Customer Reviews

Black at Heart: A Black CATs Novel

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Wyatt Blackstone's star rose rapidly in the FBI and descended just as fast when his personal moral code made him expose something that made him unpopular among his fellow agents. Wyatt is now the Special Agent in Charge of a new unit the FBI is trying to sweep under the rug. However, Wyatt has good people on his team and they show just how good they are, until the night one of his agents is killed during a surveillance case with another team.

Lily Fletcher is a computer wizard who became fixated on a criminal. That fixation turned into her own personal nightmare. When Lily could finally contact Wyatt to let him know she was alive and in desperate need of rescuing, she made a decision that affected the entire team. Now it appears that someone has guessed Lily might still be alive and is trying to force her hand.

Wyatt and Lily have to start at the beginning to figure out just who hid behind a screen name months ago. While that would be enough to keep both of them busy, it appears the FBI might be asking questions too, and don't forget about the team themselves, all of which brings a ton of action. Action that could have been used as a front for murder. When the final battle happens, can Wyatt protect Lily and his team while bagging a murderer? And what about Wyatt and Lily's future together, and with the FBI?

What would you do if a call made you choose between the career rulebook and your moral one? In Black at Heart the Special Agent in Charge of the Black CAT's must make this decision. Wyatt knows that his own moral code has come at odds with the FBI before and without hesitation, he puts a member of his team ahead of it again. Lily let her emotions blind her and she went semi around her boss in order to capture an obsession. I was so upset when I learned that Lily had died in book two and beyond happy when she was suddenly back in Wyatt's life. I had seen that Wyatt and Lily were heading together in baby steps. I loved how Ms. Parrish tied up loose threads and filled in the blanks in both Wyatt's and Lily's lives. How Wyatt and Lily worked together to solve who was trying to kill a supposedly dead person, kept me up reading until the book was done. The loyalty of the entire team seemed to be the cherry on top as Wyatt and Lily struggled to come to terms with the people they were now, and the passion between them that could not be denied any longer. Outstanding ending to the initial three books in this great new series.

I just have to Joyfully Recommend Black at Heart and in fact, I recommend the entire Black CAT's series so far. I really hope that more books in this series show up soon, as I can just see Wyatt daring the FBI to close down his team, and the team showing up other agents by solving intricate internet crimes.


Jo
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Black Cat computer guru Lily Fletcher has proven a god send to the field operatives working to bring down Internet predators. Team leader Wyatt Blackstone especially appreciates Lily, but also hides how attracted he is to her. When she dies in an operation (see PITCH BLACK) Wyatt grieves the loss of a teammate and his failure to tell her how much he wanted her.

At her funeral, Wyatt receives a call from a severely injured Lily, who escaped her abductor, but is in mortal trouble. Wyatt and Brandon Cole bring her home, but the frightened Lily cannot identify her culprit. She persuades the agents to let her remain dead for now. Soon afterward, a serial killer leaves "lilies" with the bodies; someone has targeted his Lily and Wyatt plans to give the predator a wreath when he brings the psychopath down.

The third Black CAT romantic suspense thriller (see PITCH BLACK and FADE TO BLACK) is a super tale that follows up directly from the events of the previous book with a deep focus on Wyatt who goes from grief over the loss of the teammate he loves to a myriad of feelings when she whispers to him over the phone to come save her life. The story line is fast-paced yet perspectives change as Leslie Parrish juggles her cast nicely adding to the intrigue and suspense. Fans will enjoy Blackstone and his Black Cats teammates going after the one left behind only to cleverly change into an exhilarating serial killer mystery with all the clues pointing at hacker Lily of the field.

Harriet Klausner

I read book two of this 3-book series-Pitch Black and really enjoyed it. Picked this one up and couldn't put it down. It's very well written, holds your interest and keeps you guessing as to who done it. You would enjoy reading it in order of the series, but could read this alone and following easily and still enjoy.

This third book in the series was wonderful. The suspense was really very good - great dialogue.

STORY BRIEF:
Lily was a member of the FBI Cyber Action Team (CAT) whose targets were internet criminals. While doing surveillance on a sexual predator, Lily was shot, held prisoner and tortured for a week. The kidnapper made it look like she died in a car going over a bridge. Everyone thought she was dead, and a funeral was held. She managed to escape and called her boss Wyatt for help. She lived in secret in Maine for seven months while she healed physically and mentally. No one knew she was alive but Wyatt, another FBI agent, and the killer. The killer wanted to find Lily to finish the job. The killer began killing other sexual predators, making it look like Lily did it. Wyatt's boss had never liked him and is making Wyatt's life difficult. Wyatt is breaking rules by keeping Lily's existence a secret.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
This is labeled romantic suspense on the cover. I would define it as mostly mystery, some suspense, and a small amount of "sort-of romance." I expected to see and wanted to see the development of a relationship, but it wasn't happening. Lily used to idolize Wyatt. After her torture, she became stronger and tougher, and was direct in telling him she wanted him. He had been reluctant to have a relationship with her for a couple of reasons, but he went with it. The reasons were something about "life is too short, we could die anytime, so let's have some pleasure together." I felt like the author threw in one sex scene so she could call it a romance, but it was missing a falling-in-love process.

As to mystery and suspense, they were well thought out. I had no technical problems with anything, but there was nothing new or different. I wasn't surprised or delighted. It kept my interest. I did not feel that I wanted it to be over. So on balance, I would call it an average, ok, solid mystery.

DATA:
Story length: 345 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 1, four pages long. Setting: Maine, Virginia, and Washington D.C. Copyright: 2009. Genre: mystery suspense with minimal romance.