Kaitlyn’s sister in front of her, leaving Kaitlyn to raise her motherless niece. She is about to give up hope of tracking down her sister’s killer — who happens to be her brother-in-law. But Vyper begins a killing spree that makes it clear that he is back. He wants revenge for missing years of his daughter’s life and to make Kait suffer.
Meanwhile, homicide detective Sam Murdock works with Kait to solve the murders. The killer uses cybercrimes and gruesome murders to enact his plan of revenge on Kait and to regain custody of his daughter. Sam has some secrets in his past that affect his impartiality with this case and a possible future with Kait. Will he be able to protect Kait and her niece? Will they be able to find the killer before he strikes again?
Sleeman does an excellent job of creating tension and believeable characters in this fast-paced book of romantic suspense. However, there is no obvious faith element. Kait believes in God but that is the extent of it. Told more from the killer’s point of view, Web of Deceit is a clean read (no sex or profanity), but it does contain gritty violence as the serial killer is quite twisted (mentally unstable and shows no remorse). Still it is an interesting book as Kait and Sam try to unravel the clues in both the cybercrimes and murders. Look for book 2, Web of Shadows to be released in December 2015.
Recommended for public libraries.
Carol R. Gehringer
Worthy 2 Read 