Hot Pursuit Review

Title:  Hot Pursuit
Series:  Troubleshooters #15
Author:  Suzanne Brockmann
Publisher:  Ballantine
Release Date:  Jan. 1, 2009

My Rating:  5 Hunky ♥'s

My Thoughts:  Hot, sexy SEALS protecting Ladies & Babies - Yes, please!  I'm a goner!





Synopsis:
Alyssa Locke is no stranger to dealing with danger. As team leader of the nation's number one personal security company, Troubleshooters Inc., she's seen more than her share of action, survived plenty of close calls, and holds her own with the best of them-and against the worst of them. Guarding lives is her game, and no one plays it better. But her toughest challenge will be protecting herself from a serial killer she's been after for years-known only as The Dentist-who is determined to make her his ultimate trophy. 

The assignment was supposed to be an easy one: teach self-defense techniques to a newly elected assemblywoman and her chief of staff after a political controversy generates a blizzard of hate mail-including death threats-from hotheads and cranks. But as soon as she mobilizes her squad of moonlighting Navy SEALs in New York City, Alyssa begins butting heads with the hard-case cop who thinks that the Troubleshooters are chasing shadows. 

Until they discover a dead body. And then another. Now Alyssa really has her hands full-bodyguarding two independent, busy women, managing a murder investigation, and trying to find time for her husband, Troubleshooters operative Sam Starrett, and their infant son. Meanwhile, it wouldn't be a Troubleshooters operation without romantic sparks and heated rivalries-and any time the SEALs of Team Sixteen are involved, there are plenty of both. 

But then, while investigating a suspect, Alyssa is ambushed and suddenly finds herself imprisoned by The Dentist. Cut off from everyone she loves and relies on, Alyssa must call upon all of her strength and skill to survive this final confrontation with the sadistic monster, meanwhile trusting that her Troubleshooter teammates, led by her beloved Sam, will reach her before it's too late.

Review:
An "easy" assignment & a mini-vacation turn into a desperate search for a serial killer when Sam & Alyssa, with baby Ash in tow, head to NYC. Alyssa has been asked to teach some self-defense classes to a newly elected congresswoman who is receiving threatening notes - piece of cake, right? While there, she plans to enjoy some get down and dirty time with her sexy husband, Sam. But things are never that simple, are they? As dead bodies begin to stack up, Sam strongly suspects that someone other than the congresswoman is the real target of this sadistic serial killer. If he's right, the ones he loves most are in serious danger. 

An obsessive, homophobic serial killer from the past makes a return visit in Hot Pursuit. This time, he won't stop until he gets the one he wants most. Intense suspense builds as the story unfolds - impending danger around every corner. Believing the congresswoman to be the target, Alyssa has brought in some of the other Troubleshooters/SEALS (Izzy, Danny, Jay, Tony) to help protect the congresswoman and her assistant Jenn. As things spiral out of control, she also calls for FBI Agent Jules Cassidy who also brings along his mate Robin. 

As always, multiple support characters and their relationships are masterfully developed throughout the story. The volatile dynamics between Izzy and Danny are explored taking an interesting twist. But it's the "side couple" of Danny and Jenn that I found most intriguing. Brockmann has a way of taking on social issues and weaving them beautifully into her storylines. In the case of Jenn, it's a weight/size issue . . .the perception that a "large" woman is desperate for attention from a man and thus "easy" to manipulate for sex is expertly portrayed. Yes, it makes Danny come off as a bit of a sleazeball at first as he plays on the sympathies and insecurities of Jenn. But man - does he have a lesson to learn! Well done, SB! I can't wait for their story to continue.

Hot Pursuit is an intriguing story featuring the best of the series! Gorgeous, hunky SEALS protecting ladies and babies - Yes, please! I'm a goner! A Must Read!

My Rating:  5 Hunky ♥'s . . . And that's the truth!

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

♥Sandra♥