Network of Deceit by Tom Threadgill {Book Review}

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for consideration. All thoughts are my own. 

 

After her rescue of nearly fifty kidnapped children made international headlines, Amara Alvarez gets what she's worked for: a transfer to San Antonio's Homicide Division. Reality sets in quickly, though, as her first case, the suspicious death of a teenager at a crowded local water park, brings chaos to her personal life.

As the investigation moves forward and she increases the pressure on the suspects, Amara finds herself under attack by cybercriminals. Her every move is being potentially watched online, and she's forced to resort to unconventional methods to find the killer. With few leads, she fights to keep her first murder investigation from ending up in the cold case files.

Tom Threadgill is back with another riveting page-turner featuring the detective who is willing to put everything on the line to see that justice is served and lives are protected.

Tom Threadgill is a full-time author and a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and the International Thriller Writers (ITW). The author of Collision of Lies, Tom lives with his wife near Dallas, Texas. Learn more at www.tomthreadgill.com.

Network of Deceit is the second book in the Amara Alvarez series by Tom Threadgill. While the Cotulla case from Collision of Lies is referred to on several occasions, I certainly felt that this one could be enjoyed as a standalone as well. No spoilers were given, and knowledge of the previous case wasn't really necessary to enjoy it.

In this story, we catch back up with Amara as she has finally gotten the job she'd wanted as a homicide detective. Her first case? A mysterious death of a teenager at a local water park. The closer she gets to the truth, the more things start intruding on her personal life and we enter a world of cyber crime in this unique suspense. Like the first book, this wasn't your typical action packed suspense but rather a unique and clever read that was certainly set apart from others in the genre. The idea of cyber crimes was unique and eye opening... and definitely made you think about our dependence of computers in a new way. I must admit there were moments throughout, when I felt like I didn't quite like Amara's character as much as I had in the first book, but in the end I really enjoyed the story. 

I really enjoyed the banter between Amara and Starsky, perhaps my favorite character in the book! It was fun and added a little levity to the story as well. When dealing with the death of a teenager, that levity is often needed I think. Of course, as a fan of romance I enjoyed the aspect of their budding relationship as well, and hope to see more in future books. Overall, this was a great addition to the series and I cannot wait to see what happens next.