Customer Reviews

The Pandora Key (Alex Shanahan)

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

 

 

This is the fourth book in Lynne Heitman's series about airline executive-turned-detective Alex Shanahan. I have enjoyed all four, but this one brings Alex's character into fuller relief than before. Her friend Harvey is in a bind, and his no-good wife has come back into his life. I found myself enjoying watching Alex deal with the complicated nature of Harvey and his love for Rachel while a taut, runaway story involving the Russian mafia and a terrorist safe house was unfolding. Lynne Heitman has done a masterful job, writing a book I could not stop reading with a story and characters that were each compelling in their own right.

The Pandora Key is the second Lynne Heitman book that I've read and I highly recommend it.

Alex Shanahan is a tough, compassionate,and smart PI who, through no fault of her own ends up facing off against the FBI, the Russian Mafia, and a quasi military organization associated with the CIA. The various parties are chasing each other and a computer that holds the key to a billion dollars hidden in various secret accounts and Alex has to find the computer first in order to save her life, the life of her partner and her partner's ex-wife

Private investigator Alex Shanahan is in partnership with Harvey who is slowly wasting away from multiple sclerosis. One day Alex goes over to Harvey's house and sees his beloved ex wife Rachel there; the woman who cut and run when her husband was diagnosed with MS. Rachel wants Alex to go to her old apartment and pick up some things for her as she fears her abusive husband is there. When Alex goes to the apartment she finds that Rachel cleared out the place many days ago.

When she returns to Harvey's apartment she finds him and Rachel gone. Rachel got her out of the way so she could get Harvey to someone who wants to speak to him, a very dangerous head of the Russian Mafiya. They free him but the Mafia king wants Harvey to tell him where, Roger Fratello, the man he believes killed his brother, hides. Harvey is visited by the FBI who wants to know why his fingerprints along with Frank's are on packets of money that were found in a terrorist hideout in Afghanistan along with the belongings of the dead hostages of an airline hijacked by Muslim fundamentalists. There are so many players in this game with different objectives that it will be a miracle if Alex can keep everyone alive by playing one against each other.

Lynne Heitman has written a tense thriller taken out of the pages of today's headlines. The timelines of the story enable readers to relate to the characters as well as defining the plot. The heroine doesn't care what politicians or other government agendas; she just wants to keep Harvey alive at long as possible. Ms. Heitman weaves a political message that if gone unchecked, will lead to dangerous repercussions.

Harriet Klausner

I have not read The Pandora Key, due to the fact that as I turn each page it falls out. This quickly stopped my enjoyment of the book, as I nervously turned the page to see if it was just a printing accident that would stop as I read on. They're still falling out by Chapter 4 (pg. 24) & I put the book aside. The book is a Pocket Book and was inexpensive..which shouldn't mean cheap! I hope they fix their presses before too many more books roll out.

Jeanne Norris

Constable, NY