REVIEW: Tough Justice: Exposed by Carla Cassidy

In Tough Justice: Exposed by Carla Cassidy, after infiltrating a major crime ring and taking down the leader of the syndicate as well as many of his minions, Special Agent Lara Grant has finally returned to work after having been in hiding for a while. Her new job was supposed to be a chance, for her to finally move forward and lay the ghosts of her past to rest. But when a sniper shoots a man she’s just helped, it sets off a chain reaction of events that all seem to link back to the crime syndicate she took down. As the media attention exposes her identity, ruining any chance of her doing undercover work again.

Halfway to the nearest patrol car, the sickening sound of a bullet hitting flesh jerked her to an abrupt halt. Dunst stiffened and then fell out of her grasp and to the ground beside her. He lay face up with a bullet hole between his eyes. Silence. The world stopped moving as Lara stared down at the dead man and the blood seeping out and making a sickening puddle surrounding the back of his head.

Intense and spine-tingling are two words that immediately spring to mind to describe this novella – the first of an eight part series – which provides a thrilling, fast-paced roller coaster ride of suspense. With two harrowing murders, and a cliffhanger threatening to undo all the hard work Lara has done to reclaim her life before she went undercover.

I really liked Lara. Trust doesn’t come easily after everything she went through infiltrating the crime ring she took down. Yet, she’s a resilient heroine, determined to solve the cases — if she can — before anyone else becomes a victim. At times, it seems she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. Especially when the murders have some sort, of connection to the crime ring she took down, while the second murder has an extremely close connection to her. But she manages to go on, and that’s what I liked most about her. Although, I felt sorry for her when she learns the truth about the name of the second victim, as it’s hard for her not to lay blame on herself.

”Back again, handsome?” she asked, her gaze lingering on Nick. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, and her hair looked less bright without the sunshine overhead.
“Yeah, and his very hot partner is standing here right next to him”, Lara replied.
Sally grinned at Nick. “Does she ever lighten up?”
“Only if you feed her raw meat,” Nick replied, deadpan.

Ms. Cassidy launches a wonderful start to this chilling, pulse-pounding series with a storyline that not only entertained through strong dialogue and engaging characters, but left me wanting more with its staggering cliffhanger. In addition to there being so many unanswered questions that I’m intrigued to learn the answers to. How is Lara going to protect those that mean a lot to her? Will she ever be able to trust her partner, Nick, enough to reveal everything that happened to her during her time undercover? Are the people that were part of the crime syndicate the ones causing havoc now or is there a new criminal out to get her?

I would recommend Exposed by Carla Cassidy, if you enjoy series books, or suspense stories that manage to capture a reader’s attention from the very beginning.

Book Info:

Publication: January 12th, 2016 | Harlequin Special Releases | Tough Justice

A new job. A new case. A new criminal… ?

Special Agent Lara Grant will do anything to get her mark – until her last undercover case, infiltrating the notorious Moretti crime ring, forced her to get close to the top. Way. Too. Close…

Now starting a new job in New York City, all Lara wants is to leave the ghosts of her past behind. Until a dramatic sniper attack leaves Lara’s face – and real name – all over the media. In the blink of an eye, her cover is blown, her identity exposed.

Then a woman’s body is found, branded with the ritual Moretti tattoo. Someone knows who Lara is… and exactly how to make her pay…

Part 1 of 8 in a chilling, high-octane FBI thriller TOUGH JUSTICE from NYT bestselling author Carla Cassidy and Tyler Anne Snell, Carol Ericson and Gail Barrett.