Book Review: Fatal Identity by Marie Force
Fatal Identity, which will be released on July 26, 2016, is the latest installment in Marie Force’s best-selling Fatal series. This massively popular series follows the career of Detective Lieutenant Samantha “Sam” Holland as she polices the mean streets of Washington D.C. and hallowed halls of the White House and Congress.
Although Fatal Identity is the 12th book in the series, new readers will have no trouble jumping in and catching up with the non-stop action. As the story opens Sam Holland is facing a police review board and is ultimately placed on unpaid leave for assaulting another officer. As the wife of the VPOUS, Sam’s job is safe for the time being but as she leaves the precinct house she is waylaid by Josh Hamilton, son of the director of the FBI, who believes that he was kidnapped as a child.
Sam unofficially begins to investigate the case of the kidnapped boy and soon comes to believe that Josh just may be correct! The action heats up as Sam and some of her unit begin to track down leads and “pull on the threads” to see what they can shake loose. The conclusion of the story is satisfying all the way around.
Ms. Force has a gift for drawing very relatable characters who have flaws just like the rest of us; characters who begin to feel like friends. Long time readers of the series will recognize and welcome their favorites back into the story, while new readers get introduced to them in a way that is clarifying without necessarily becoming boring for fans of the series. I am new to this series and had no trouble following the story and the complex relationships of the characters involved in this installment.
Make no mistake, this is a thriller and there are clues, red herrings and chases skillfully woven throughout the prose. The book also never forgets that its romance imprinter and Ms. Force doesn’t skimp on the romantic and often steamy details of the relationship between Sam and her husband Nick. After all, it is published under the Harlequin brand!
Take a chance on Marie Force, Sam Holland and the Fatal series, particularly if you like romantic thrillers. Well written, suspenseful stories balanced with the right amount of romance can be few and far between. Ms. Force and her characters will fill that gap in your bookshelf quite nicely indeed.