Book Review: Killer Instinct

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Killer Instinct     Amazon US PB Amazon Canada PB
Cindy Dees
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Adventure   Woman Main Character
Series: Silhouette Bombshell
Silhouette Bombshell, Oct 2004, $5.50, 298 pp.

Deep undercover operative Amanda McClintock has been at it for a decade and is beginning to show signs of battle fatigue syndrome. Adding to her stress is the fact that she blames herself for the recent suicide of a close friend who chose death over captivity. Currently she is searching for the Udarsky Cache stolen years ago by her late double crossing father Christopher that some consider could still cause problems for the United States. The firm assigns psychologist Taylor Roberts as her partner.

Amanda hates having a rookie to train while she works a dangerous operation that traces back to Soviet Russia and her father, who was out in the cold so much he was never there for his daughter. As Amanda and Taylor get closer to completing the assignment, they begin to fall in love, but she believes her partner has an agenda involving her that he is not sharing with her. She wonders if she has fallen in love with a man just like her dad, a double agent.

Though the side bars involving Amanda’s dysfunctional relationship with her father especially as a child provides insight into her motivations, this also distracts from a fun undercover operations romance. The story line is terrific especially when Taylor and Amanda are together (and yes – he has an agenda that will surprise the audience when it is revealed in the even more shocking climax). Fans will appreciate this dynamic duo team-up as they struggle to defeat enemy combatants especially her father’s former Russian control officer who seeks vengeance against McClintock the sire through the daughter.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner