Crossfire, Lynette Eason’s latest book in the Extreme Measures series, releases today! Here’s what it’s all about:
FBI special agent Julianna Jameson is a top-notch negotiator who has never lost a hostage. Surely she can manage to take care of her much younger sister, Dottie, who showed up unannounced to live with Julianna while she finished her senior year of high school.
A former sniper with the 75th Ranger Regiment, Clay Fox left the army after a tragic incident that he can’t get past. Now he’s working as a high school resource officer until he can figure out what to do with the rest of his life.
Their paths cross when Julianna is called in to negotiate a courtroom hostage situation involving Clay’s sister. Impressed and a bit intimidated by the calm, capable woman with the dark hair and blue eyes, Clay invites her to speak at his school. Dottie’s school.
But as the anniversary of a school shooting from Julianna’s past approaches, it becomes clear that her perfect record is about to be tested and that Dottie is at risk. If Julianna and Clay can’t figure out who’s behind the attacks, more innocent people will die–and Dottie is next in line.
Wow, Lynette Eason really ups the stakes in Crossfire! The action in this book starts on the first page and doesn’t stop until the very end. I love the way that she kept me guessing throughout the entire story. Every time I thought I had something figured out, she threw in a whole new twist!
That’s what I love about a good suspense story: you fall in love with the characters, get caught up in the action, and the next thing you know, you’re in for a crazy ride – and Eason is a master of this genre. I want to be friends with all of her people, but keep me away from her bad side, because she dreams up some seriously interesting things. She takes each story a bit deeper and just a bit wilder – and that only makes it better.
I love when authors write about friends who are just really fantastic friends – the kind of friends who you know will be there for each other, no matter what – because you know the author’s going to test that in crazy ways, right? That makes for a fantastic story and some really amazing characters. Eason took this one a step further. The two main characters in this book, Julianna and Clay, each had really amazing sisters. I’d love to see each of them have their own stories, but especially Dottie, Julianna’s little sister, because while we get her basic backstory in this one, we don’t really hear her side of things. Her spunk, determination, and kind heart will make her the perfect female lead in a future story.
Julianna and Clay aren’t without those qualities, either. They have just enough to overcome that you can see the mountain of difficulties and you can feel their frustration – but you also see the determination and desire to save the day. We need heroes like these. We need books that showcase that light and the desire to make the world a better place in good ways. We need to see hope and character played out in realistic situations – and while I certainly don’t want to see anyone fight the evil that Julianna and Clay do in this story, the headlines are full of similar situations. Crossfire shows us the other side of the story. In this book – in the Extreme Measures series – we see the side of the heroes who are fighting back against the bad. Crossfire is a good-versus-evil story at its very best.
Keep writing, Ms. Eason. We need more stories that are both entertaining and show us how good really can triumph.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
