Interesting plot. Gets you hooked wanting to read the rest of the series. But I hate these bundled series because they are often cliffhangers and I want to know how it all works out in one book instead of 8!
But I like the police/FBI procedural. I Iove the suspense. And for her faults I like Lara too.

FBI Agent Lara Grant and her team are brought into an investigation of bombings that are happening in New York. The scenes are just terrible and each of the agents wants nothing better than to find the perpetrator before they can act again.

The development of the story and of the characters is good. The pace is steady. The usual activities are detailed well. The frustration that the characters feel is brought to light well through the writing.

This is part one of 8 parts, so it is a quick read. Knowing that there are eight parts leads you to know that there won't be any resolution in this Part 1 of the story. That can be a bit frustrating, or if you like a good mystery it will keep you hooked for the next part. Part 2 comes out February 1, so you won't have long to wait.

Enjoy

Lara is back!

We are back!

This is a whole new story that is very topical and very intriguing. Bombs are going off, no clear indication of what or why. Could this be linked to some sinister plot?

Again a fast paced book and start of another series - awaiting the rest to move forwards - looking good for some more FBI action.

Not a fan of the short novellas however, COUNTDOWN, featuring Special Agent Lara Grant, starts in what appears to be an explosive new series.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

A man receives an email that if he does not come clean about his affair to the public people will be killed until he does come clean. Nick Delano and Lara Grant are trying to find out why people would be killed standing in line waiting for a drink and waiting to be seen at a police station. They have no relationship[p.. The investigation is going no where. Who is doing this and who is the person receiving the emails?

Part 1 of Tough Justice Countdown by Carla Cassidy begins with the question “will he or won’t he”. And when he makes the wrong choice, Lara Grant and the rest of the CMU team have to find a serial bomber.

Lara is all about solving cases – this one as well as her mother’s murder – and can be obsessive in the process. She’s tough, complicated, and feels heartache like the rest of us.
Nick Delano is her partner and, once upon time, her lover. He wants to solve this case as much as Lara but also worries she’s going down the wrong path when it concerns her mother’s death.

Part 1 has action sprinkled throughout, but the main focus is on the investigation. At first I thought the pacing was slow until I realized this is the way it is when trying to solve a crime in real life – bursts of adrenaline interspersed with research and interviewing witnesses.
Kudos to Ms. Cassidy for including this realistic element to storytelling.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5

Hmmm … I wonder if it’s because I’m not used to this format (reading ‘serials‘) or if it’s because I didn’t read the first series, I wasn’t heavily impressed. The latter was my fault, when I clicked that “Read Now” button on Netgalley, I didn’t check out the release information. In any case, I felt like I kept missing background information that made me care for the main characters. Lara referred to an undercover case, or the fact that she gave away her baby for adoption … and my only reaction was, “huh?”

Also I was expecting a turn-the-page quick action-suspense because the Prologoe sort of alluded that … I thought there would be more threatening letters and bombs but the pace seemed to slow down (as Lara also pondered about the personal stuffs) and that bored me to tears.

Maybe this kind of storytelling format — divide story into parts — is simply not for me *shrugs*

FBI agent Lara is back with the first installment out of eight in another series. The tension builds from the very first page and leaves the reader hanging at the end. There is nothing to do but wait for the next installment. Both the characters and the plot are well developed. I particularly like that Lara is looking into a cold case, trying to solve/understand/bring closure to her mother's death.

I have read several of Carla Cassidy's books, mainly her MYSTERY/SUSPENSE and ROMANTIC SUSPENSE. In this series of 8 parts, featuring FBI Agent Lara Grant, Carla shares the writing experience with Carol Erickson, Gail Barrett, and Tyler Anne Snell. Each of them have written 2 books in this series.

COUNTDOWN begins after EXPOSED, the short story who introduces readers to FBI Agents Lara Grant and her partner, Nick Delano https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1461518468.

Lara is still recovering her undercover case that almost killed her. She's also deciding on what to do with Nick. They had a short fling ... she called it off, he wants more. Lara has a secret - her mother was murdered some years ago. Her father, now deceased, was suspected of the crime, but never charged. Lara believes the killer is still out there. And Nick is harboring his own secrets.

Meanwhile, someone is bombing New York.. People are dying and no one is taking credit. Is this a terrorist attack? Someone with a personal vendetta? Psychopath living in his own head?

They do have witnesses ... at each bombing site, a man approached them, told them there was a free musical event going on outside. As soon as they left, the buildings blew. If this someone is so intent on killing people, why were these particular people spared?

Just another unanswered question as Lara and her team work tirelessly trying to connect the dots and stop another bombing before more people die.

I really enjoy these characters .. they are well defined and believable. The suspense is palpable and the premise of this story could have been ripped from headline news. This is an 8-part series, so there is most definitely a cliff hanger.

I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

I wish to thank the author / Harlequin / Netgalley who provided a digital copy of COUNTDOWN. The opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

JUST WOW!! Another fantastic story by Carla Cassidy. I couldn't put the book down. I was so engrossed in the story. It has you guessing what is going to happen next and guessing on who is behind the bombings. The characters are fantastic. Special Agent Lara Grant doesn't put up with anything or anybody. This is a must read book. I highly recommend it.