Snake Skin: A Lucy Guardino FBI Thriller (Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers, Book #1) [Kindle Edition]

CJ Lyons (Author)

Book Description

WARNING: the Lucy Guardino FBI Thrillers are NOT for the faint of heart! They depict adult situations, realistic violence with consequences, and delve deep into the darkness of the human heart and mind.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great FBI Story: "Very well researched
with most details spot on. It is a compelling story. The characters were
real, to the point of reminding me of an agent, who, was every bit as
dedicated, smart, and fearless as Lucy Guardino. I highly recommend it."
~Mark B. Lewis, Former FBI Special Agent

When it comes to "breathtakingly fast-paced thrillers" (Publishers Weekly), New York Times Bestseller CJ Lyons is a "master of the genre." (Pittsburgh Magazine).

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child has called CJ's work "Everything a great thriller should be--action packed, authentic, and intense."


Just your average Pittsburgh soccer mom, baking brownies and carrying a loaded forty-caliber Glock...

Lucille Teresa Guardino. A woman of many identities. Lucille to her doting mother, Lulu to her devoted husband, Mom to her pre-teen daughter, Lucy to her friends, LT to her co-workers, and Supervisory Special Agent Guardino to the criminals she captures for the FBI's Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement squad.

A loving mom and wife, dutiful daughter, consummate professional, and kick-ass federal agent, Lucy is living the perfect life.

Until the day she comes up against a predator more vicious and cunning than any she's ever tackled before, one who forces Lucy to choose between the life of the young victim she is fighting to save and her own daughter's....and Lucy's dream life is shattered.

Here's what RT Book Reviews said about SNAKE SKIN: 4 1/2 Stars: Combine Dirty Harry with a loving wife and mother and you might end up with Lucy Guardino. Fans of Lyons' hospital-set series will love the change of setting and thrilling pace. One note: readers with a fear of snakes should pick up this story carefully. Regardless, you won't be able to put this one down.

You asked for "More Lucy, Please!" You got it! The sequels, BLOOD STAINED and KILL ZONE, are now available.

Editorial Reviews

Review

4 1/2 Stars: Combine Dirty Harry with a loving wife and mother and you might end up with Lucy Guardino. Fans of Lyons' hospital-set series will love the change of setting and thrilling pace. One note: readers with a fear of snakes should pick up this story carefully. Regardless, you won't be able to put this one down. ~RT Book Reviews

Not for the faint-hearted! Fast-paced, with characters you can feel for and like, Snakeskin is part crime fiction, part thriller with a strong female protagonist. ~Joanna Penn --mysterythriller.tv/snakeskin-by-cj-lyons/

I flew through this novel, trying to connect the dots and find the killer along with Lucy. This is another great read from CJ Lyons. Women will enjoy the kick ass hero portrayed by Lucy. --chicklitplus.com/snake-skin-cj-lyons/

Snake Skin shows an artist at her best. The characters are detailed and rooted in reality, the plot tense, gripping and rapidly paced. ~Lynnette Phillips --avidbookreviews.blogspot.com/

From the Author

Okay, I'm going to warn you all up front. SNAKE SKIN is NOT your typical FBI thriller.

Don't get me wrong, it's got all the edgy, "breathtakingly fast-paced," "adrenalin rush," twists and turns that my medical thrillers have. But SNAKE SKIN is different...

How? Because SNAKE SKIN features a very traditional woman, a mom with a happy, loving marriage who loves her job, as the book's Hero!!!

Shocking, I know! It's just not done! A thriller hero must be chased by demons, driven by angst, suffering from drug or alcohol or some other kind of addiction/obsession/affliction....

Sorry. You won't find that in Lucy Guardino, the protagonist of SNAKE SKIN. She's just your typical soccer mom who happens to also be an FBI agent working a job no one else wants to do--and she's very good at it.

I based Lucy on several real-life FBI agents facing the same dilemma that many professionals (especially women) face: juggling family and work.

One, a man who headed a crimes against children task force talked about leaving the office after viewing hours upon hours of mind-numbing child porn and driving to his daughter's soccer game, trying to use the time on the road to lock all those images away....until the next day when he went back to work and faced them again.

Another Supervisory Special Agent, who invited me to stay at her home while I was doing research at the FBI Academy in Quantico, had created a warm and welcoming home, complete with loving and very nice husband (who didn't mind a writer asking all sorts of crazy questions about their marriage) and two wonderful teen-aged kids.

She filled me in on some of the challenges of climbing the career ladder in the FBI (she's now a Special Agent in Charge) and the sacrifices she made.  As well as some of the downright silliness that came along the way--like being unable to postpone a firearms proficiency test when she was eight months pregnant (wish I had copies of the pictures of her shooting the Remington shotgun and the M4 submachine gun to share with you--priceless!)

So you've been warned--SNAKE SKIN is not your typical thriller....and Lucy Guardino is not your typical hero.

But for many of us, she's more than a hero--she's a real person trying very hard to protect both her family and do the job she loves.

And that job does take her to some pretty awful places. Working crimes against children means that Lucy pursues the worst of the worst. SNAKE SKIN is definitely NOT for the faint of heart!

Download the sample or buy SNAKE SKIN to see for yourself!

CJ

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 570 KB
• Print Length: 392 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1456563289
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Legacy Books; 3 edition (January 3, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004GKMY7C
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,685 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #45 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Hard-Boiled
  • #47 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Hard-Boiled
  • #97 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Police Procedurals

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 68 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not typically my cup of tea, but... April 7, 2011

By K. Sommerkamp

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have to say, I love CJ Lyons medical dramas. Being a pretty diehard romance fan, I haven't branched out into her other thriller books before. Snake Skin has definitely changed my mind. I tore my way through this book in one day (while my schoolwork and house went sadly neglected) and loved every minute of it. The characters are believable and relatable and the plotline just keeps moving like a freight train. The ending left a little to be desired, but I'm assuming this is the first of a series, which justifies everything not being tied up with a pretty bow. Can't wait to read more from this author!

141 of 153 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A real page turner!!! February 21, 2011

By ShayLoRu

Format:Kindle Edition

This is the first book that I have read by CJ Lyons. And it will not be my last. This book held my attention from beginning to end. Literally. I read the book in one sitting. This book is not you typical book where you figure out who did it shortly after starting the book,it has a lot of twists & turns that keep you in the story. The lead Lucy Guardino struggles to balance her job as an FBI agent with the role of mother and wife. This is an action packed thriller that will leave you wanting more. Can't wait to get my hands on another CJ Lyons book.

92 of 98 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A HEART THUMPING THRILLER!SNAKE SKIN BY C.J. LYONS February 11, 2011

By April A. Renn

Format:Paperback

SNAKE SKIN by C.J.Lyons is a heart thumping thriller set in present day Pittsburgh.It is written with depth,details,twists and turns.It has snakes,child predators,FBI agents,crimes against children,sacrifices,adventure to save the children,suspense,and a heart pumping action.It is action packed and fast paced from the first page to the last.Special Agent Guardino,is an FBI sexual assault felony enforcement squad agent,a wife,a soccer Mom,juggles family and work,she is a friend and loathes child predators.
She will have to choose her daughter and the life of the young child she is trying to save...
what a life scattering decision one no mother or special officer should have to make.This is a seat on the edge of your seat action thriller that will leave you looking under your bed,in your closets and questioning things around your children.If you enjoy fast paced,with kick butt characters this is a Do not miss read.I would highly recommend this story.This book was received for the purpose of review from the author and details can be found at Create Space and My Book Addiction and More.