Linda Castillo Overkill

Overkill

Linda Castillo

Berkley, Oct 2007, $7.99

ISBN: 9780425218297

Unable to deal with the suspect killing the nine year old innocent girl, Chicago Police Officer Marty Hogan loses control and beats up the male suspect, Rurik Ivanov. To her misfortune, she is caught on video that is shown around the country and overseas as an example of police brutality. The nation chose to ignore the brutality of the girls' killing. Ruined and scorned Marty is forced to resign.

Six months later Marty obtains a police job in purgatory, Caprock Canyon, Texas. Police Chief Clay Settlemeyer believes she can be a good cop, but warns Marty to control her temper. Meanwhile Rurik's brother Radimyr plots vengeance against the woman who humiliated his sibling making him look ridiculous for the world to see. His sister Katja starts the cat and mouse game with Marty's former Chicago partner and Radimyr continues it in Texas where Clay's daughter Erica becomes an expendable pawn. The Cold War is hot.

Romantic suspense fans will enjoy the aptly named OVERKILL as several individuals seek redemption in differing ways. Marty needs to prove she is a good cop while Radimyr needs to destroy her for the insult to his family. Clay also finds a second chance as he and Marty fall in love (although that feels more like a requirement than a needed subplot). However, the story line is stolen by the brief appearances of the Russian black widow Katja whose body is that of a siren but whose heart is a frozen wasteland. Linda Castillo provides her audience with a tense thriller that hooks the reader from the moment that Marty arrives in Texas and never slows down until the final East meets Midwest and Southwest confrontation.

Harriet Klausner