Blog Tour Review: Shadow of Deceit – Mal Olson

Shadow of Deceit by Mal Olson
Series:
Release Date:  February 17, 2012
Publisher:   The Wild Rose Press
Page Count:  262
Source:  Bewitching Book Tours
Buy the book at: Amazon 

Can an FBI agent obsessed with redemption and a grieving widow desperate to clear her husband’s name learn to believe in love again?

Shannon Riedel faces down danger when a gunman breaks into her office claiming her dead husband swindled him. When FBI agent Tony Crazaniak arrives to investigate, sexual heat sizzles. The ex-Delta Force operative’s massive presence and dark eyes trigger an attraction the young widow finds unnerving.

When Crazaniak convinces Shannon she needs his protection, they partner to unearth secrets her husband left behind–secrets involving a Tanzanian mine that yields perfect blue diamonds coveted by dealers around the world–secrets connected to a terrorist leader Crazaniak has vowed to take down.

With danger surrounding them, two emotionally wounded souls bond, but can they put their demons to rest and trust in love? Can they survive long enough to find out?

What’s a woman to do when she’s confronted, at gun point, by a man who’s demanding what he claims her dead husband stole from him?  What’s she supposed to think when he tells her the man she loved stole half a million dollars from him.  Who’s she supposed to trust when an FBI agent shows up in the nick of time and claims he’s there to help her?

These are all things our heroine, Shannon Riedel, must face on the two year anniversary of the death of her husband and her infant son.  Her world is turned upside down when she not only chased and threatened, but also forced to question the integrity of her husband when a blood diamond and terrorist plots are thrown in front of her.  She’s asked to put her trust in a man she just met, who not only drives her insane with anger but also stirs something deep inside her she thought died with her husband.

Tony Crazaniak’s bid for revenge has lead him to Shannon and her employer.  He’s hope is that her employer will be able to lead him to the man responsible for killing most of his Delta team in Afghanistan.  He thought Shannon was involved with the operation until he met her and he realizes that she is an innocent victim in this group’s drive to get their hand on the “Shadow of Kilimanjaro”.  Tony’s protective streak flares to life when he’s with Shannon along with feelings he’s never felt before.  The only thing he’s sure of is he must Shannon at all cost.

I love a good romantic suspense story that can draw you in immediately and keep you hanging on til the last page.  Even better is a hero who can kick ass and be tough while being able to show us his soft gooey center AND a heroine who can be tough as nails when she needs to be, but also show that she’s not completely unaffected by the events taking place (ex. bad guys smashing into you with their car).  Mal Olson has created two characters that, for me, fit this bill exactly.

Tony was charming and funny when he needed to be, kicking ass and taking names later, and definitely showing his gooey center…even when he didn’t want to.  Not to be outdone, Shannon was a woman who had lived through an unimaginable tragedy, to be presented with the possibility that her husband wasn’t who she thought he was.  Through everything she remained strong and determined, while having her mini breakdowns when most people would have given up a lot sooner.

The storyline with the blood diamonds, evil terrorists, and boss gone bad has me hooked from the very beginning.  While some of it had me scratching me head saying “Wisconsin, really?” (who would think international intrigue would happen there in the dead of winter) stranger things of happened.

An excellent read and well worth a couple of hours to fall into the world of Tony and Shannon.