Virginia P. (virginiajeanne) reviewed Deadly Encounter (FBI Task Force, Bk 1) on + 207 more book reviews
Veterinarian Stacy finds a dead man and an injured dog, which leads to meeting FBI agent Alex. Together, they try to solve the crime while the enemy is closing in. I thought this was a good book and rather suspenseful.
Suspense-filled FBI story with a sprinkling of romance
FBI Special Agent Alex LeBlanc and his partner respond to the case referred from Houston Police Department involving a drone found by veterinarian Stacy Broussard. Stacy was trying to be a positive influence in her increasingly dangerous neighborhood. She was also trying to adopt 12-year-old Whitt McMann.
I can't say that I liked Alex much at the beginning. He was understandably cautious because of a past relationship where he trusted a witness who turned out to be the culprit. Although we weren't told lots of details about that relationship, I still thought he treated Stacy poorly in the beginning just because of his overcompensation for the past. He eventually decided to trust Stacy but still didn't move quickly into a relationship with her, and I liked that aspect. By the end, I concluded he was an okay guy.
I liked Stacy. She committed to endeavors she believed in such as the airport patrols and the community carnival. She was dedicated to her work and loved her job. She was trying to give Whitt stability and support in the midst of his chaotic world, all while not overstepping her boundaries because she was not legally his guardian. I didn't fully understand the emotional distance between her and her parents, but I was glad to see them reconciling. Their love for and acceptance of Stacy and Whitt was beautiful.
Whitt was a character. At one point he was referred to as "little professor" because of his high IQ coming out in grown-up mannerism which were very contradictory to his age and size. He added some humor, and I was thrilled to read bits of the story from his point of view. However, I was a bit surprised about his misconceptions about God. At some point, the book said that Stacy had known Whitt since he was a toddler, and elsewhere it indicated he went to church with her although that doesn't necessarily mean he attended often with Stacy. But with Whitt's extremely high level of intelligence and his knowledge that God was important to Stacy, I would have thought he would have had more head knowledge about God, even if he hadn't made the emotional or heart connection.
I am absolutely not an expert on police procedures, but I did think there were some oddities in this book. When Alex arrived at the murder scene and was interviewing Stacy for the first time, he asked if she had a weapon. She produced a pocket knife, and Alex took it and put it in his pocket. (The victim was gunshot.) A couple of days later, Stacy asked about getting the knife back, and Alex pulled it out and returned it. If her weapon had been confiscated as part of the investigation, wouldn't Alex have tagged it and put it through proper channels rather than carrying it? There were some other parts that didn't tie up nicely, in my opinion, but truthfully I don't know if they actually didn't tie up or if I was just reading too fast. The story was absorbing and I wanted to know what happened next.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book despite the above mentioned items. Also, the Cajun references were fun additions. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a great deal of suspense.
I received a copy of this book through The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.
FBI Special Agent Alex LeBlanc and his partner respond to the case referred from Houston Police Department involving a drone found by veterinarian Stacy Broussard. Stacy was trying to be a positive influence in her increasingly dangerous neighborhood. She was also trying to adopt 12-year-old Whitt McMann.
I can't say that I liked Alex much at the beginning. He was understandably cautious because of a past relationship where he trusted a witness who turned out to be the culprit. Although we weren't told lots of details about that relationship, I still thought he treated Stacy poorly in the beginning just because of his overcompensation for the past. He eventually decided to trust Stacy but still didn't move quickly into a relationship with her, and I liked that aspect. By the end, I concluded he was an okay guy.
I liked Stacy. She committed to endeavors she believed in such as the airport patrols and the community carnival. She was dedicated to her work and loved her job. She was trying to give Whitt stability and support in the midst of his chaotic world, all while not overstepping her boundaries because she was not legally his guardian. I didn't fully understand the emotional distance between her and her parents, but I was glad to see them reconciling. Their love for and acceptance of Stacy and Whitt was beautiful.
Whitt was a character. At one point he was referred to as "little professor" because of his high IQ coming out in grown-up mannerism which were very contradictory to his age and size. He added some humor, and I was thrilled to read bits of the story from his point of view. However, I was a bit surprised about his misconceptions about God. At some point, the book said that Stacy had known Whitt since he was a toddler, and elsewhere it indicated he went to church with her although that doesn't necessarily mean he attended often with Stacy. But with Whitt's extremely high level of intelligence and his knowledge that God was important to Stacy, I would have thought he would have had more head knowledge about God, even if he hadn't made the emotional or heart connection.
I am absolutely not an expert on police procedures, but I did think there were some oddities in this book. When Alex arrived at the murder scene and was interviewing Stacy for the first time, he asked if she had a weapon. She produced a pocket knife, and Alex took it and put it in his pocket. (The victim was gunshot.) A couple of days later, Stacy asked about getting the knife back, and Alex pulled it out and returned it. If her weapon had been confiscated as part of the investigation, wouldn't Alex have tagged it and put it through proper channels rather than carrying it? There were some other parts that didn't tie up nicely, in my opinion, but truthfully I don't know if they actually didn't tie up or if I was just reading too fast. The story was absorbing and I wanted to know what happened next.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book despite the above mentioned items. Also, the Cajun references were fun additions. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a great deal of suspense.
I received a copy of this book through The Book Club Network in exchange for my honest review.
