Book Review and Giveaway – Deadly Encounter (FBI Task Force #1) #LoneStarLit

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Deadly Encounter. It was more suspense than romance. Or at least not the normal type of romance that I read. The suspenseful plot drove forward; and kept me reading to find out who murdered the victim, who poisoned the water supply, would Stacy gain custody of Whitt. And then on the periphery, would Stacy and Alex fall in love. I appreciated how Ms. Mills intertwined the different plot lines and presented the conclusion. Like the F.B.I. agents, I was laying out the facts, replaying them in my mind, and trying to not jump to any conclusions. Like Stacy, I was worried for the animals in her care, and was especially worried for Whitt. 

All of the characters in Deadly Encounter are well-developed. Stacy is living and working in an impoverished neighborhood. She volunteers in her community. She nurtures the animals in her care. I empathized with her. And appreciate her straight-forward nature. Alex, the F.B.I. agent, is dedicated to his job first and foremost. And has trust issues from a previous case.  If I were in need of the FBI, I’d hope for agents like Alex and his partner Ric. I loved Whitt, the precocious 12 year old who Stacy is trying to adopt. He’s highly intelligent, with an astounding vocabulary. And also a difficult home life. Some of the things he says had me cracking up!

Deadly Encounter is set in Houston. Which in case you don’t know, is where I live. It was totally neat to be reading a book with a local setting! Roads I’ve driven. Parks I’ve visited. I don’t spend a lot of time by the airport, though. And now, I’m really curious where the local FBI office is located. Might need to research that!