Deep Disclosure - Dee Davis

Deep Disclosure

Dee Davis
Forever/Grand Central

Romantic Suspense

This is the latest in the author’s fast-paced series about an elite CIA squad called A-TAC.  One of the team members, Tucker Flynn, spent a long nightmarish time undercover in a Columbian prison.  He’s back in the States, but still on an indefinite leave.  One of his stops in the morning is a coffee shop.  A couple at another table, a young woman and an older man have an animated conversation before the woman leaves, clearly upset.  Moments later, a backpack bomb under their table demolishes the coffee shop and kills the man.  Since Tucker was at ground zero, the A-TAC team takes an interest.  Tracking down the young woman isn’t too difficult, given their technology.  Finding out what (and who) was behind the bombing is far more problematic. 

Alexis Markham had an unusual childhood.  Her parents drilled her on the importance of staying off the grid; of never trusting anyone, especially if that someone has ties to the government.  Alexis’ father was once a scientist working on a top secret project.  When he realized that others in the organization intended to use his work to distribute bioweapons, he took his family and ran.  When Alexis was a teen, someone caught up with them and bombed the house, killing her entire family.  Since then, she’s been on the run and in hiding.  Tucker is offering his assistance, but she’s got major trust issues.

For those who have read the previous books (DARK DECEPTIONS, DANGEROUS DESIRES, DESPERATE DEEDS) it’s no surprise that characters from those novels – other team members – make appearances here.  Readers starting here won’t have any problems, though, since Tucker relates his backstory to Alexis during the narrative.  I have to say, that of all the books in the series thus far, I find this relationship the least realistic.  There’s no reason for Alexis to trust Tucker, especially since he spends a long time lying to her about who he is and why he’s helping her.  Given her background, she ought to run, not walk, to the nearest exit. 

That said, I don’t read this author’s books for the romance component.  Indeed, the romance takes a back seat to the action and the thriller plot, and that’s more than fine with me.  In this case, there are people after Alexis who either want to find her father’s work, or kill her off as a loose end.  There are some neat plot twists as the team tries to figure out just exactly what the bad guys really want, and how to stop them.  As always, the author writes a great action sequence, and the pages seem to turn themselves.  Each of the novels is a complete story, but I’m glad to see there’s another installment on the way.

Rating: 7
September 2011
ISBN# 978-0-446-58292-6 (paperback)