I enjoyed reading this book a lot! It was a great read from start to finish, and I'm glad I was able to come back to it (even after life got a bit in the way). Some things I really enjoyed were how we got multiple people to focus on from chapter to chapter, because it really helped expand the story out. I also ended up being pleasantly surprised at how Kate Preacher was written, considering I have seen a lot of bad female protagonists written by male authors. This was nice!

Some things I didn't enjoy mainly revolved around pacing. The chapters were an awkward length, where some were a good, "normal" chapter length and others were really short (that probably could've been combined with the previous or next chapter). This also kind of gets into my next thing: it felt like it took a really long time for us to finally focus on Kate and her story. Yes, I liked reading about the others, but in the first half of the book, it was very focused on the others. It made it sort of drag on a little bit.

All of this to say, I'm definitely interested in any more books Maloof decides to write!

I assume this book is a self-publishing effort. I hate to sound patronizing, but good ideas are there. The author needs an editor before moving on to another iteration of this book. A professional, not a well-meaning friend. Page after page of “talking heads”, stilted conversations, limited narration, and lack of good imagery are hurting the storytelling. There is attempt at adding detail, but it somehow adds to the amateur feel. There needs to be a greater development of tone and mood. A more solid use of setting that really establishes the scene. Too many times there was a buzzword of a location, but I never *felt* that the characters were grounded in that location. They could have been anywhere. Setting is more than time and place.

Good luck, fledgling author. You will get there!

I'm always in for a dose of high octane action, and there was just something about this debut and first book of a new series that caught my attention immediately. An international setting is always a bonus, and I was intrigued by the conspiracy angle and the promise of a lethal cat-and-mouse game. Relentless turned out to be an action-packed and simply exhilarating rollercoaster ride indeed! I can see this working so well as a Hollywood action movie, and I mean this only in the best possible way.

Relentless takes you on a wild ride that switches between two countries along the way. The terrorist attack that started it all is set in Paris, but the majority of the story actually takes place in multiple states in the US. There are also multiple POVs and characters in play, although they are easy to keep apart and the switches don't slow down the pace at all. In fact, you will find it very hard to stop reading, because there is danger lurking around every corner and a lot of action to be found along the way. A lethal cat-and-mouse game indeed!

One of the reasons this story just works has a lot to do with the main character Kate Preacher. She is what you can call your typical kick ass female lead, but she is easy to warm up to and easier to root for. Especially after what happened to her husband in the Paris attack... Nomad was likewise a great character, and I enjoyed learning more about both. Relentless is still mostly about the plot and the action though, and you won't find a boring minute in this story. Things can be said about the credibility of it all and you definitely have to be able to suspend your disbelief, but if you focus on the entertainment level alone, I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed.

This debut definitely isn't afraid to go dark and multiple trigger worthy topics are incorporated including terrorism, torture, death, grief, abuse, rape, graphic violence, PTSD, stalking and human trafficking. They all play a role in the plot though, and there is no doubt that the plot is intense. The writing style itself flows easily as well, and there were a couple twists that I didn't see coming. Relentless does end with a bit of a cliffhanger though, so don't expect to have all the answers by the end of this book... It's nothing too big, but there is a certain storyline that ends with a clear teaser for book two. Not that I wasn't going to read the sequel anyway!

If you like you thrillers on the action-packed, high octane and fast-paced side, you will be in for a treat with this debut. A conspiracy plot, lots of action, a strong female lead... Relentless sure does its title justice.

Make a place for Kate Preacher on your TBR shelf.

Former intelligence analyst Kate Preacher is forced to outrun bounty hunters 'swiping right' for the opportunity to end her life while tracking down her husbands killer and preventing a global information technology disaster. This international spy thriller has all the alphabet agencies, chess set-pieces, compromised politicians, mob bosses, remote cabins and cold-war subterfuge you'd want to throw a stick at. Everything in this novel works well - the pace, the characters, the plot. The endgame could have been more subtly drawn, but overall I thought this was a very well constructed work.

I found the reference to Māori and Samoan bouncers unusual. Not wrong, just odd - I found myself wondering how many readers would be able to distinguish between a Māori or Samoan or Ni-Van, etc. No different I guess from references to minor characters simply by their nationality regardless of where they are from. I am generally rubbish at distinguishing people by reference to country of origin (physical appearance, gait, clothing, significant markers are more helpful).

For the benefit of the story Kate Preacher and Jake Church had to have the perfect marriage, except for one teeny tiny life-threatening secret. This is the pivot of the story, the infuriating 'you stupid man' and the only part of the story I really didn't like. I'm keen to see whether Kate will pop up again to foil more terrorist plots, or perhaps in a prequel exploring her life prior to marriage. It will be worth taking a look if she does.

Relentless starts off with the sort of the sort of pace that all thrillers should command but soon settles down into a tale of industrial espionage and human loss that just plods along. There are some decent action scenes but the story itself gets lost in the haze and the cloying sentimentality makes the narrative sickly sweet. Before too long, I couldn’t separate the baddies from the goodies and that’s never a good look for a thriller.

What an exhilarating start to a new thriller series. Kate Preacher is an incredible Badass and I can wait for book #2. Michael Maloof, please write faster! I received an ARC from NetGalley, and the opinions expressed are my own.