Award-winning author DiAnn Mills continues her contemporary romantic suspense series on FBI agents in the Houston area.

In Deep Extraction, Special Agent Tori Templeton is faced with a professional challenge: her best friend is the FBI’s prime suspect in the murder of her husband, an oil and gas corporation executive. Someone bombed his oil rigs earlier -- was his death part of a larger conspiracy? Did someone hack into his pacemaker to cause his death or was it accidental?

Tori is joined by US Marshall Cole Jeffers to investigate the executive’s business and personal affairs to discover the killer’s motives and identity. The closer they get to the truth, the more the killer is intent on silencing them. Will they unravel the mystery before it is too late?

Mills excels in plot development -- the story keeps the reader’s attention until the final page. Flawed but realistic characters, and a realistic plot with plenty of twists are what readers have come to expect from Mills. The faith element and the romance are present but not the main focus–the main characters are attracted to each other but keep the relationship light until the case is solved. Forgiveness and bitterness are themes in this book. Does one get better or bitter under trying circumstances?

Deep Extraction will appeal to readers who like suspenseful romance and carefully-researched details. Fans of Dee Henderson and Irene Hannon will also enjoy this series.

While reading Deep Extraction, the driving force was solving the murder. The plot was intricately woven, twisting and turning throughout the book. I was positive the killer was a sleazy character we meet at the beginning of the novel. But I was completely wrong. I turned each page with anticipation, trying to figure out the clues right along with the task force members.

The characters in Deep Extraction are well developed. Tori and Max are partners at the FBI. When they meet Cole at the scene of the murder, Max jumps to conclusions that make working together a challenge. But together they need to solve a murder.

While on sabbatical from the US Marshals, Cole owns and manages a landscape company. He’s been looking for a much quieter life. One that doesn’t involve being shot. But he is determined to face his fears; he re-joins the US Marshals and the task force to search for his friend’s murderer. Cole has a lot of appeal. His preference for lists and flow charts is right up my alley. He’ll even jump in front of bullets for you.

“According to his background, he gave the Avengers and other superheroes a run for their money.”

Cole fits the mold of a romantic lead as well as he fits his jeans.

At the beginning of the novel, Tori is reeling from the loss of her brother from cancer, while watching her FBI partner deal with cancer. She is convinced that every mole on her body will become cancerous. When she is assigned to cover the murder of long-time friend’s husband, she struggles with being professional and impartial in her investigating, while also trying to support her friend. I related to Tori. She’s strong, professional, trying to deal with her own personal issues, all while solving a murder. And falling for a member of the task force.

“As a graduate of the US Marshal’s gladiator academy, I might have found my match.” <Cole>
“You Have.” <Tori>

The third member of the task force is Tori’s partner. Max is cranky, suffering from lung cancer, and on the verge of retiring. This is his last case, and he wants to leave the FBI with a win. It was difficult for me to read about Max coughing and suffering. My lungs hurt just thinking about it. I really wanted to empathize with his predicament, but his bad attitude made that very difficult!

Together, this trio makes a great team. I genuinely appreciated how they worked together, strengths and weaknesses complimenting each other.

I was somewhat disappointed in the romance aspect of the novel. I imagine that, yes, spending a lot of time with each other helps in the getting to know you stage of falling in love. But the romance was too quick for me, lacking the emotional connection between characters that I prefer in romance novels. I found it difficult to believe that Cole and Tori were able to develop such deep feelings so quickly. I’d classify Deep Extraction in the mystery\suspense genre, more so than the romance genre.

Overall, Deep Extraction is a good read, with a great mystery to solve along with the characters. A solid 4 stars.

I received this book as part of my participation in a blog tour with Lone Star Book Blog Tours. The gift of this book did not affect my review of it.

When Sally Moore’s husband, Nathan, is killed, her friends Tori and Cole are determined to prove she is innocent. But when secrets about Nathan come to light, they have to wonder if Sally doesn’t have a pretty good motive after all. Who is telling the truth? What’s the truth about who Nathan was?

I really enjoyed the suspense and mystery. Pieces of the puzzle are discovered bit by bit and there is plenty of action. I was constantly trying to figure out how all the different pieces were going to fit together.

I loved sentences like “Stupidity marched across her mind, did an about-face, and marched again” (location 967) or this description of Max…”He’d blow a hole right through your heart, then drag you inside to claim home invasion” (location 1222).

The only part I didn’t really care for was the romance between Cole and Tori. There wasn’t much of a buildup to their relationship and then “she was reminded of how much she meant to him” when they’d known each other only a couple days. It seemed too fast and unrealistic to me.

Thank you to Tyndale House for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

FBI Task Force Series:

Book 1: Deadly Encounter

Book 2: Deep Extraction

I loved all the mystery and intrigue that surrounded the death of Nathan. This story has so many layers to get through to find the truth. Each time I thought I knew who was involved something would prove that theory wrong. Readers will enjoy all the twists and turns. Highly recommended.

A suspicious murder leads to a complex investigation, with increasing danger the more that is revealed. Baffling both the FBI agents and US Marshal on the case, who are personally involved with the victim's family. Everyone seems to be hiding something.

This author knows how to work a police drama very well, leaving more questions than answers as it goes on, with the suspense built up slowly until the exciting end. The human drama side of the story was interesting, dealing with betrayal, bitterness, grief and fear. Faith enters to bring hope to a few characters, while others choose to hang onto greed and revenge. A little romance adds a tender side to the story, including a marriage in need of renewal, and a friendship growing into something more.

Fans of police-type dramas with action and suspense will enjoy this. Some mature subject matter included, probably better for adult readers. 4.5 stars

This is the second in the FBI series by Mills. It is a stand alone as the characters in this book are different than those in the first in the series.

I found the plot a little difficult to follow. It did not seem clearly presented and motives were a bit obscure. Part of that might be due to the relationships of the characters. The FBI agent, Tori, knew the murdered man from her college years. Tori remained friends with him and was, in fact, a very good friend of his wife. Cole, the U.S. Marshall investigating the case, was a current but good friend of the murder victim and his family. That means there is much background information that comes out as the plot progresses. Both Tori and Cole have experiences from their past that affect their current work so that made the plot all the more complex.

This novel is a good mystery. There is no suspense. It is the second I've recently read where a murder was committed by controlling a pace maker from a distance. The strength of the novel may well be the character development by Tori and Cole. They both had internal issues that could be made right only through God.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Sometimes a novel falls short in plot development or character development. Diann Mills consistently excels at both. Deep Extraction by Diann Mills is the story of FBI special agent Tori Templeton and US Marshal Cole Jeffers. Personal friends of the murder victim and his family, they are called in to investigate a mysterious crime—death via hacking into the victim’s pacemaker. Many secrets are revealed, adding to the story’s intrigue, and both Tori and Cole face personal challenges as they work together through his case. I think parts of this book were a little difficult to believe, such as the murder itself. Overall, I loved the book and would recommend it as a fun read. I received a digital copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.

One quote from the book is: “People aren’t always who you think they are” and this definitely describes some characters in the story. As Cole and Tori investigate the crimes that have happened they learn things about the victim they did not expect. Tori & Cole are required to keep an open mind as they investigate and not shut down evidence that appears to lead to the victim’s wife and their friend, Sally. Is she guilty or did someone else orchestrate and commit the crimes? If so, what was their motivation? The first chapter drew me right in, making me want to know what had happened, how the characters were connected and what Cole was running from. From this point on I had high hopes for the story, however I struggled to stay invested. The more I read the less I found myself caring about the characters and storyline; I just could not connect with caring about Cole or Tori. I did feel for Sally and the children though, they had no idea who their husband/father really was. I found the writing to be choppy when moving from one point in time to another. Each time I returned to reading the story I had to go back and remind myself of what was going on and where the main two characters were headed now. The arrest of the guilty party was surprising to me and the motivation seemed to be answered very quickly by Cole without any evidence given to the reader. This is the second book in a series but definitely can be read as a standalone as no characters overlap from the first.

Another great book by DiAnn Mills will keep readers guessing and turning the pages well past their bedtime.

FBI agent Tori Templeton is going up against one of her hardest cases, proving that one of her best friends did not kill her own husband. When she gets the call that oil and gas tycoon Nathan Moore was found dead in his home, she goes to investigate. He had been receiving death threats and recently had a bomb go off at one of his rigs. It is soon discovered that he was in fact murdered. His wife is at the top of the suspect list, along with several others. Tori is assigned to a task force to find the killer along with recently reinstated Deputy US Marshal Cole Jeffers. Together they dig into the past of people they both cared about in order to discover the truth; but the more they dig, the more secrets they uncover and the more danger they find themselves in.

I always like reading a DiAnn Mills novel. It is a good clean mystery that I know I am going to enjoy. The story here was good with several twists that kept me guessing until the end. I liked that both Tori and Cole had to face the challenge of being connected to the victim and still be objective enough to do their job. Mills did a great job of weaving doubt and suspicion onto several different characters making me question if they could be the guilty party. I liked the oil and gas setting in Texas, I grew up in an oil town so this was easy for me to relate to. I did question a few of the actions of several characters. Some of them just didn’t seem to fit with what I thought they should actually do in those situations. Not enough for me to make more out of it than this slight mention, probably something that just bugged me and others might not even notice. This was definitely an enjoyable read and one I will be recommending to fans of romantic suspense by a great author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

This novel was suspenseful, the case quite complicated. Tori and Cole are interesting characters I could relate to.
Faith issues are brought in in a natural way.
I'd like to read more of this series.

DiAnn Mills has hit another home run with Deep Extraction. It is a very well written Christian suspense. The plot has many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. The author kept me on the edge of my seat with this book. I could not put it down. Highly recommend to you suspense fans.

Deep Extraction

by DiAnn Mills

Tyndale House Publishers

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Christian , Romance

Pub Date 04 Apr 2017

I am volutarily reviewing a copy of Deep Extraction through Tyndall House Publishers and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review which is as follows:

Tori Templeton is an FBI Special Agent. Her brother Kevin had died of Cancer. Her brother had been a believer but Tori couldn't believe a loving Father would let her brother suffer and die the way he had.

When Nathan Moore the owner of Moore Oil and Gas dies in his home they believe it is murder because their had been threats on her life.

Soon it comes to light that Nathan had planned on filing for divorce. One of Nathan's sons call Cole after his Mother did not want her Son's to call anyone. Jack is scared though and needs to talk to someone.

Who killed Nathan Moore, was it a crime of passion or was there more to it?

Will Agent Tori Templeton allow herself to let love in, after she faced loss?

I give Deep Extraction five out of five stars.

Deep Extraction by Diann Mills is book two in the FBI Task Force series. I have not read book one and this book appears to stand on its own. Special Agent Tori Templeton is investigating the murder of her best friend’s husband. A reinstated Deputy US Marshal, Cole Jeffers is assigned to the task force to help with the investigation. Cole was also a friend of the family which could be a blessing or a curse as they unravel the victim’s life. Heart warming romance and plot twists that will keep you guessing until the end.
In addition to the murder mystery, we have the drama of Tori’s partner who is battling stage 3 cancer and is acting strange.
I enjoyed how Cole and Tori’s relationship developed naturally. Both Cole and Tori were interesting and engaging characters and you anticipate their relationship developing. Tori was a fascinating character as she was learning to deal with her brother’s death and the effects it was having on her personally.
I really enjoyed this book, it had the perfect blend of romance and a mystery with plot twists that I did not see coming. I will definitely be reading more of this author.
Sexual content; sweet kiss
Violence: man is killed by his pacemaker, two additional deaths, shoot out,

A puzzle with many pieces and a story for all. Action, friendship, betrayal, love, and responsibility all are huge aspects of this book.

When Tori has to investigate the murder of a friend along with her partner she has no idea how hard this is really going to be. She is having trouble already with losing her brother, who had faith in God, to cancer. She's made him promises that she is following through on but they aren't easy.

When she meets Cole Jeffers a friend of the family she hadn't met yet the night Nathan's murdered she is having trouble reconciling that with her friend Sally. She has more trouble when it's made clear he has a very good relationship with the family.

Tori's partner Max is sick and he is being unbearably rude and aggressive toward the Moore family and to Cole and it not only an embarrassment but it isn't who he is.

When they all join forces and find out things none of them knew before this becomes a very difficult puzzle to solve and it looks more and more like Sally has the most motive.

Will they be able to solve this murder? Will it end a friendship started in college? Will Tori go further in her relationship with God?

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DEEP. EXTRACTION by DiAnn Mills, FBI TASK FORCE series # 2 Tyndall Publishers.
A bomb at an oil site, threats, was it murder, death of the husband of Tori best friend, Sally. The landscaper was also a friend of Nathan and Sally. Cole had just worked out with Nathan, no mention of health, or marriage, yesterday. A son calls and ask Cole to come, FBI agent Tori is there, but she may ask questions. The wife Sally, is a prime suspect, he asked for a divorce, putting on extra security guards. That doesn't sound like the person they knew. To help with the case Cole asks to be restated as a Marshall Deputy. Could the FBI Tori and Cole work together, and what was really going on with Nathan. Good flowing plot, that one could grasp easily as it unfolds. Characters well defined.
Another winner by DiAnn, of a family, friends, coming together to help solve the tragedy of a friend being murdered. Given ARC by Net Galley for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

A romantic thriller starring an FBI agent, a dying FBI agent that will not admit his failings, and a U S Marshall that is nearly ready to give up, all contribute to a non-stop ride that has all the makings for a great Hallmark-Mystery movie.

The central characters are broken people needing God’s grace in their lives. Some will find it, others will not - but it is offered to all. None of them are entirely who they seem at first glance and it will take the touch of God’s hand for each to move forward from the place in which they are stuck. The bombing of an oil drilling site and the death of its owner appear to be connected - yet the connection is not as obvious the as law enforcement officials working the case would like. And they would need to risk their lives to put together the puzzle that would answer all their questions.

This is Book Two of a series - but the books have little connection between them other than the formation of an FBI task force composed of broken people. It is this lack of connection that I least appreciate about Diann Mills’ books. She begins to develop the characters, but we do not see them in the series sequels. I do like the stories; I do like the characters; but I want to learn more about them and see them continue to develop through two or three additional novels. I can always hope.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are my own.