Review: Loved Main Female Character in Serial Thriller...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 22, 2013
Lust, Book 1, tells the early story of Elaine Brogan, the female main character...but also throws in the setup that leads on into Money... Murder...Elaine had been Daddy's girl since the day she was born, especially after her mother left the family and ran off with another man. Her father had sent her to good schools and later when she became involved with a possibility of becoming a model, he made sure the money was provided... Unfortunately, he was stealing on the job to do that...Elaine was also very smart, so when she reached the point when the modeling scam required touching, she knew enough to demand all of her money back, threatening to have her father come to get it if she didn't leave with it.She Got the Money...But she also got her father put in jail. The money she had been given was counterfeit and when her father had tried to deposit it, the bank caught it! The investigation also brought his earlier thefts out and he was convicted.Then he committed suicide... Elaine could not forgive herself for having first demanded that money, and then getting counterfeit in return. Payback was her goal...She went to school to learn all about design--of money!She also applied for and got accepted for the Secret Service. She wanted to find the man who had given her that money and make sure he went to jail for what he'd done to both her and her father. She finished with her training and was sent to Montana...Did I tell you that, just as the head of the model agency realized, Elaine was a beautiful woman... So much so that her new boss, well, you know, right? Elaine refused to play--she was soon on her way... To Bulgaria! Of course, I wanted to go off on that supervisor who sexually harassed Elaine...but...it's not a new story, unfortunately...The outcome, however, was something that man would never have anticipated. She loved her new job! She not only had excellent training, she had an eye for detail. Soon, she was known all over the world for her ability and sample bills were sent into Sofia's office, where she would easily discover whether or not it was phony... she personally improved detection of counterfeit tremendously!She also fell in love with her boss...They'd had their first date when Elaine was contacted by a man she'd met during training who worked for Treasury. Not only did he tell her that her boss was under investigation, but he had made arrangements for immediate transfer to Washington to handle a special project reporting to him!Readers should note that this is a series. The first three sections are now available, but another volume is already in the works.When Elaine hits Washington is when the action spirals outward, with surprises, danger and some nasty men, including the Russian mafia, who are working to keep the ability to continue the production of counterfeited American dollars going.At the same time, there was one minor character, Dmitry, a taxi driver, who was responsible for one of the most thrilling scenes in the book and for saving Elaine's life... The Hummer following Dmitry didn't make it... Hey, Elaine needed all the help she could get!An interesting little tidbit that happens early in the book is that the man who ran the dance studio had died...and Elaine's desire for revenge was lost. Now that desire that she probably should have given up years ago had placed her directly in line for more than she could ever hope to handle!And there was nobody to whom she could turn...Whew! The further you go in this story, the complexity of Money/Power becomes unbelievable. Readers begin to think about how safe the "dollar" is--for various reasons. I was amazed at some of the information regarding product counterfeiting and how broadly these crimes apparently go! Yeah, it's fiction, but still, Wells sure taught me a lot too! I'll be looking to see what happens next. This is a "cliffhanger" thriller in the true sense of the word! Highly recommended!GABixlerReviewsBook Received for Review