DNF - I gave this to 45% and just couldn't continue.
I found the plot and the characters to be all over the place. It didn't hold my attention at all and half the time I didn't know what was going on as the storyline was disjointed. Can't say I really liked the characters either and just didn't find there was any reason to continue. Just wasn't for me.

If you're a fan of intense police procedurals, this one is a must for your TBR! The story throws you into the high-stakes world of Carmen Sanchez, who embarks on a personal quest to track down the person threatening her younger sister's life. Even though it’s outside her jurisdiction, Carmen refuses to stand by and takes matters into her own hands. She reluctantly partners with an old rival, and together they race against time, traveling across California to uncover the truth behind a string of linked murders. With its fast pace and gripping tension, this thriller will hook you from the very first page. I can’t wait to see where the next book in this series takes us!

Jeffrey Deaver is a go to author for me. In fact, he may be the reason I read crime fiction. Either way, I would never miss it. To be honest, I have never read anything by Isabella Maldenado, but now that I have, I will go back and find her other books.
Whether you were listening or reading (I did both) this was a win win. I love when an audio book has multiple narrators. It just makes the book come alive.
Sanchez and Herron play well off of each other and what I understand is that this is the start of a new series!! (insert woot woot here) I love how Maldenado gives credible characters, particularly her portrayal of bold, smart, and tough female main characters who don't take any nonsense from anyone and that’s exactly what Sanchez is.
The storyline flows perfectly. The character development was perfect as well. They are familiar enough, but you want to know them better and see what happens next.

Interesting story and characters. I haven’t read Deaver in years since I tired of Lincoln and Amelia. I’m so glad there is a new series starting. If Isabella Maldonado is responsible for this book, she did a great job. The two narrators were excellent and brought the characters to life.

Enjoyed the story but did struggle at times. Good little mystery tho. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Thanks NetGalley! I love Jeffery Deavet books and this is no different . Lots of different characters and “red herring”. Sanchez and Heron play well off each other, multiple motives and the cyber world collide. There are perhaps too many characters it can get a little confusing, and a few loose ends but don’t stop guessing till the end!!

A fantastic beginning to a new series from Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado. I loved the mixture of police work, intelligence, and hacking. The ending had me checking Goodreads, google, and the author's websites to find out when book 2, The Grief Artist, will be released (Sept 2025). With the way this ended, I cannot wait to see what Sanchez and Heron get up to in the next novel and where these investigations take us.

Aida Reluzco and Andre Santana did a great job narrating this book and I hope they continue to narrate the rest of the series.

Even though I haven't read any of these authors' earlier works, I think this collaboration is fantastic! I was not expecting to enjoy it so much, but I couldn't put this book down. The plot advances at a steady pace, never becoming mired down in unnecessary details.

Fatal Intrusion
Jeffery Deaver & Isabella Maldonado

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars

This is the second book. I’ve read where the offers did it as a collaboration. And I am totally here for it. Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado knocked this one out of the park.

The thriller, it was twisty, complex, action, pact, I thought we were going one way and bam we go the opposite… My kind of thriller!

Sanchez she works for the Feds, Heron he’s a professor and security expert and together they are one incredible crime finding duo. They are after a serial killer named spider. He’s sick and twisted and true to his name.. Now when it comes to AI and cyber security, stuff like that freaks me out a bit. It’s real and it’s really happening… Well, this book, is just that. Wild ride indeed, you gotta read it.

The narrator did the dang thing on this one! The characters came to life! I could feel all the tension and anxiety. I was stressed and anxiety ridden. Just how I like when reading a thriller! Awesome, awesome narration!

Have you ever looked up something on Wikipedia only to find you’re not reading about the mating habits of squirrels on Wikipedia 2 hours later? That seems to have happened to this author. It’s incredibly bogged down with information that isn’t needed. If a character plays roulette, for example, there is a long and lengthy explanation about the history and game.

I have lost interest, mostly finding it too bogged down with Wikipedia lessons. The next book in the series may be better with a different editor who knows how to use scissors

Quitting at 40% sorry!

This was a solid thriller. I liked the high level hacker plans involved in this story, and I'm always a fan of the "serial crimes to cover up the real target" trope. Carmen Sanchez is a strong female lead, flawed but also badass. I didn't love her de-facto partner Heron, but hopefully his character develops more in this series. I plan to pick up the next book when it publishes.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great crime thriller, full of twists, surprises, and layers upon layers to the plot that just kept getting revealed. I feel there is a slow burn romance starting to build (fingers crossed!). Had a lot of fun listening to this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for an ALC of this audiobook - all opinions are my own!

Thank you @mbc_books for a gifted copy! Thank you @brilliancepublishing @amazonpublishing for the ALC/ARC!

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Fatal Intrusion
𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Jeffery Deaver; Isabella Maldonado
𝗡𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀: Aida Reluzco; Andre Santana
𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: September 3, 2024
4⭐️

♦️ 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 ♦️
This was a very cleverly written thriller! I love reading new to me authors and these two did a fabulous job with this new series!

This story follows Homeland Security Federal Agent Carmen Sanchez and a security expert Professor Jake Heron through a mystery that involves Sanchez’s sister and a past that ties both Sanchez and Heron together. They both have knowledge that can help solve a string of murders that start happening along the Southern Coast!

I love the IT elements of the story, from the hacking, to the dark areas of the web, the IT jargon used from Heron. I have an IT background so books that feature this are always fun for me!

I love two opposites working together too, despite some past history that isn’t pretty between them. There are constant twists and turns in this story that kept me intrigued throughout it, and leading me down different thought processes on the bad guys.

I am excited there will be a book two with these two main characters. We are left at the end of the book with a possible what’s to come for them, and I will be happy to read more of their story!

🎧 𝙉𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 🎧
Aida Reluzco and Andre Santana did a great job narrating this twisty mystery! Aida sounded like a tough, smart Federal Agent that I’d imagine Carmen to be. Andre sounded like Jake Heron characters should be: smart, wary, and commanding like a professor would be. Both did great at the other side POVs as well, and they were easily distinguishable while listening.


♦️ 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
🚨 Police Procedurals
🔪 Serial Killers
💻 Hackers
🐭 Cat and Mouse Games
📲 Unexpected Twists and Turns