Member Reviews
Malia K, Reviewer
I wasn't quite connecting with this one and I had to DNF with the possibility of picking up in the future. Thank you for the opportunity to read the book and I apologize for the inconvenience.
Dolly S, Media/Journalist
If you love a fast-paced romantic suspense series, then man, does P.A. DePaul have one for you. SHADOW OF DOUBT is the second in her Sweet Briar Group series about a group of assassins for hire, and once the action starts, it keeps on going.
The story opens with a flashback to when Michelle Alger was on a college research trip in Columbia, South America.
Only, paradise isn’t so dreamy when you’re running for your life in the middle of the jungle and a drug cartel is chasing you. As Michelle’s small research group moved deeper into the jungle, transferring from the relative ease of ATV travel to hiking through thicker underbrush, they scattered when a terrifying group of cartel thugs appeared out of the jungle, chasing them across an old wood-and-rope bridge spanning the space between two rock cliffs. Michelle was last to make her way onto the bridge—and the only one kidnapped by the cartel.
Fortunately for Michelle, a team of Green Berets was already in the jungle to stage a raid on the Osvaldo cartel. Captain Jeremy Malone was preparing the final briefing for the assembled SEAL, DEA, ATF and other government entities when he learned the Osvaldo cartel had branched out into kidnapping. The fact that they’d already had an American woman in captivity for two days, Jeremy (“Cappy”) moved quickly to try and save Michelle. Though Cappy saved her life, her brutal imprisonment and deadly liberation changed them both irrevocably.
When next they meet, it’s present day and Michelle is on the run from false accusations of killing Colin Harris, the son of Senator Bob Harris of Kentucky—a powerful senator who backs the SBG because it provides “Black Ops Without the Red Tape.” Even more damning is video footage of her entering his hotel room, stumbling drunk, and four minutes later running frantically from the room. Alone.
You see, during Michelle’s brutal time in captivity, she was raped. It’s not often that a main character suffer such a brutal rape, which is then alluded to throughout the story. Normally I wouldn’t mention this plot point, but it’s a troubling bit of narrative … so brace yourself. Emotionally, it’s understandable how tenable Michelle’s grasp on intimacy would be; but it’s Jeremy’s lingering grief over the events of Michelle’s rescue that really show DePaul’s attention to detail on a traumatic subject.
Were it not for the mission that rescued Michelle, Cappy’s best friend (and member of his team) would still be alive … but she certainly would have died. His connection to Michelle is tied to his worst day—perhaps that’s why they’re so fixated on one another. “Only one man had seen beyond the carnage and made her feel as if it would be okay.”
Once Colin is murdered, Senator Harris tasks the SBG team to hunt for the mysterious woman in the YouTube video being broadcast on every news station. Cappy recognizes Michelle right away, and though he’s vague about how he knows her, leads a race against time to bring her in safely before the vengeful senator can get his hands on her.
Michelle has been living under WITSEC since her return to the states, and she and Cappy haven’t communicated at all since he put her on a helicopter out of the jungle. But all is not what it seems, thankfully, and blackmail becomes an increasingly obvious reason for Colin’s murder.
In this era of video surveillance and social media, it’s a wonder anyone steps outside of the law. Michelle’s question casts a shadow of doubt over her involvement in the murder, but also the ridiculous notion that she would even be the culprit to begin with even though her trip to Colin’s hotel room, out of context, is quite damning.
I’ll be interested to see if SBG can swim or tread water. DePaul has certainly built a story with a robust set of characters, so fleshing out a series for each one shouldn’t be a problem.
