Customer Reviews

Overkill (Berkley Sensation)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Marty Hogan was a good cop, one of Chicago's finest, until the day a horrific murderer pushed her over the edge. That day, Marty not only lost her job she had worked so hard for but incurred the wrath of the murderer's relatives who were out to exact revenge.

Having such a marked reputation Marty was lucky to find work in a small town in Texas, from Clay Settlemeyer, a police chief who believed in second chances. What Clay wasn't looking for was the attraction he felt towards the feisty curly headed officer carrying a huge load of baggage. But when Marty's ex-partner was brutally murdered, evidence started to unravel indicating Marty was next on a vicious killer's hit list.

*** I have two words that are wholly indicative to describe the impact of this story - whew and wow! Castillo has the reputation of writing some powerfully passionate and thrilling romantic suspense novels, and the imagery she captured in OVERKILL definitely held me spellbound.

Marty was a multifaceted heroine who had lost it after she witnessed the horror of what had happened to a nine year old child who had been raped and murdered by a sadistic monster. Her reaction was over the top, but (IMHO) in most peoples minds the beating she gave the man in custody was no more than what he deserved. The aftermath of her actions and how Marty reacted to it, making her hard as nails with a soft heart helped in creating this memorable heroine as well as creating a totally believable plot line.

Clay was a perfect match for Marty a survivor of the war in Iraq, he knew the signs of PTSD having been there himself and recognized them in her. Although, he believed in second chances he worried that he'd made a mistake in giving Marty a chance, when she called in an ambush that his department couldn't see any signs of.

Castillo played on the budding attraction as news of Marty's ex-partner's bizarre murder came to light and other attempts on her life continued, the pieces came together. Clay knew anyone near Marty could be in danger when they understood it was coming from the Russian mafia. Working on Clay's dilemma, the author played his passion for Marty and keeping her safe, while he attempted to protect his cherished daughter at the same time.

The tension and suspense held up remarkably well through the entire story making this a very fast paced book that was hard to put down. Marty, Clay, and the cast of memorable secondary characters all add up to making this one powerful story with thrills and chills aplenty!

Marilyn Rondeau, for www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com

Linda Castillo has hit another homerun!! From the very beginning this book fills you with intrigue and suspense. Once you begin reading, you cannot put it down until it's complete. Ms. Castillo is an excellent story writer who has put together a great story of committment to the "cause" and romance. The characters come alive and she makes you feel as if you know them personally. Read this book. You won't be disappointed.

I enjoyed this book but it was abit slow in the middle. The beginning was great and so was the ending, but bogged a little in the middle. I am glad I stayed with it because it really was good.

Marty Hogan is a burnt out cop from Chicago. She lost it on video, with a child killer. She beat him almost to death and she is a small woman. But the fallout aka Rodney King, cost her the job and her reputation. Now the only one who will hire her is a small town PD in Texas.

Chief Clay Settlemeyer has been there himself, and without a second chance he wouldn't have made it either. So he takes a chance on an unknown cop. He knows the rest of the story, about the killing of the child. However, he doesn't expect to be attracted to Marty who is suffering from PDST. He has a young daughter to raise.

Marty tries to settle in but shortly is notified that her partner in Chicago has been murdered. She doesn't connect it to herself until almost to late. She is shot at and almost kiddnapped before the pieces start to come togather.

The story held my attention and as I said the beginning and the end were great.

Marty Hogan has only one chance to revive her career after a horrific meltdown that cost her everything, including her job with the Chicago police. Police Chief Clay Settlemeyer is willing to give Marty a chance to redeem herself despite the nationally televised beating of a suspect, a beating for which Marty was later acquitted by a jury but not by the media. Marty is on the edge of self-destruction when her former partner is brutally tortured and killed. Is Marty the next target?

What a page turner! Linda Castillo keeps readers on the edge of their seats with this fast paced tale. I stayed up long past my bedtime to finish this one as I just had to know how it would all resolve. Be forewarned, however, as this is a very gritty tale. Marty is truly on the edge and her journey back to living is not an easy one.

It takes a lot to make a character like Marty likable, as Marty so obviously doesn't like herself. Through the eyes of Clay, we are given a glimpse of the darkness and pain that swirls within Marty and this helps with understanding what she is enduring. Linda Castillo adds a lot of texture to OVERKILL by her inclusion of PTSD and its effects. Marty's plight becomes not only understandable, but almost admirable as fights her way out of the depths she has sunk to.

The setting of Caprock Canyon, Texas, is perfect for OVERKILL. The bleakness of the atmosphere mirrors Marty's soul at the outset. As the story progresses, we begin to see the beauty in Caprock Canyon amidst all that starkness, just as Marty's inner beauty also begins emerging.

OVERKILL is a fantastic entry into the romantic suspense genre. Linda Castillo is an author I haven't read until now but OVERKILL will not be the last book I read by her. Highly recommended!

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

Giving in to rage cost Marty Hogan her career and ultimately forced her to relocate to a nothing town in the Texas panhandle to find work as a policewoman. Her tough as nails attitude is impressive to her new boss, Clay Settlemeyer, and he's had enough regrets to be willing to give her a second chance. Yet, bad news combined with incidents that look somewhat fishy make him wonder if the lady has PTSD. When the truth comes out, that the Russian mafia is out for her blood, terror will reign over their lives until justice is served.

**** Even without the minimalist love story, this would be a blazingly fast paced story guaranteed to satisfy your need for vicarious thrills. Marty is an unusual, take no prisoners, both tough and soft heroine who makes herself memorable not only to Clay, but to readers who wish for half her backbone. ****

Amanda Killgore

In OVERKILL, Linda Castillo creates a compelling storyline driven by strong characters readers quickly come to care about. This is a book that proves difficult to put down, especially with a no-nonsense, delightfully complicated heroine like Marty. We are rooting for her from beginning to end, and it doesn't hurt to see her pursued by a hot hero like Clay!

Good work Linda, look forward to more.

Marty Hogan was a Chicago cop who was fired for beating a handcuffed suspect to near unconsciousness. Marty went into a blind rage when she saw the suspect had killed a nine-year girl whom he was holding as a hostage. For months, the media focused on her for police brutality, while little attention was given to the fact of the little girl's murder.

It took six months for Marty to get another job in law enforcement. She submitted 35 resumes without a response. Finally, she got a break, Chief Clay Settlemeyer called Marty from Caprock Canyon, Texas, and hired her while on the phone. Marty's first day on the job didn't go well with her co-workers. They got into a verbal confrontation. Clay believed in second chances, however, in hiring Marty, he made a mistake. She knew all the right things to say when he interviewed her on the phone. When Clay met Marty, he was instantly attracted to her, but perceived that the fallout from the Chicago incident was still having an effect on her.

Shortly after Marty arrived in Texas, she received a phone call that her ex-partner from Chicago was murdered. There had been several brutal murders in Chicago law enforcement. Seems that anyone connected to Marty on the day when she lost control is a target. The suspect's sister and brother are in the Russian Mob. While he was being tortured, Marty's ex-partner revealed where Marty was living.

The secondary characters were interesting. Jo Nell is the receptionist for the Caprock Canyon PD. She was humorous at times, trying to hide her cigarette smoke from the Chief. Chief Clay Settlemeyer's wife left him and their daughter Erica for a wealthy man. When the man died, she returned to Caprock Canyon to rekindle her once romantic relationship with Clay.

The plot was up front without any surprise twist at the end. Linda Castillo did an excellent job in weaving the story line. The plot held my interest until the very end.

I recommend OVERKILL!