REVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Killer Pursuit
(Allison McNeil Thriller Book 2)
(Allison McNeil Thriller Book 2)
by Jeff Gunhus
Killer Pursuit is the second book in the Allison McNeil Thriller series by Jeff Gunhus. Also available: Killer Within.
Killer Pursuit is currently on tour with Xpresso Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my review, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the rest of the tour stops as well.
More books by this author: Night Chill (blog post) and Night Terror (blog post), and The Torment of Rachel Ames (blog post).
Children's books by this author: Jack Templar and the Lord of the Werewolves (blog post) and Jack Templar and the Lord of the Demons (blog post).
Description
When a high-society call girl is murdered in her Georgetown home, investigators find two cameras hidden in the walls of her bedroom. One has its memory erased, presumably by the murderer. The second is connected to the Internet through an encrypted connection … and no-one knows who’s on the other end.
Special Agent Allison McNeil is asked by beleaguered FBI Director Clarence Mason to run an off-the-record investigation of the murder. The most direct path to apprehending the killer is to find the videos, but with rumors that the victim’s client list may have included Mason’s political enemies, Allison worries about the director’s motives. As she starts her investigation, she quickly discovers that she’s not the only one pursuing the videos. In fact, the most aggressive person racing against her might be the murderer himself.
Note: This book may be enjoyed as a stand-alone novel.
Excerpt
Marshall "Libby" Ashworth had not been nervous for a meeting in years. Although just turned fifty, he had seen too damn much to bother with nerves. Heads of state, U.S. presidents, celebrities, all had been part of his everyday routine for the last two decades and the novelty had long worn off. Just like anyone else, famous people used the john, got stupid when they drank too much, smelled bad when they sweat and were generally more flawed than John Q Public could ever guess.
As a staffer, he’d watched George W. Bush waddle through security briefings asking questions that proved one child had been left behind and he was sitting in the White House. Libby Ashworth was there when that sycophant Clinton said goodnight to the donors who’d ponied up the cash to spend the night in the Lincoln bedroom. He’d cried as the first African-American President was sworn in, only to see him fumble through a presidency high on promise and miserably low on results. And it wasn’t just the executive branch. He’d seen Senate leaders hold up funding for needy families for no other reason than because a bill’s author had bad-talked someone during a poker game. And he’d seen Supreme Court Justices so drunk they couldn’t walk straight, talking trash about the sacred court on which they sat.
He’d seen enough of Washington to know better than to hold the people who worked there in enough regard to ever be nervous to meet them.
Except the meeting today was different.
This meeting had him very nervous.
And that scared him.
Praise for the Book
"Wow! Killer Pursuit is absolutely fantastic! It's action-packed, tense and full of twists." ~ Cristie Ashe
"Can I just say ... AMAZING! ... There are twists and turns and OMG moments that you definitely don't want to pass up!" ~ Ninjette Starr
"It kept me on edge the whole book and there were so many twists in it that my head was spinning." ~ Jolie Eason
"This is a great mystery with more than one twist. I give this book a 5/5." ~ Debra Gaudette
"This was a great thriller that was full of suspense, action and murder ... It had me gripped from the start and guessing until the end ... " ~ Miss Fee
"The classic thriller Killer Pursuit is a class apart with a distinct style of writing." ~ Jaideep Khanduja
"There are enough twists and turns to keep even the most seasoned mystery/thriller/suspense readers guessing. Jeff Gunhus has crafted a really enjoyable, edge of your seat thriller." ~ Molly Zenk
" ... a nice and long novel that you will find yourself flying through, because you can't put it down ... The story keep you on your toes and really leaves you wanting more." ~ Melissa Jackson
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
Allison McNeil is an FBI agent with a masters in psychology. After an incident in the field involving her supervisor Garret Morrison, FBI director Clarence Mason places Allison on administrative leave. However, he surreptitiously enlists her to find some video footage, the release of which could have disastrous consequences for Senator Summerhays, the front-runner for the office of President of the United States. But what happens when reporter Mike Carrel gets wind of the story? With everyone involved seemingly having their own agenda, who can Allison trust?
When I read Killer Pursuit, I didn't realize that Allison McNeil had featured in a previous book, Killer Within. While I do wish I had read that book first, the author skilfully provides us with an extensive back story - especially of personal issues and previous case details - which lends depth and makes you feel like Allison is a real person with a real past. She is definitely a likable heroine worthy of her own series. Told from multiple points-of-view, the author tells a nuanced tale with many levels, that he weaves into a masterpiece of thrills and suspense. You are left constantly guessing, but the truth will still take you by surprise.
Warnings: graphic sexual references, graphic violence. This story is told in gruesome detail. Not for the squeamish.
About the Author
Jeff Gunhus is the author of thriller and horror novels for adults and the middle grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His books for adults have reached the Top 100 on Amazon and have been Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalists.
After his experience with his son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active lifestyle in Maryland with his wife Nicole by trying to constantly keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.
Links
