5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Book 2 of the Last Chance, Inc trilogy., June 1, 2005
This review is from: Enigma (Last Chance Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)
Samantha "Sam" Waters may look like a dainty and fragile person, but the true is the opposite. Sam is an Army Brat who, as her father before her, loves the challenges that come with living on the edge. She now holds the coveted position of EEO, Explosives Enforcement Officer. And she is one of the best alive. Because of this, she is asked to join an elite secret government agency, Last Chance. Her help is needed to find out who placed a bomb in an almost empty hotel (undergoing extensive renovations) in Texas, killing three senators.
Payton Reynolds is a CIA black ops specialist with a dangerous and deadly past that still haunts his nightmares. His primary concern is to keep Sam alive. Hard to do though. Sam's passion for taking risks to get her job done quickly and thoroughly is shredding even his nerves. But this is one, of several things, that attracts Sam to him.
But evidence soon shows that the bomber has been preparing for a special event for many years. Everything he has done was to get Sam's attention. He wanted Sam on the elite team. He wanted her to figure out his messages. He wants her!
***** The first book in this trilogy is "EndGame". The main characters for it return as secondary characters in this tale of intrigue. The last book will be released 9/05 and should be titled "Exposure". Each novel is a stand-alone story. Yet they all center on the elite team of Last Chance.
I did not think that the author could possibly do better than "EndGame". Yet Dee Davis has surpassed all my expectations. No matter how much I needed to get things done around my home, I simply could not put this book down. Chores could wait. Dinner can be delivered. So make sure you will not be interrupted (A.K.A. take the phone off the hook) and get comfortable. Then let Dee Davis take you on one heck of a ride! *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Similar to Endgame, July 15, 2005
This review is from: Enigma (Last Chance Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the second book in Dee Davis' Last Chance Triology; we meet Samantha (Sam) Waters and her love interest is Payton Reynolds from the first book, Endgame. Sam is a bomb specialist and is added to the Last Chance team when a series of explosions begin to look suspicious. This book was remarkably similar to Endgame, and that was bothersome. Although the plot was slightly different - chasing a bomber instead of a murderer - the romance was almost identical. Payton is the enigma in this romance, and was just as hard to penetrate as Gabriel was in the first book. And, like Madison before her, Samantha is the one who is placed in danger as a result of the bombings and Payton is off to her rescue. Honestly, the characters were too similar to make the book interesting, and even Nigel (another member of the team) makes several comments about how Payton/Sam are just like Madison/Gabe. I'm planning to read the last book, Exposure, because I think Nigel is at least a bit more outgoing than the other 2 men and his story will be more human.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Exciting romantic thriller, August 28, 2005
This review is from: Enigma (Last Chance Trilogy) (Mass Market Paperback)
Samantha Waters is the youngest Explosives Enforcement Officer in history, a position she worked hard to attain. Her background includes crime scene investigation and working with the FBI's Emergency Response Team. Cool and collected, Sam knows her stuff and, a loner, prefers to work alone.
Payton Reynolds is a government operative, a mercenary whose background includes the Delta Force, CIA and experience with bombs. He's also a loner, a man haunted by the past.
After three senators are killed in a bomb blast in San Antonio, Cullen Pulaski asks Sam to join forces with members of his Last Chance, Inc. team of experts the President uses for special cases. This highly select team, headed by Cullen, includes Gabriel Roarke, Payton's friend and a CIA counter terrorist operative; Gabe's wife, Madison, an FBI profiler and Cullen's god-daughter; and Harrison Blake, a computer forensics guru.
When Sam flies to Austin and meets the Last Chance team, she recognizes Payton as a man who possesses panther-like skills and self-confidence. Her unsettling reaction to him also means he's trouble - a man to avoid, despite the fact their job puts them in close proximity on a daily basis. That night, a jack-in-the-box bomb blows up into her hotel room. Fortunately, this one only contained confetti, but it's an obvious message, meant to get her attention.
Sam is moved to a room adjoining Payton's for her own protection. That night, when Sam hears Payton having a nightmare, she enters his room through the adjoining door and sees Payton's scarred body. Payton reveals that he obtained the scars during a Delta Force raid meant to free a friend of Cullen's. What Payton doesn't reveal is that his brother and wife died during that raid, and he blames Cullen as a result. Nevertheless, the brief discussion establishes a bond between Payton and Sam. A relationship that leaves each of them curious and apprehensive; one they begin to explore as the investigation continues.
Then Walter Atherton, the FBI Director and Sam's ex-boss and friend, is killed by a bomb in his home garage. Sam now realizes that her hotel room bomb and Walter's death are connected. After all, the jack-in-the-box was similar to one she received from her father, one stolen in a robbery at her apartment; and the bomber's targeting Walter was definitely personal.
Sam and the Last Chance group soon realize that the senators' deaths were unintentional. When Sam and Harrison they discover a clue, the Tai Chi symbol, a link between good and evil, the race is on to discover the bomber's identity before he strikes again.
But can Payton keep Sam safe?
Dee Travis has written a thoroughly exciting, romantic thriller in "Enigma." The developing romance between Payton and Sam, and the search for clues leading to the bomber's identity, kept me thoroughly enthralled. The minor characters, including the bomber, were well-developed and brought an added touch of romance and suspense to Dee's story.
If you want a great page-turning, thrilling read, don't miss Dee Davis' "Enigma"!
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