Deliverance: Mortal Path Book Three [Mass Market Paperback]

Dakota Banks (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 27, 2012 | Series: Mortal Path

“A gut-kick of a read, with non-stop action and as inventive a world as I’ve ever seen.”
—Vicki Pettersson, New York Times bestselling author of the Signs of the Zodiac series

“Great characters who jump from the page; a smart, layered plot, and pacing that screams. This is the kind of book that makes you look forward to a rainy day.”
—John Gilstrap, author of Nathan’s Run

“Readers…will devour Banks’s clever and compelling Mortal Path series. Assassins, demons, and danger, oh my!”
—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love You More
 
Dakota Banks has taken the supernatural thriller and given it a breathtaking new twist! Deliverance is the third book in Banks’s relentlessly exciting urban fantasy series, Mortal Path, featuring heroine Maliha Crayne, once a demon’s henchwoman and paranormal assassin now determined to atone for her centuries of murderous acts. A cross between Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft and Marvel Comics’s Elektra, Maliha finds her powers are rapidly fading in Deliverance, and discovers that her quest to avoid eternal damnation has put those she loves most in gravest peril. Banks’s Deliverance delivers suspense and edge-of-your-seat adventure—a non-stop paranormal roller coaster ride that fans of Jeaniene Frost, James Rollins, Vicki Pettersson, and Indiana Jones, won’t want to miss.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Edge of your seat, breathtaking action in a must-read supernatural thriller.” (David Dun, author of The Black Silent )

“Chilling, thrilling, and a page turner!” (Heather Graham, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Killing Edge )

“A passionate, fascinating story packed with action and history. Three hundred years ago, Maliha Crayne was burned at the stake. Now she’s in a race against time to save the world and her soul, and you’ll be with her step by step.” (David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of The Brotherhood of the Rose )

“Twisted. Action packed. Tons of fun. Dakota Banks slams you through a wild tale of mayhem and murder. You’ll love every page.” (Mario Acevedo, author of Werewolf Smackdown )

“THE MORTAL PATH is a novel to be savored for both its edge of suspense and the pure joy of its storytelling. Part immortal, all human, Maliha is a heroine who will leave readers breathless and craving more. Not to be missed!” (James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of Map of Bones and Black Order )

“Sweeping across continents and centuries, THE MORTAL PATH by Dakota Banks is story-telling at its most vivid. The characters are fascinating, the plot nail-biting, and the period pieces memorable. Curl up in your favorite chair - entertainment is guaranteed.” (Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Spymaster )

“Fans of supernatural and dark fantasy will be intrigued by Maliha Crayne’s quest to save her soul.” (Publishers Weekly )

“DELIVERANCE is a gut-kick of a read, with non-stop action and as inventive a world as I’ve ever seen. Maliha Crayne, not a character to be trifled with, could give other Urban Fantasy heroines a pointed lesson in real ass-kicking.” (Vicki Pettersson, author of the bestselling Signs of the Zodiac series on DELIVERANCE )

“DELIVERANCE by Dakota Banks delivers everything I love in suspense fiction: great characters who jump from the page; a smart, layered plot, and pacing that screams. This is the kind of book that makes you look forward to a rainy day.” (John Gilstrap, author of NATHAN'S RUN and DAMAGE CONTROL )

“Readers who like their paranormal romantic suspense novels to feature nonstop action, twisting plots, and deadly heroines will devour Banks’ clever and compelling Mortal Path series. Assassins, demons and danger, oh my!” (Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of LOVE YOU MORE )

“A breakneck ride through worlds visible and invisible - who knew the ancient Sumerians were this thrilling?” (Joseph Finder, NYT bestselling author of BURIED SECRETS )

From the Author

The inspiration for the Mortal Path series came from the occupation of Baghdad by American troops in 2003. There was a brief period during which the Iraqi National Museum was left unguarded, resulting in vandalism and looting of items of worldwide renown. Iraq sits on the ancient land of Mesopotamia, home to the cradle of civilization that developed in Sumer. Sumerian artifacts are historic treasures of value not just to the nation of Iraq but to everyone in the world. Fortunately, many of the artifacts have been recovered in the years after the looting. But what was smashed is lost, after surviving 6,000 years to be crushed out of existence by an angry person.

It made me think about what else could have survived from Sumeria, something more malevolent than a dusty vase, that wasn't going to be easy to crush out of existence. I turned to Sumerian mythology, a fascinating set of stories with intrinsic interest for readers. To mention just one example, consider that the Sumerians believed their gods were extraterrestrials who came to Earth to mine for gold, among other reasons. The mythology was so wonderful on its own that all I needed was a jumping-off point for the series. In the mythology, all of the gods left Earth to return to their home planet, so I just had to make sure a few demons were left behind on Earth and survived into the present. I love the characters, the world, and the moral dilemmas that resulted, and writing the Mortal Path series has been intensely satisfying. - DB

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager; Original edition (March 27, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062049984
• ISBN-13: 978-0062049988
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #925,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dakota Banks has worn a number of hats, including those of corporate analyst, independent computer consultant, and pet store employee (the one who cleans the cages). When she tried on a writer's hat, something magical happened: It stuck to her head, no matter how hard she tried to shake it off and get back to something that paid the mortgage.

Growing up in a converted 1890s funeral home, complete with blood gutters in the basement floor, fueled Dakota's interest in the paranormal. Fascinated with archaeology since childhood, she found a way to blend her background with her passion in the story line for her Mortal Path series of urban fantasies.

Dark Time: Mortal Path Book 1 is a suspenseful paranormal thriller laced with ancient legends and a quest for redemption, a frightening scenario that could be tomorrow's headlines, and a heady dollop of romance. Maliha Crayne an action-oriented and sensual heroine. She walks among us, but lives a far different life as she risks her own in protection of the innocent. Sacrifice, book 2, and Deliverance, book 3 (March 2012), continue Maliha's adventures.

Dakota is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and lives in a St. Louis suburb with her husband, two sons adopted from Peru and Ethiopia, and two cats Snickers and Marble, who sometimes ghostwrite her books. Good stuff, too, if you speak Cat.

Visit her website at http://www.dakota-banks.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Redemption Isn't Always Easy... March 28, 2012

By The Bookie

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I love that this series shows that redemption isn't always quick or easy or even always "right". Redemption is a personal journey, that sometimes may never be completed...

In return for revenge on those who caused her death, Maliha Crayne indentured herself to a demon. She was the demon's stone-cold assassin for over 300 years... Then she decided that she wanted something better from her life. She wanted a chance to make up for all of the needless and senseless deaths she had caused over the centuries, so she went Rogue. Yes, Rogue!!!!! (sounds all kinds of bad and shady, huh?)

By going Rogue, Maliha has the chance to redeem her soul. Every life she saves, tips the scale in her favor.

In this installment of the series. Maliha's friends are being harmed. One of her closest friends is kidnapped. In return for his release, the kidnapper wants Maliha to go back to being an assassin. This is tough for Maliha. If she does this, it will make redeeming her soul that much harder. She reluctantly does as the kidnapper asks, but goes about it in her own way. Hoping to cause the least amount of harm.

The kidnapper is good and crazy. The type of crazy that makes Hannibal Lecter say: "Damn! What is wrong with you! You are insane!" Seriously, this is one bad chick with no redeeming qualities. The reader can get a good hate on and really root for her comeuppance.

We find out some interesting things about Maliha's man, Jake (he's a slick one). I can't go into too much detail without giving away major portions of the plot.

This story has lots of action and moves at a fast pace. The author did an excellent job on this novel.

I highly recommend the other novels in this series. All of them are examples of solid storytelling and unique characters.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Maliha avoids a bloodbath April 2, 2012

By James Tepper TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

"Deliverance: Mortal Path Book Three" is, as advertised, the third entry in the continuing adventures of Maliha Crayne, ex-immortal slave-assasin of an ancient Sumerian demon, now gone rogue in an attempt to set to rights all the terrible things she had done at the bidding of said demon. This demon rescued her from a burning stake after she was falsely accused of witchcraft some 300 years ago, granting her immortality and superpowers in exchange for her promise of obedience. Although no longer immortal and all-but-indestructible (except by losing her head), Maliha is still possessed of superhuman strength, speed, reflexes and endurance, all of which are slowly fading away as she ages in small spurts due to the action of the chief Sumerian god, Anu, as she travels around the world trying to save rather than take lives to balance the scales literally carved into her abdomen by Anu. This usually involves killing off some baddies that results in a net saving of lives, causing a rebalancing of the scales that is accompanied by significant pain and a variable amount of aging. If she can balance the scales before she dies, she is free, else becomes the slave of Anu forever.

In this third outing, one of her entourage, Yanmeng, a venerable Chinese man well along the path to total enlightenment (he can astral travel and communicate with Maliha no matter where she is) is kidnapped and the kidnapper holds him for ransom in return for Maliha's performing assassinations on demand. The kidnapper turns out to be another one of the ageless immortals beholden to a different Sumerian demon, who also happens to be an historical figure well known to fans of sanguinary history, and the main plot revolves around figuring out how to save Yanmeng and destroy the kidnapper.

This time around the body count is still very high, but the bed hopping is toned down considerably, in part because the whole story takes place over a few week's time, and in part because Maliha is just too dam busy kicking' ass and trying to save Yanmeng. All of the (still living) characters from the last novel are here and all play various important roles. Not all are still living by the end. There are one or two unexpected twists and turns, and we are introduced to someone who will probably join the team for the next outing.

I love this series. It's fast paced, fun, vicarious wish fulfillment for anyone who ever wanted to be a superhero with lots of money and excitement. There is an overarching theme of redemption and revenge as Maliha circles the globe searching for pieces to a lens that in combination with an ancient tablet will allow her to destroy all the Sumerian demons once and for all. She seems to acquire one of these pieces or so on each outing, which means that there will probably be at least 3 or 4 more books in the series. At least I hope so.

Recommended (note that one should read them starting with the first, in order, for maximum enjoyment).

JM Tepper

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Deliverance (The Mortal Path, #3) June 6, 2012

By Kat McCarthy

Format:Kindle Edition

I received this novel as an Advanced Review Copy from the author.

Deliverance transports us into another great adventure in Maliha's quest for redemption. In my opinion, Ms. Banks has created a second to none but far from perfect heroine in Maliha and really makes us care about her whether she's successful in her quest. We really want her to succeed and fret when things don't go right for her. The authors skillful characterization supports some of the most intriguing plots I've seen and this series is now one of my favorites with this novel being the best in the series so far.

Maliha is a mix between James Bond and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the movie Entrapment. This series has full of suspense and adventures that keep us on the edge of our seat while Maliha and her friends unravel these schemes. The author's use of mythology and historical events to supplement the story is brilliant.
________________________________________

So, in the 3rd novel of this series, Maliha's struggles with humanity are even more intense. Her mortal path comes with serious moral dilemmas. Her quest is a dangerous one and she struggles with decisions about whether to involve those she loves or keep them at a distance to protect them. Either choice comes with risks. They could be killed on a mission if she involves them or they could resent her for cutting them out and she could lose their friendship.

People close to Maliha start disappearing or dying and her good friend, Yanmeng, is kidnapped. The ransom...Maliha must once again become an assassin for a corrupt villain. She would be under the control of another like she was before with Rabishu. Maliha and her team frantically search to find Yanmeng before he is killed and before Maliha has to carry out another ransom demand.

Even though everyone is on board to save their friend, Maliha starts to have serious doubts about who can be trusted. Especially Jake. She's always found something is off about him but tried to ignore the warning bells. She doesn't want to believe that Jake has his own agenda. Maliha finally finds out the truth about what Jake was doing during those mysterious 5 years not accounted for in his past.

Since nothing is more important to Maliha than saving her friends, there isn't much about Maliha's other quest to find the missing diamond shards. However she is given a clue as to where to find the next one.
________________________________________
Bottom Line
To reiterate what I said above, Deliverance is another great adventure in Maliha's quest for redemption. In my opinion, Ms. Banks has created a second to none but far from perfect heroine in Maliha and she really makes us care about her and her friends. This novel and the series in general are skillfully woven with mythology, intriguing plots and skillful characterization. This series is now one of my favorites and I found Deliverance to be the best novel in the series so far. I'm anxiously waiting and desperate for the next one to come out!

Happy Reading!!

5 Stars - Absolutely Loved It!!!!!