An Eye For an Eye

After he accidentally shoots a teenager at a tense standoff, FBI Hostage Rescue Team member Mark Sanders is sent to St. Louis to work as a field agent and get his bearings while the bad press starts to settle. Just weeks away from returning to Quantico to resume his work on the HRT, Mark has a chance encounter with an old flame, Emily Lawson. But their reunion is cut short by a sniper. Now Mark must find the shooter before he tries to strike again. But what is his motive–and who was his intended target? Can Mark put the pieces together, keep Emily safe, and rekindle a long-dead relationship at the same time?

A fast-paced tale of romance, suspense, and intrigue, An Eye for an Eye is the exciting second installment in the Heroes of Quantico series.

My Review:

published in 2009

I’m really enjoying the pacing and plotting of these ‘retro’ suspense novels. There’s more breathing space for a relationship to develop and the slow build in the mystery feels more suspenseful.

A sniper takes a shot at two people out for their morning run — but which one is the target? We get the occasional villain POV which gradually reveals all, but full disclosure takes a while and I was on tenterhooks trying to figure it all out. And what a high stakes meet-cute — and reunion of teenage sweethearts! A random meeting in the park that nearly turns deadly. The set up for this novel is soooooo good!

The solid suspense plot doesn’t move too quickly and we’re party to the inner workings of an FBI investigation — some of it ho hum tedious and very true to life. (Not that the reading was tedious — but this isn’t a series of relentless attacks kind of suspense which is more typical of today’s plots.) Love the give and take among the investigative team — especially the good-natured ribbing which lightens the darker moments.

And the romance — a second chance twenty years later that starts with friendship. So many wonderful getting reacquainted moments which include some frank discussions on faith and feelings and expectations. Reminded me of early Dee Henderson novels (O’Malley’s.)

Thrilling from start to finish. I enjoyed this second read of ‘An Eye for an Eye’ as much as the first.