I really enjoyed the thriller element to this book, it had that concept that I was looking for and enjoyed about the genre. I enjoyed the use of the FBI codebreaker and how everything worked together to tell the story. The characters were wonderfully done and enjoyed how good the characters were in this story. Isabella Maldonado has a great writing style and I enjoyed everything that happened.

Another fantastic police procedural from Isabella Maldonado!

After famed hitman Gustavo Toro died, he left a secure video outlining how to find evidence of his crimes -- and take down his former boss. The video will lead codebreaker Daniela Vega and her team on a cross country hunt for clues -- and a search for a scientist who has been missing for more than five years. But Daniela may also need her Special Forces training as Toro's boss has his own tactical team on the same search, and they are somehow managing to continually be one step ahead.

Fast paced and thrilling, these books never disappoint! A lot of high tech and moving parts but nothing ever felt improbable or unbelievable.

This is a interesting series . I was a little lost on when Dani was undercover and met him , I haven't been reading this author for long so am hoping not everyone will be as lost as me.
But the mystery itself was interesting and the internal FBI politics added a extra layer to the intrigue.

Isabella Maldonado is one of my favorite authors. She is an outstanding storyteller, and her books are always action-packed and fast-paced. I loved that this book involved Toro, and that Flint was back as well. The plot was fantastic as Dani and the others try to find a treasure trove of evidence that will bring down a lot of powerful people. I also loved the personal aspects of Dani's life that were included. What happened at the end was exciting and it will be great to see her brother's role in future books. Her mom's drawings seem very interesting too. At times, I did think the villains were a little too all powerful and it was annoying that they were so often ten steps ahead but overall, it was still an excellent story. I highly recommend this entire series! 4.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for an early ARC.
This is rounded up to 3.5
I liked this book, but I personally found it to be much less captivating than the previous two. I wasn’t as into the mission, and it felt like an action movie. Not a thriller mystery.
I love the characters, and I love that Flint was back. I wish we got more of him. His character was better utilized in the previous book.
I also love Dani. She’s close to being the annoying “I’m a saviour and will disobey everyone and hide my plan” but isn’t quite there. Her other qualities save her.
I liked the ending of the book for her on a personal level.

There will likely be another book because there’s still a lot of unknowns with her mom, and her brother’s involvement will be good. I’ll read it if it comes out.

After the director of the FBI receives a message from Gustavo Toro, Dani and her (well SAC Wu’s) team are back on another case.
I absolutely adore Vega and the entire series. Book 3 gives us a deeper dive into Toros past (and some of Vega’s), while they try and find his ‘treasure’. The hitman with a heart (or at least a code) has left a treasure hunt to discover those who have hired him.

Maldonado’s writing is impeccable and we follow Dani along for the ride. I really love how I find myself trying to crack the codes with Dani and her team before Maldonado explains them to us. I also love the hints of romance that are peppered into the stories. At its heart, the series is a mystery thriller and I always struggle to put it down. This book is just as good as the rest and definitely worth the read.

I will forever be grateful to A killer’s game being an Amazon monthly first read as I don’t know if I would have found this gem of a series without it. A special thanks to NetGalley and Thomas&Mercer for the eARC, I was overjoyed when I found out I didn’t have to wait until January for book 3. All views and opinions are my own.

Another book another adventure for Dani Vega. If you loved book one of the Dani Vega series you will love this one too as it brings us back to someone we met in book one, I highly recommend reading the books in order for the best experience,

Author Isabella Maldonado does it again! I love that we were brought back into the world of book one. The stakes are high and so is the action. This book is fast paced and keeps you completing entertained in a world of riddles, clues, mercenaries, and a small group of agents. Dani and the team try to beat the clock and get to a "treasure" before someone else does. They fight against an invisible force that is just a step ahead of them. They don't know exactly what this treasure is and what they will find but if they find it they will understand how big the pot actually is.

Free ARC from Net Galley

Lots of action and some neat turns in the code breaking details, almost reads like a good movie. I liked the fact that after the previous "Killer's Game", this can be read as a standalone novel. The story is always better when the author's background adds so much realism.

Another winner from Isabella Maldonado! I've read everything she has written up to this point, and I have yet to meet a book of hers that wasn't outstanding.

I had the privilege of previewing this latest edition of the Daniela Vega series, and I wasn't disappointed in this adventure. The plot twists and turns, and always kept me on my toes trying to anticipate what would come next. Vega continues to prove herself as a strong, kick-ass FBI agent, but we also get to see her more vulnerable and compassionate sides in dealing with her colleagues, family, and those at risk.

All in all, this makes for a compelling read. I do recommend you start with the first two books in this series for a full understanding of the back stories referenced here, but even if you start off with this one, you won't be disappointed. Undoubtedly. you'll be convinced to pick up volumes 1 and 2 when you're done!

The third Dani Vega book involves a case related to the first book. Gustavo Toro, an assassin who Dani worked with in book one of the series, left behind a video for the FBI to be delivered after his death. When Dani and her team watch the video they find out that Toro has evidence to put his employers in jail. However, the FBI will have to put together clues Toro left behind to find the evidence. This propels Dani and her team on a wide ranging search for Toro’s proof. Isabella Maldonado keeps the tension going by weaving in chapters from Toro’s employers POVs, making the book a race of who will get to the evidence first. Dani Vega is a complex character who cares deeply about doing her job well while also keeping vulnerable people safe. Another good one from Isabella Maldonado. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I have absolutely enjoyed this series. This is the third book and the plot was so unique to continue the series without feeling “same old, same old.” A fast paced, gritty, twisty thriller that will keep you on your toes trying to stay one step ahead of the bad guys.

Hitman Gustavo Toro has sent a "If you're seeing this, I'm dead" video message to the FBI. Dani and her team are recruited to crack the cryptic treasure hunt clues he has sent them - and piecing together his past is more twisted than Dani could have imagined!!

I love this series! Code-breaking is riveting, and there was non-stop action in A Killer's Code. I couldn't begin to guess what was going to happen next!

BIG thanks to both #ThomasAndMercer and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of A Killer's Code. This book is #3 in the Daniela Vega series, and has an expected publication date of January 21, 2025.

#IsabellaMaldonado #FBICodeBreaking #Mystery #Suspense

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book. This didn’t have quite the same sense of urgency for me as the first two. It didn’t captivate me. The first two i couldn’t put down. I am still glad i read it and it was not bad by any means. but i was just hoping for it to be a little more intense and fun! This was kind of predictable and slow to me unfortunately because i was so looking forward to loving it!

This is the latest in the Agent Daniela “Dani” Vega series. We start off with enough information that this could be read as a standalone. This book jumps into action right from chapter 1 and doesn’t stop until the end. I highly recommend this series and look forward to the next adventure for Dani Vega. In Book 2 Dani worked with a contract killer, Gustavo Turo; where she got to know the man. When he is killed, he had a letter sent to the FBI stating that Gustavo has left a treasure and plenty of evidence of all his kills. Who hired him and how much and pictures. He tells the FBI that he is leaving clues to find this treasure and a woman that they need to locate and protect. Dani has been added to this team because of her knowledge of Gustavo and her code breaking skills. As they begin their treasure hunt Dani, and her team realize that Gustavo boss seems to be ahead of them in this hunt. Dani’s boss, Steve Wu, is also getting slack from his boss Hargraves about Dani being on the team and his personal feelings for her. Pick up this book because you won’t want to put it down. Thank you, Netgalley and Thomas Mercer Publishing for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 5 Star

Isabella Maldonado gives us a thrilling sequel to “A Killer’s Game” with FBI agent and former military codebreaker Daniela “Dani” Vega. This is the third in the series, and it picks up where the last thriller left off, but the author gives us enough backstory so the book can be read as a standalone.

Dani is a superstar agent and she was there when hitman Gustavo Toro died, discovering a few pieces of actual humanity in the guy as he died. Five and a half months later, his “if you’re seeing this I’m dead” hard drive is in the hands of the FBI. It’s Toro’s payback to the ghouls he served, but he’s not making it easy — it’s an encrypted “treasure hunt” that also requires human intelligence to crack it. And that’s why Dani gets recruited again directly by the Director to a special team, although her boss’s boss, Hargrave, is aggravated about being by-passed. We get an action packed thriller with good guys, bad guys, and in-between guys.

Maldonado writes strong, intelligent, savvy women characters who you care about. Dani has become one of my favorite characters and I’ll be looking forward to seeing her again! 5 stars!

From the priest: “AdLenitents” and “Chreasters” — love the terms!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Some unique gray ones, but no green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO Maldonado knows her Arizona landscaping of mesquite, palo verde, juniper, barrel cactus and saguaro.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Another great book in the Daniela Vega series. A video sent to the FBI sends Dani on a chase to solve the clues and find the missing witness. I enjoyed this book and hope there are more coming in this series.

Isabella Maldonado is a master storyteller. Maldonado's impressive background in law enforcement is evident in her writing, and her decades of experience fighting crime bring a crisp realism to her novels. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two novels in the Daniela Vega series and was thrilled to have the opportunity to read an advance copy of the third. As FBI Special Agent Dani Vega and her team race to unravel the questions and riddles left behind by a dead hitman, they find themselves outpaced and facing a formidable, shadowy adversary. A Killer's Code hits the ground running and does not stop until the final showdown, where mysteries are solved, secrets are revealed, and emotions are high.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

When the director of the FBI receives a cryptic video, from Toro a contact killer, agent Dani Vega is called in. Vega knew Toro from an undercover case and was there when he died. Toro promises evidence of all his clients but first the team have to solve his clues.

I really enjoy the puzzle aspect of this book series. I always try to solve them, but my mind does not work like Vega’s. She is a strong willed character who feels like she would be a great role model in real life. I enjoy how these books are written where we see the thought process of the whole team, the inter agency cooperation, family life as well as the military aspect. It gives the characters really full backgrounds. This story was exciting, addictive and hard to put down. It shocked me at times, and I had big intakes of breath as I tried to process everything happening at once. This pace really built the suspense. Absolutely brilliant, a gem of a book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "A Killer's Code", the latest in the Agent Daniela 'Dani' Vega series by Isabella Maldonado. After the explosive ending of the previous book, I was prepared for another novel of suspense and action - and that's exactly what I got!
In the previous book Dani was forced to work closely with contract killer Gustavo Toro; now, after the hit man's death, Dani and her team set out on a quest to retrieve Toro's 'treasure'. And what a quest it is.
Thanks to information left after his death, the FBI need to locate a woman who's been missing for 5 years, someone who holds the key to what this treasure might be. But it won't be easy, as lead after lead end up dead! The person or company that had 'handled' Toro for all of those years is determined to get to the missing woman - a scientist with a potentially life-changing secret - before the Agents do. And it doesn't help that there is active interference from within the FBI ranks.
Throughout the entire case, Agent Vega will have to draw not only on her skills as a cryptanalyst (code breaker), but also her extensive military and FBI training, while protecting all the members of her team - including her boss.
Highly recommended. Works equally well as a standalone or as the next book in the series read.

Thank you for NetGalley and Isabella Maldonado for this ARC in exchange my honest review.

"A Killer's Code" is a gripping and meticulously crafted thriller that had me hooked from the very first page. I love this series. As an avid reader of crime fiction, I was thoroughly impressed by the depth of the characters and the intricate, fast-paced plot that kept me on the edge of my seat. Maldonado's masterful storytelling and attention to detail truly brought this world to life, making it easy to lose myself in the high-stakes investigation. I greatly appreciated the diverse perspectives and the complex moral dilemmas the protagonist navigated. "A Killer's Code" is a must-read for anyone who loves intelligent, suspenseful crime novels. I can't wait to see what Maldonado writes next. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-written, suspenseful crime novel.