Death Threat is book five int he Buddy Steel series. The series is written by Michael Brandman. I have not read the other books in the series, but did not have any problems following along. In this book, Buddy Steel has been promoted to detective. He finds himself on a special task force that is tasked to find the drugs with the cartel.

However, one of the two undercover agents that had infiltrated the cartel is killed, and lets loose that there is a female agent that has also infiltrated. The agent in question—Kara Machado has no idea that she is about to be exposed and she is taken away to a cartel compound. She is completely caught off from the outside world.

Buddy and Kara have history that goes way back. So he wants to make sure she is rescued. Buddy and three of his military buddies need a game plan. OH, the action and suspense in this story. I was not prepared for the twists and turns that this book took me on.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.

I loved this book. I loved following buddy's story on saving Kara. It kept me hooked and engaged right from the beginning. I loved following the characters and all the events. Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for allowing me too read this story. All opinions are my own.

Action-Packed Psychological Thriller
Michael Brandman Death Threat is a fast-paced book and a thrilling ride about Buddy Steel who must extradite an undercover agent hidden deep within the bowels of a deadly Mexican cartel before they uncover her identity.
Kara is deep undercover in the crime syndicate headed by Francisco Gilberto Alcala Moreno y Reyes. After the death of one of their agents, Buddy must find Kara as well as the location of drugs that are headed to Los Angeles. Kara Machado was Buddy’s first love from the Academy and now It is up to Buddy to rescue her.
This book will hook you from the start and not let you go until the fiery conclusion at the end. It is a thrilling adventure that I highly recommend to those who love fast-paced, action-packed psychological thriller. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In this thrilling novel, Buddy Steel must extradite an undercover agent hidden deep within the bowels of a deadly Mexican cartel before they uncover her true identity. Buddy brings in some friends from his military career and launches a secret mission to not only find the operative, but to locate the drug stash as well.

Death Threat is a fast-paced, pulse pounding thrill ride. While it is book 5 in the series, it can also be read as a stand-alone. We get some additional information about Buddy's past, and how it correlates with our missing female agent, Kara. I loved the alternating POVs. We get first person from Buddy, and third person from various other characters. This really helped fill out the story with the goings on across various points and places during the mission. There are all the hallmarks of a thriller: death, a rapidly closing window of success, betrayal, hidden identities, etc. This book will hook you from the start and not let you go until the fiery conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

We journey back in time to when Burton Steel Junior, aka Buddy Steel, began his career with the L.A.P.D. Even then he was known not for what he said, but what he did…and often how he did it. He has just received notification that his former Deputy Commander Jeremy Logan has passed away. This reminds him of the time he was a new officer and the faith that Logan had in his career and his first undercover assignment. He would soon reunite with a woman from his past, Kara Machado, who he first met at the police academy. Kara is deep undercover in the crime syndicate headed by Francisco Gilberto Alcala Moreno y Reyes. After the death of one of their agents, he must find Kara as well as the location of drugs that are headed to Los Angeles. Buddy will take care of the meth in a way that only Buddy would, but will he be able to save Kara when her cover may have been blown? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

I would like to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy of Death Threat, the fifth novel to feature former LAPD homicide detective Buddy Steele.

The death of his former mentor sends Buddy down memory lane to 2012 to a case that happened just before he joined the homicide squad. Kara Machado was Buddy’s first love from the Academy and now she’s in danger as she’s undercover in a drugs cartel and has been betrayed. It’s up to Buddy to rescue her.

I thoroughly enjoyed Death Threat, which is an amusing and entertaining tale of lawlessness and cunning, mostly by the LAPD in the form of Buddy Steele, although the other side is not blameless in the mayhem either.

The novel alternates in its narrative between Buddy’s first person account and various other voices in the third person. It works well as Buddy doesn’t describe all his thinking and that leaves room for surprises, while the other narrative gives the reader a feel for what he’s up against and again that leaves room for surprises. This is most apparent in the final showdown where each side has a few tricks up their sleeves and it ends up fairly anarchic, highly implausible and extremely entertaining.

This is a relatively short read and is plot driven, so there’s a small amount of characterisation, but the main focus is on the efforts to save Kara. It isn’t a profound read but it has good forward momentum and enough going on to keep the reader turning the pages. I read it in one sitting.

The novel is all about Buddy Steele and his unorthodox approach to policing. It is no coincidence that the first episode in the novel involves Buddy in a use of force enquiry. Nevertheless he is a fun read with a smart mouth and an inventive mindset, although I think he would be a total pain in real life.

Death Threat is a fun read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

This might be most appreciated by those who have not been following along with the story of Buddy Steel because this is his origin story-making it the perfect intro to the series, That said, as a fan, I found it interesting to read about events that are alluded to in the later novels. I did. not, however, find Buddy particularly likable. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

✨Netgalley ARC review ✨

Death Threat by Michael Brandman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Publication Date: September 12th, 2023. Mark your calendars!

Buddy Steel scores a promotion to detective and was added to a special task force shortly after. One of his first cases is to bust the cartel for drugs.

During the process of the attempted drug bust, there are many deaths which unfortunately lead to uncovering some news about another fellow agent, Kara, who Buddy has a history with. Buddy then needs to work towards taking down the cartel and to make sure everyone makes it out alive, including one he has history with.

This is is part 5/5 of the Buddy Steel series although I read it as a standalone. The book was fast paced from start to finish and I enjoyed that. It kept me very engaged because of the action and even had a few twists.

#netgalley #netgalleyreads #amazon #goodreads #michaelbrandman #michaelbrandmanauthor #deaththreat #honest #review #thriller #buddysteel

WOW, I loved this book. Could not put it down once I started reading. It is a fast paced, action filled, crime story that captivated me immediately.
I have not read any books previously by Michael Brandman, but this will not be my last. Truly loved the writing style and the characters' development. I believe there were other Buddy Steel books prior to this one, but I had no trouble at all following along. Highly recommend to those looking for a great crime story.
I received can advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first exposure to this author and I was not disappointed. Dunnett has delivered a fast paced and captivating police procedural. This fast paced and action-packed story grabs you from the first page and keep you on the edge of your seat right to the last page. I could not stop reading this book once I started and now, I am anxious to read the other books from this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press who provided me with a copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This book starts out great, with Buddy telling us his story. Then suddenly, after a good while, the author realises Buddy can't tell us the story, and switches to third person POV. Not very professional, is it? And buddy isn't very professional either, with his use of violence. I prefer smart main characters. And the same goes for the stupid tactics of the so called pro's.
Still, the book is easy to read and entertaining enough if you don't ask yourself too many questions.

Death Threat by Michael Brandman is another great book about Buddy Steel. This time we actually get a glimpse of his early days in law enforcement in LA. I actually have been missing stories from his past. This is a well written story as we all have become used to when Brandman tells a tale. I have loved this series since the start and think that there is still a lot to tell about Buddy. I like the fact that this series is not like every other detective story out there, because of the setting and characters and the fact that Buddy doesn't really wants to police for his father. I always like it when we get to know the character with glimpses of their past. I must thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for letting me read this advance copy and I say to you all out there, don't miss this one when it's released on September 12th.