Member Review
Review by
Aravind R, Reviewer
Alexandra Martel, the decorated former sniper and an FBI special agent on loan to Interpol until recently, is engaged with saving the world from another Armageddon in her second outing, Out in the Cold by Steve Urszenyi.
Presently a consultant for the CIA, Alex is on the luxury yacht of the billionaire boyfriend of her former boss at Interpol – now a close friend – Celeste Cliquot, on the Mediterranean when the yacht is attacked by some heavily armed mercenaries. Alex performs death-defying stunts to save Madame Cliquot and her boyfriend but is ordered back to the US by the bosses to join a task force working on the vague intelligence about the covert attacks on Finland by Russia. Naturally, the US and the other NATO members are gearing up to defend their ally, and the next world war is only a minor misstep away. Before Alex can settle in her job, though, another deadly attack occurs in The Hague on Madame Cliquot and her boyfriend, killing the man – a Finnish national, incidentally – and severely injuring the lady, and Alex flies to the Netherlands against her superiors’ orders to find the attackers and punish them. But the appearance of an adversary from her previous case puts an incredible spin on the attacks – on Alex's friend and Finland – empowering Alex to avert the looming war, only if she can convince people holding power, some of whom are not to be trusted.
Urszenyi’s second novel follows a pattern similar to his first for the most part – the high-octane opening, Alex’s loyalty to her friend and disregard for authority, and her beliefs contrary to those of her higher-ups. Alex and her boss, Caleb Copeland, are in fine form, taking part in nonstop action from start to finish, but their relationship is still going nowhere. The fast-paced plot and the vividly described action sequences keep the pages turning. Alex’s never-give-up attitude and her distinctive responses to situations are as fascinating as before. The other recurring characters, and a few new ones, are compelling, too. On the downside, Out in the Cold has several issues, such as the proliferation of technical jargon and acronyms, the unresolved allegiance of an important character, the tamer action at the climax in comparison with the first book, and the revelations at the end that offer nothing much to interest the reader. While I liked Out in the Cold for its superfast narrative and the chance to reconnect with the lead characters, I doubt I would like to see Alex doing the same things once again.
I am grateful to St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books for the Digital Review Copy of Out in the Cold through NetGalley.
Presently a consultant for the CIA, Alex is on the luxury yacht of the billionaire boyfriend of her former boss at Interpol – now a close friend – Celeste Cliquot, on the Mediterranean when the yacht is attacked by some heavily armed mercenaries. Alex performs death-defying stunts to save Madame Cliquot and her boyfriend but is ordered back to the US by the bosses to join a task force working on the vague intelligence about the covert attacks on Finland by Russia. Naturally, the US and the other NATO members are gearing up to defend their ally, and the next world war is only a minor misstep away. Before Alex can settle in her job, though, another deadly attack occurs in The Hague on Madame Cliquot and her boyfriend, killing the man – a Finnish national, incidentally – and severely injuring the lady, and Alex flies to the Netherlands against her superiors’ orders to find the attackers and punish them. But the appearance of an adversary from her previous case puts an incredible spin on the attacks – on Alex's friend and Finland – empowering Alex to avert the looming war, only if she can convince people holding power, some of whom are not to be trusted.
Urszenyi’s second novel follows a pattern similar to his first for the most part – the high-octane opening, Alex’s loyalty to her friend and disregard for authority, and her beliefs contrary to those of her higher-ups. Alex and her boss, Caleb Copeland, are in fine form, taking part in nonstop action from start to finish, but their relationship is still going nowhere. The fast-paced plot and the vividly described action sequences keep the pages turning. Alex’s never-give-up attitude and her distinctive responses to situations are as fascinating as before. The other recurring characters, and a few new ones, are compelling, too. On the downside, Out in the Cold has several issues, such as the proliferation of technical jargon and acronyms, the unresolved allegiance of an important character, the tamer action at the climax in comparison with the first book, and the revelations at the end that offer nothing much to interest the reader. While I liked Out in the Cold for its superfast narrative and the chance to reconnect with the lead characters, I doubt I would like to see Alex doing the same things once again.
I am grateful to St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books for the Digital Review Copy of Out in the Cold through NetGalley.
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