March 11, 2019
Hunt (Hot Target) gets the Steele Ops military suspense series off to a strong start. Former Army Ranger Knox Steele returns to Washington, D.C., after a two-year absence to help his equally capable military-trained brothers open a high-end security firm. Though he’s not entirely set on staying in town permanently, he starts to consider it when he bumps into Zoey Wright, the sister of his best friend. The two families have been in each other’s pockets for years and Zoey has always had a secret crush on Knox, though she never pursued him. Instead, she focused on her career as a crime scene investigator, pushing herself to get into field work after her lifelong heart condition went into remission. When Zoey’s apartment gets tossed and a serial killer begins killing victims who eerily resemble her, Knox’s protective instincts kick in and he sets up a plan to catch the bad guy. (It’s unclear, however, why Zoey’s brother, a detective, simply lets Knox and his brothers run roughshod over the official investigation.) Hunt’s romantic suspense is fun and sexy, and it unsurprisingly sets up several of Knox and Zoey’s relatives—all single, naturally—to find their future partners. Hunt gives readers plenty of zippy action and sizzling chemistry, only slightly at the expense of plausibility. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary.
April 15, 2019
The first in Hunt's Steele Ops series features Zoey Wright, CSI agent, and Knox Steele, former Army Ranger. Zoey, after a lifetime of playing it safe because of a chronic congenital heart defect and attendant surgeries, is enjoying her new job, until she encounters Knox at a crime scene. Mad at him for staying away from Washington, D.C., for two years after getting out of the army, and at herself for still having a big crush on him, Zoey is determined to lead her life as an independent woman despite his and her brother Cade's overprotectiveness. Little does she know that she is being stalked by D.C.'s cupid killer. Amid the danger, she decides to give in to her desire for Knox, even if he is planning to leave. Despite a predictable damsel-in-distress ending, the depiction of a strong woman with health vulnerabilities trying to achieve independence definitely makes this a cut above the rest. Hunt's first Steele brothers tale is fun, and a sequel with Zoey's friend Grace and her brother is on the horizon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)