The Endings Series
Book 3
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Rule #1 of being a hired killer: never get to know your target . . . and definitely don’t fall in love with them.
Taking lives has taken its toll. Her moral justifications have faltered. Do any of the the people she has killed — some of them heinous, but all of them human — deserve to die?
Her next target is Cameron Walker, a rancher in Arizona. When she arrives at his remote desert estate to carry out her orders, she discovers that he is a kind and beautiful man. After a lengthy tour of the ranch, not only has she not killed him, she’s wondering who might want him dead.
She procrastinates long enough that a vibe grows between them. At the same time, she learns that he’s passionate about wild horses and has been fighting a losing political battle to save the mustangs that live on protected land near his property. He’s even received death threats from those who oppose him.
She finds herself trying to protect the man she was sent to kill, following a trail that leads from the desert, to the Phoenix cognoscenti, to the highest offices in Washington, DC. Along the way she encounters kidnappers and killers, horse thieves and even human traffickers. Hopefully she can figure out who ordered the hit before they hire someone else to execute the assignment.
- Publisher : Oceanview Publishing
- Publish Date : September 5, 2023
- Hardcover : 320 pages
What’s Being Said
My Thoughts
This is the first book I’ve read in this series, yet it easily worked as a standalone. However, like most characters in a series, I’m sure I would have understood the MC a little better had I read earlier books.
Since I rarely read the synopsis before starting a book, I was taken aback to learn that the MC is an assassin, but this isn’t a random hit, the people she kills must deserve death. Thank goodness. ( I couldn’t hold my hands back from typing that sarcastic thought.)
But her latest job is disturbing her. In all aspects, the person she’s instructed to kill appears to be a genuinely nice guy.
This was a fast read that was enlightening and thought-provoking.
Concerns
Though it is a well written book, and entertaining, it almost felt like the story was written around an agenda of controversial subjects. Not that there’s anything wrong with learning something, or feeling you should do a little research, but it felt a bit heavy-handed.
Final Thoughts
The book is enlightening, entertaining, somewhat political, and full of twists and romance. If you’re looking for an unusual story with a female assassin, a story that’s apt to leave you mulling over certain things, don’t overlook Dead West by Linda Richards.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Linda L. Richards is the award-winning author of fifteen books. The founder and publisher of January Magazine and a contributing editor to the crime fiction blog The Rap Sheet, she is best known for her strong female protagonists in the thriller genre. Richards is from Vancouver, Canada and currently makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona.
Linda’s 2021 novel, ENDINGS, was recently optioned by a major studio for series production. The book is available in paperback, April 2022. A PW starred review said that this “harrowing tale of love, loss, and the value of life is not to be missed.” A sequel, EXIT STRATEGY, will be published spring 2022.
