Fatal Mistake by Susan Sleeman is the explosive first book in her White Knights series. This fast-paced, thriller starts off with a bang and has you on the edge of your seat to the very last page. What would you do if you found out your best friend from childhood was a serial bomber? That’s what Tara Parrish has to come to grips with as she runs for her life. Teaming up with Agent Cal Riggins and his White Knights team, part of the FBI’s Critical Incident Response team, they must locate the Lone Wolf before he strikes again. Tara must forget the memories of childhood friendship if she is to stay alive. Agent Riggins must fight the growing attraction for Tara so he can concentrate on protecting her and bring the Lone Wolf to justice. Along the way, they both renew their faltering faith in a God that can protect and bring peace. A must read if you love suspense. Can’t wait for the next installment!!

From the first sentence you are drawn into a world of suspense and intrigue and the action doesn't stop until the last sentence. The characters are flawed and struggle with where is God in the bad times, but watching them grow and learning to trust others and God is beautifully woven together. Susan Sleeman is an expert at making your heart race while tying romance and faith into the story to keep you from having an anxiety attack. The secondary characters especially Aunt June add an interesting element to the story. I look forward to reading some of their stories in the future. If you love Suspense with a faith element then you will fall in love with Fatal Mistake the first in this new series. I can't wait for book two.
I received a complimentary copy from the author. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.

I enjoyed this book! It kept me hooked from the book. Plenty of suspense and intrigue. It kept me guessing!

This book promises suspense from the very first line. And it delivers by way of a tense game of cat-and-mouse as Agent Riggins and his FBI team seek to stop the Lone Wolf from killing any more women with his ‘necklace’ bombs—in particular, Tara Parrish, who discovers the Lone Wolf’s identity in the very first pages.

That being the case, if suspense is what you’re after, this could be a good pick for you. For me, though, other aspects of the writing got in the way of my total engagement. The biggest issue was the fact that the main characters were very introspective, spending a lot of time speculating on the other main character’s motives or analysing their own motivations and emotions—which meant it often felt like we were being told rather than shown. But the romance also felt unrealistic under the circumstances (they ‘fell in love’ in just under a week, during said cat-and-mouse chase), and aside from turning to God when all of their own efforts had failed, the characters’ growth happened off-page, between the last chapter and the epilogue. A bit of a dampener for me, but I’m sure there will be many suspense lovers who will eat this one up.

Death behind & ahead. A chance at love...

Fatal Mistake is the first non Love Inspired book that I've read by Susan Sleeman. But, OH! It was so good! Maybe even better! Susan Sleeman's trademark is to drop her readers right into the action on page one and then hold them hostage until that very last page. Fatal Mistake more than lived up to expectation and I could hardly put it down. Romance, danger, a wily killer, and two people determined to catch him, all of the ingredients needed to make a wonderful and thrilling story.

I think one of my favorite things about the story is just how flawed Tara and Cal are. They are not cookie-cutter perfect in any way. They were some of the most relatable characters I've ever read about.

If you are looking for an intense and riveting read I highly recommend Fatal Mistake, the first book in Susan Sleeman's new White Knights series. I really enjoyed the book and can't wait to read the next one...

(I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)

An exciting, traumatic story involving a serial-killer bomber with connections to ISIS, the scenes jump between DC and Oregon, with FBI agents attempting to stop the killings. Tara Parrish grew up friends with the Lone Wolf, whom Cal Riggins, bomb expert, is determined to bring down. Tara can’t grasp that her childhood buddy could have turned out so evil. This wild drama will make readers feel like panicking as they follow the dangerous experiences portrayed on the page. Fatal Mistake is the first book in the talented author’s new White Knights series. I received a copy from her. All opinions are my own.

Fatal Mistake by Susan Sleeman

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Story Notes

Susan Sleeman’s most recent suspense novel is one that will keep you up at night……because you must know when or if the killer will be caught.

I love to read books that are so realistic that you can almost taste the fear and danger that the characters are experiencing. Ms. Sleeman’s latest story most certainly answers that desire and delivers a chilling race against time to catch a killer who is determined to destroy not only those he believes are traitors to their faith but the one woman who “should have loved him”. Tara Parrish’s life literally explodes when she accidentally stumbles on the workshop of the Lone Wolf Bomber, never dreaming her childhood friend Oren could have become a murderer. Barely escaping with her life, she goes into hiding, praying she can stay one step ahead of the man who has vowed to kill her. Tara’s only problem is that Oren is not the only one looking for her. FBI Special Agent Cal Riggins saved Tara’s life and hopes that she will help him capture the Lone Wolf Bomber before he kills anyone else.But Tara doesn’t want to be found, by Oren or Cal, and it will take another attempt on her life to help her realize that people are dying because of Oren’s fixation on Tara’s “betrayal” of him. Agent Cal Riggins is frustrated – not only has the Lone Wolf Bomber eluded him for months, but the one person who could help Cal track him down has been hiding from him (very well, mind you) as well. But Cal’s team isn’t touted as the best in the country for no reason. When he finds Tara, he won’t have found the scared, naive woman he rescued months before. Tara has become hardened, both physically and emotionally, and she is not going to come with Cal without a fight. But after Oren tries to kill not only her but Cal and his team, Tara decides she is tired of running and wants this fight finished – whatever that will take. I so enjoyed reading every page of this story! I had it with me on a day that I was running errands that gave me lots of waiting time and I got annoyed each time I had to put it down to go to the next place – it was that good. Ms. Sleeman presents a story that is very relevant to the time in which we live and yet she was able to make it timeless as well with the theme of unrequited love driving someone to cause destruction. The tension that she creates is so palpable I found myself holding my breath on several occasions as I waited to see if Oren would succeed in his terrible tasks. And her main characters were very well developed to give me a sense of walking beside them through the case and actually pondering questions or ideas of possible targets they should consider at times when I wasn’t able to read the book. I further liked the spiritual journey that both Tara and Cal make throughout the story. Given the horror Cal has seen on this case, he’s having a hard time reconciling how God can allow the numerous murders of innocent people. It will take Cal truly trusting in God to help him walk through this case without seeking vengeance rather than justice. Tara knows God cares about her, she’s just not sure she can trust Him, or anyone,to keep her safe from Oren. And her guilt over those who have died during Oren’s search for her make her even less willing to reach out for the help and comfort she isn’t sure she deserves. One of the main reasons I like to read Ms. Sleeman’s books is her honesty when she describes attraction between two people. While she keeps the content clean, she shows the real emotions and feelings of the characters involved – making it very easy for her readers to connect with them. It is always good when an author shows that professional protectors or agents are human too, not just case focused machines that never feel anything. Not that Cal became consumed by the attraction he felt for Tara but Ms. Sleeman did show his journey to falling in love with Tara, rather than just being physically attracted to her. Tara as well was shown to journey from a place where she had hardened herself against relationships to finding that trusting and loving others is how God designed us to live. And to see that they were both willing to give their lives to save the other just made these characters some of my all-time favorites. The other characters that were featured in the book were also well done. I have a good idea that Ms. Sleeman will continue the story of this team and their cases, but will most likely have each be shown through the individual eyes of the team members. I love reading military or crime series such as this and am looking forward to what Ms. Sleeman will be offering next. I will most certainly be passing this story along to others and hope they will enjoy this fast-paced nail bitter as much as I did.

I received this E-book free of charge from Faithwords/CenterStreet Publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation from either of these companies for this review.

Great read from Susan Sleeman!!! I also enjoy her Love Inspired Suspense books and recommend reading any of her books. ☺

This book was so full of suspense and action! Wow!
The story starts off right away and you find yourself holding your breathe because it's so intense.
I love the relationship between Cal and Tara. They both want this situation to end, but they seem to be fighting against each other. Trust is a big issue for both of them. They soon learn their need to be honest with each other and themselves.
Susan Sleeman has a wonderful way of writing suspense novels. She puts in so much action, intrigue, and drama into all her books. This book also had a fun romantic side. There was so much chemistry between Tara and Cal. I loved reading all the dialog too. Many of the secondary characters were just as fun to read and get to know. I hope we'll hear more about them in future books.
I highly recommend picking this book up and reading it. It will keep you on the seat of your chair!

As always, Susan Sleeman keeps her readers in the palm of her hand as she moves them along through a story line filled with suspense. In Fatal Mistake we learn right away who is behind the terror plot; it is the motivation that is slowly revealed. As both main and secondary characters find themselves in extreme danger, readers may find themselves tensing up and holding their breath as tension mounts. There is a bit of romance in the book, but it definitely plays second to the suspense.
The overarching theme of this book deals with taking on responsibility and guilt for things that are out of one’s control. Doing so not only robs one of joy, but will likely have a negative impact on the choices one makes. Readers see this play out in the lives of Tara Parrish and Cal Riggins. Tara accidentally stumbles upon the identity of a terrorist bomber, quickly becoming his target. For a while she alludes both him and her would-be protectors, a special FBI unit known as the White Knights. She does not want to be responsible for more lost lives. Cal, a member of the White Knights, is driven by his need to make things right by compensating for lives lost with more lives saved, hoping to quench the guilt that hounds him. As readers will anticipate it is between these two that the romantic tension exists, but will this tension lead to a fatal mistake?
I thank NetGalley and Faith Words for providing a copy of Fatal Mistake in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for providing this review.

He was coming for her, and he was close.

Great opening line. Tara Parrish is visiting her aunt, and checks the outbuilding Aunt June rents to Oren Keeler, Tara’s childhood friend. Only the building is full of bomb-making materials and plans. Oren is the Lone Wolf Bomber the FBI are chasing. And she’s just heard his car pull up …

The front of the book had glowing endorsements from several of my favourite authors. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it as much as they did. The first chapter promised non-stop thrills from Tara, a translator with the State Department, and Cal Riggins, an FBI agent on the team tracking the Lone Wolf bomber. Her occupation interested me, but it was barely mentioned.

The opening chapter also promised Tara was a Christian—and she was, but her faith seemed to be more of a foxhole faith—she called out to God when trapped and said she trusted Him, but spent most of the novel trying to survive on her own strength. It was as though the spiritual thread was more of an afterthought. Based on the opening chapter, I’d expected it to be woven in more organically.

Once the opening sequence ended, the plot jumped three months into the future. That took something away from the suspense. What followed was a cat-and-mouse chase of Cal trying to protect Tara from Oren. It was solid. It just didn’t live up to the level of suspense promised in the opening chapter. I also found the writing a little simplistic. There were no ‘wow’ lines—my only highlights are things that came across as plot glitches (can an FBI agent really afford tailormade business shirts? It’s more common to read novels where money is a problem for the characters.)

Oren was a great character—driven and talented, the evildoer who is the hero in his own eyes. His character was revealed layer by layer as the novel progressed, and we were able to unpeel his particular brand of mental instability. I liked that the author didn’t try and manipulate my emotions to paint Oren as some kind of victim (other than as a victim of his own misguided thinking). He was evil, pure and simple, but didn’t see that himself.

Overall, Fatal Mistake was a miss for me because it didn’t deliver on the outstanding opening. Thanks to Faithwords and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Some books take a bit to get going—this isn’t the case with Susan Sleeman’s Fatal Mistake. From the first pages, a character is running for her life. The tension that begins with that page, doesn’t let up until the last chapter.

Fatal Mistake is a novel that pits a top FBI team against a terrorist with a personal agenda. Through the course of the investigation, we get to know Tara and Cal. Watching them both work together is part of the enjoyable aspects of this novel. Both have some trust and faith issues that they need to overcome all while dealing with a man who is killing women with bombs.

I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be a very fast read (not sure if that was the writing or the tension just pulling me through, because this was a hard to put down book). Susan Sleeman is a new-to-me author, but she is one that will continue to be on my list of authors to keep an eye out for. I fully intend to read more by her in the future—particularly from this series.

If you are looking for an action-packed novel with some suspense and a dash of romance, give this one a try.


**I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.**

Tara Parrish lives with fear every day. She has survived the Lone Wolf Bomber's attempt to kill her, but safety is far beyond her reach. She has become his obsession, and there is no place where she will be safe from him. He targets her friends and keeps her in a state of continual flight. The only way out is for him to be captured- but Tara is too afraid to come out of hiding.

Agent Cal Riggins is the only hope Tara may have, but he has already failed to protect her once. Any error on his part will cost Tara her life. And that is a price which she is unwilling to pay.

Fatal Mistake was a fast-paced story. It holds the reader's interest by a continuous flow of action. However, unrealistic scenarios make it frustrating to read at times. For instance, in the beginning of the story Tara is talking on the phone while the bomber approaches the shed she is in. Despite the fact that she can hear his footsteps, apparently he is unable to hear her talking so she is able to surprise him.

Tara and Cal's relationship is predictable and a bit demeaning to Tara. She is described as "cute" and at one point, looking like an "injured puppy"- language that hardly portrays her as a capable adult. Cal is continually coming to her rescue and she doesn't seem too capable on her own. Both Tara and Cal are fairly stereotypical in their characters, their character development and their reactions to each other. In addition to this phrases such as someone "snapping his hand back" and someone else "shooting across the room" at times make for somewhat frenetic reading.Fatal Mistake is a clean story with potential. I would have liked to see more realistic characters and a stronger female protagonist. I also thought there was more potential for faith questions to be explored. I would rate this book a three out of five stars. I received a complimentary copy from FaithWords/Center Street Publishers for the purpose of providing an unbiased review.

I've read a couple of Susan Sleeman's Love Inspired books and loved them. But this book topped the others. Wow. It was packed with suspense, intrigue, twists and turns in the plot, great characters, and a generous dose of romance and faith.

Cal is a battle-hardened FBI agent specializing in bombs who is after the Lone Wolf serial killer targeting women with necklace bombs. Tara is a soft-hearted government translator caught in the Lone Wolf's path because she grew up with him and because she is also the only survivor from his attacks. Tensions mount as the killer continually escapes the FBI and his killing frenzy escalates. Tensions also mount as Cal and Tara try to fight their attraction for each other. Cal and Tara also struggle with their next-to-nothing faith as God softly calls both of them to Himself.

The book is fast-paced and hooks you in from page one. I could have read it in one sitting if life and its duties didn't get in the way. The secondary characters are fantastic and I'm so looking forward to the next book in the series where we'll get to know Rick more in depth. Totally recommend it if you love Christian romantic suspense!

I would like to thank FaithWords and NetGalley for allowing me to view an ARC of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.

Fatal Mistake is a book so intense you have to have the lights on and you don't want to be alone, but you are glad you are so no one sees how thrilled you are or how mystified it has made you. You are like you are on the whip around being thrown from one side to the other from one clue to the other with this killer. Tara seems to know who the killer is and she is scared out of her wits and is in a whole lot of danger. The ride starts immediately from word one and continues all the way to the very last word. I promise you are shocked, scared, amazed and overjoyed at the storyline and how this killer is getting away with what they are getting away with and with what they are going to try to :) A woman found a cache of explosives and told the FBI's 800 number, so where is the target? Did he succeed in exploding His target? Did they catch the killer or did he survive? is Tara safe? Cal is the FBI agent trying to protect Tara all the while falling for her and doing his full time job too, going after the Lone Wolf - the one who had the cache of explosives. Is Cal successful in keeping her safe? Did he find the Lone Wolfe in time? Will he and Tara find each other in all this mess?

When Tara finds bomb making materials on her aunt's property she calls the FBI hotline. Cal answers her call and advises her to stay calm, and hops on a plane to come and help her.

Cal has been after the Lone Wolf Bomber for months, he part of a special task force called the White Knights, and he is determined to stop the Lone Wolf before he hurts anyone else, and Tara may be the one to help him shut the terrorist down.

Cal is an Ex-Navy SEAL and bomb expert he is very good at what he does, he is dedicated to his job, and feels responsible for every loss. He's seen alot of things, and sometimes that get's between him and God.

Tara is brave and headstrong and her insight into the killer helps them track him down. Tara is shocked to find that the bomber is a face from her past, but she wants to do everything that she can to help Cal.

I really liked Tara's Aunt June, she is a praying woman of faith, who raised Tara when her parents died.

This is a fast paced read, engaging from the start and full of suspense. There are so many great characters, and I like that it doesn't delve into the disturbed depths of the killer's head. There is great dialog and camaraderie between everyone. A tension fraught ending that brings the story to a climatic close. Highly enjoyable read!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and testimonials in Advertising."

A very suspenseful read. Tara is just worried about living and surviving another day and it is Cat Riggins job to make that possible, once he finds her that is. I liked seeing how the characters interacted and worked at finding the ones responsible for the bombing and how they grew closer as the book went on. I liked how they trusted in each other and how they were able to focus on the goal at hand.
I received a copy of this book from the author, the review is entirely my own.

An exciting story that you can't put down. Tara Parrish was living in fear when she found out her childhood friend, Oren is a serial killer. And he is now after her. She is hiding in her Aunt's pump house and places a call to the FBI. Agent Riggins answers and gives her encouragement on how to escape. From there the story takes you throughout the country as they work together to try to catch the killer. Very good read.

This is a great suspense that you don't want to start unless you have some time to spend reading. It grabbed me from the first page and could be a story out of today's headlines. Tara Parrish goes to her Aunt June's pump house when there is a problem with the pump only to find bomb making materials. She soon decides that the only one that could be using the building is her childhood friend, Oren Keeler, who is living on her aunt's farm. She and Oren are not as close as they used to be but she can't understand why he would have the material there especially upon investigating further, it appears from papers there to be the work of the Lone Wolf, who is killing young women using necklace bombs. Before he comes back and discovers her, she dials the FBI Bomb Hotline and soon is talking to Special Agent Cal Riggins. He quickly lines up a helicopter to get to her. Cal is on the task force trying to locate and arrest the Lone Wolf. He is able to calm Tara down some, enough to get her to find something to hit Oren with while she can try to escape. She is able to stun Oren long enough to run but by the time that Cal arrives, Oren has shot Tara and run away when he sees the helicopter. Later while Tara is in the hospital guarded by an agent, Oren appears outside of her room and threatens her. Not understanding how he can reach her, Tara takes off running as soon as she can leave the hospital.

Cal is determined to find the Lone Wolf but needs Tara's help. Unfortunately, no one knows where she is. Eventually, his team locates her and with her help, the team searches for Oren. He seems to be one step behind them or ahead of them but still evades them continuing his bombing spree.

This is an edge of the seat, nail biter. Ms. Sleeman has a good writing style and does a great job with plot and character development, and scenery description. Both Tara and Cal need to work on their relationship to God and as things heat up, both lean more on their faith. I highly recommend this book for a suspenseful read with some romance and lots of adventure thrown in.

Thanks to NetGalley and Faith Works for the copy to read and review. I did buy the book before I heard from them because I was anxious to read it.

FATAL MISTAKE is the newest action-packed romantic suspense by Susan Sleeman. She is one of my top ten favorite romantic suspense authors and this story didn't disappoint. Like her Love Inspired Suspenses, FATAL MISTAKE started off with a bang, and both the heroine and the hero were kept running, struggling to stay one step ahead of the killer for the entire book.

For a while I wondered if this book would break tradition and not have a HEA as the tension rose and the heroine's life is threatened and the hero is unaware of where she is. . . and... well, you'll have to read the book! Suffice it to say that when I reached the black moment between church services (I read this on a Sunday) that I didn't want to put it down long enough to go to church! (But my husband is the pastor, so I did.)

If you love romantic suspense you will definitely want to read FATAL MISTAKE. I heard many rave reviews about this book and was anxious to read it myself. And you'll want to read it too! I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.