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Sunday 22 November 2015

The Body Market by D.V. Berkom



Description from Goodreads:

A retired assassin is called in when a celebration south of the border turns into a nightmare.

Former assassin Leine Basso is hired by a wealthy Beverly Hills power couple to find their missing daughter, Elise, who was last seen partying with her boyfriend at a club in Tijuana. At first, police believe the two teenagers are the victims of a carjacking. But when Leine finds their missing vehicle with the boyfriend’s mutilated body inside, and the local cartel warns her away, she knows if Elise isn’t already dead, she will be soon, or worse.

In the lethal world of organized crime, there’s always a worse.

As Leine races the clock to uncover the reason behind Elise Bennett's disappearance, she must also battle the powerful interests fighting to keep her from the truth.


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Oh my goodness, I can’t even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this book from start to finish so before I try, I want to thank the author, publisher (Duct Tape Press) and NetGalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest and impartial review.

I have never read anything by D.V. Berkom before and therefore have not read the first 2 books in this series but I really didn’t feel I missed out at all. There is a back story to the main character, Leine Basso, which, although is touched upon in this book, I felt the author gave enough of it to give me a good insight into her motivations and strength. Leine is a very strong character but with a soft and caring side and you see all of these in this story. Now don’t get me wrong, she is not so perfect that she becomes unbelievable rather that she has flaws that make her more plausible.

The other main character in this story, Elise, is not your usual victim. Despite her going through some horrific experiences, she maintains a strength and fighting spirit throughout which was unexpected given where she comes from and although not the most likeable character at the beginning, I did start to warm to her as her plight deepened.

The secondary characters add other dimensions to the story with each one being expertly developed and none feeling superfluous or an afterthought.

The story is a difficult one to cover, that of kidnapping, murder, organ theft and trafficking but D.V. Berkom writes without sensationalising those subjects. The pace of the story is fast and it’s very difficult to stop reading even though you have to get up for work the next morning!

Overall, a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed and now I’m off to get the first 2.

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Author website: http://www.dvberkom.com/

Twitter: @dvberkom

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