This story is full of adventure, action, and suspense. Did I mention politics and corruption? I liked the character of Will and will be reading more of this series.
Many thanks to Lyrical Underground and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

In Linda Ladd's The Vanishing Angle, the 5th installment in the Will Novak mystery series, this caper will leave you in suspense and a lot of heart-pounding intrigue. It all started for Will Novak, when he ate his steak dinner at a local steakhouse. When he was kidnapped and held hostage, he was face to face with a ruthless corrupted senator named Charles Blackwood. He accused him of impregnating his daughter, when he never met her before in his life. Nothing more than a major misunderstanding, he talks to Irina, Blackwood's Russian adoptive daughter, who wants his help on escaping from a drug-infused life. While he was held prisoner in a jail, he called his girlfriend, Lori Garner, who works at the Pentagon. When he was bailed out, Will and Lori sort out this sordid story and tried to help Irina out. But along the way, their lives were at risk in a car crash. Later, they ran into Stephan Solovov, a former past who's story is a bad shady about looking for his missing "daughter." Indecisive, Will learns inside information to bring Blackwood down and maybe go after the real killers. Little did he know that he would go over his head and into more trouble that would put everyone at risk.

Let me start with The Vanishing Angle's strong point. This genre: an ex-military man fighting against a foreign plot to overtake or undermine all he believes in, has been going strong since the eighties. It could be stale, old fashioned, the strong silent is a worn-out cliche, but in The Vanishing Angle, Ex-Navy Seal turned investigator Will Novak is chatty and a stand-up guy. And his girlfriend Lori Gardner is an even more efficient threat because she has all the right connections in Washington, and she knows how to take of her self in a gunfight. Will and Lori are #relationshipgoals.
And maybe that is also this book weak point. It's cute that a guy like Will likes nothing more than hashing it out with his supercool sweetheart. They discuss every single detail of their upcoming mission to stop a bunch of Russians who are guilty of drug and human trafficking. Not once or twice do Will and Lori discuss their predictement but throughout this entire book. Now my husband and me are guilty or having the same conversation over and over, so it is kind of realistic that Will and Lori would repeat themselves throughout The Vanishing Angle— how they don't trust the Russian they have to deal with, or how the teenage girl they want to help, might be killed by the guys abusing her.
But it is too much exposition. The reader is savvy; there's no need to say things more than once or twice. It is easy to understand that a former Russian spy may be duplicitous, or a girl being exploited by criminals may end up dead. It's a given.
I would have liked to see the emphasis on strategic planning and action sequences, maybe by shortening the book and editing the dialogue. The story is enjoyable enough, although when concerning the opioid crisis, I will point in the direction of Michael Connelly excellent page turner Two Kinds of Truth or the latest season of Bosch. It is way more eye-opening. The Vanishing Single could have used much more depth when dealing with the corrupt and criminal senator at the helm of the drug empire, maybe a tad more Washington insider dealings.
Instead Will and Lori spend the central part of the book on a stakeout talking about what they are observing. Everyone knows stakeouts are endless and boring. You eat and talk a lot, waiting for something to happen. If Will and Lori, instead of repeating the stakes, would have exchanged some banter, it could have worked too.
I wanted more from this; all the elements are certainly there.

The gist:


Will Novak after completing a mission, moors his boat, and is excited to be reunited with his girlfriend, Lori. When waiting for her, at a steak house, a strung-out teenage girl accompanied by two sketchy men points at Will, and they accost him and kidnap him. They bring him to the home of a well known Senator, who seems to be involved win some very dirty dealings with Russians and underage girls. At first, Will doesn't want to be involved, but when bullets start flying around, they leave me no other choice.

An excellent set up in the first chapter places our hero in the line of fire. When a young woman he has never met identifies Will as the father of her soon to be born baby, he's beaten and kidnapped. What a way to start a vacation, right? The action is non stop as the story grows to include just about every crime on the 5 o'clock news. Linda Ladd has done an excellent job of grabbing our attention and keeping it clear to the end. Loved the whole book!

The Vanishing Angle by Linda Ladd
Will Novak #5

Will finds himself helping a damsel in distress...again...and not by design. He is to meet up with his girlfriend, Lori, at a steakhouse and then head off for some time together doing this, that, and one another. Well, that early arrival and Lori’s delay put him in the right place at the wrong time. When he is singled out by an unknown teenager, taken away from the restaurant and becomes aware of some nefarious doings by a group that needs to be brought down...well...what is he to do but become embroiled?

What I liked:
* The relationship between Will and Lori
* That though Will and Lori are together they don’t always see eye to eye
* The love Petrov had for his daughter and what he was willing to do to make sure she was safe
* The bad guys getting their just rewards
* Learning what the title meant in nautical terms
* Wondering where Novak & Lori will end up next and what situation they will find themselves in.

What I did not like:
* The bad guys...they deserved worse than what they received
* The corruption of governments – or the people that work within them that turn a blind eye to this and that
* The evil men do
* The ease with which evil men did what they did and managed to get away with it for so long
* That more than one innocent died

I have enjoyed the books I have read in this series but still seem to have enjoyed Witness Betrayed most of all. This book dealt with drugs, human trafficking and the opioid crisis and didn’t hold my attention quite as much as the previous book though I am not sure why...perhaps there was less investment on the parts of Will and Lori in this book than in the previous one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Lyrical-Underground for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

Will goes to a restaurant for a nice, juicy steak while he waits for his girlfriend to join him for a two week holiday together. A scared young woman comes in to the restaurant escorted by a thug on each side of her and points to Will. Will finds himself in the middle of a dangerous family affair and named as the father of the girls unborn child. Her father is a corrupt, violent retired senator who is know to deal in trafficking of drugs and suspected of human trafficking. They take Will hostage and set him up for murder.
This is the 5th book of the series and the best one yet in my opinion. Edgy, dark and full of suspense, it keeps the reader enthralled all the way to the end. Will was a bit of an unknown, aloof character in the early books but has developed into a smart. stand up guy, loyal to his friends and his colleagues. This could be read as a stand alone but as with all book series, you get more out of the story if you start at the beginning.
Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 4.5 stars

All the man wants is a large, tender, juice steak while he waits for his girlfriend to join him and they can begin a two-week holiday together. That's not too much to ask, is it?

But fate has something else in mind for Will Novak. Will's and ex-Navy SEAL turned Private Investigator and his spider senses go on full alert when a young teenage girl walks into the restaurant, escorted by a thug on each side of her. The girl looks scare, and she's twitchy. Will thinks she needs something more than a good meal.

When she looks around and points at him, he finds himself in the middle of a dangerous family affair. The girl is pregnant ... and she's just named Will as the father of her unborn child.

Her father is a retired Senator .. one of the most corrupt and deadly men in the country. He is known to deal in drug trafficking, probably human trafficking, corruption, espionage, and he has friends in high places ..all the way to Russia.

(BOOK BLURB) With the police on the payroll and a private gang ready to set Novak up for murder, the odds of justice prevailing—or Novak surviving—are getting slimmer by the minute…

I'm still trying to catch my breath after reading this one! It's action-packed from start to finish, the excitement just doesn't stop until the very last page. Will is a stand-up character and I really enjoy his personal life as well as the professional. His girlfriend is no stranger to danger.

This book is the fifth in this series, and easily read as a stand alone. I do recommend starting at the beginning ... it's been one heck of a ride with Will Novak.

Many thanks to the author / Kensington Books - Lyrical Underground / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this crime fiction/thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

4.5 stars

An exciting and surprising mystery. The term "vanishing angle" is new to me. I enjoyed the explanation. This was my first experience with Will Novak. I want to read more of his adventures.

THE VANISHING ANGLE by Linda Ladd is the fifth book in the Will Novak thriller series. It worked as a stand-alone novel for me and is only the second book that I have read in the series, but I believe reading the previous books would likely add to a reader’s enjoyment of the novel.

The story takes place in several states along the east coast of the USA and in Quebec, Canada. Will Novak is a private detective that has sailed his boat up the Potomac River to meet his girlfriend Lori Garner for dinner followed by two weeks of sailing. Lori currently works at the Pentagon and both of them are veterans. However, Will is kidnapped, drugged and taken to a farm in Virginia; and this is just the beginning of the adventure.

The story had me hooked by the end of the first chapter and the tension and action did not let up throughout the book. The main characters are compelling and someone you can root for and they are well developed with clear goals and motivations. The story delivers on the promise of its opening scenes. Themes explored include espionage, drug trafficking, corruption, murder, lies, deceit, child abuse, child trafficking, abuse of power and much more.

Overall, I enjoyed this well-written novel and recommend the series to those that enjoy thrillers. The plot was engrossing, moving and thought-provoking. I look forward to reading the other books in this series.

Thanks to Kensington Books / Lyrical Underground and Linda Ladd for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

What a ride and with Will Novak at the helm! Will’s partner, Clare, is on maternity leave and he has plans to take his lady love, Lori, on a cruise on his new sailboat. Whenever Will is the main character, you know that he will be in trouble the entire time, even when trying to enjoy a steak dinner. He is waiting for Lori to arrive when he is accosted, drugged and kidnapped. He is accused of being the father of a young woman’s baby, a young woman he has never met. The young woman’s father is a retired senator who supplements his retirement with illegal activities. Law enforcement hasn’t been able to get evidence against him as he has powerful friends and police on his payroll. Can Will protect the young woman and stay alive? An adventure from beginning to end. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

This is an action packed thriller that lives up to previous books in the series. Novak and Lori find themselves embroiled in a drug trafficking case that is led by a couple of despicable men. Some parts are hard to stomach and not for the faint of heart. Full of suspense and tension, this one is a wild ride through many interesting settings all leading up to a bittersweet conclusion. I was a bit disappointed that Claire and Black didn't make an appearance and are only mentioned. I look forward to seeing what comes next.

While initially I was intrigued by the character of Will Novak, I'm afraid overall I found the story line and writing in this novel overly simplistic and often incongruous . There were sometimes dozens of pages of expository without a break, and multiple structural inconsistencies and other editing misses that took me out of the story and made it hard to enjoy.
I appreciated the inclusion of interesting and varied settings (including Canada- always nice to see countries other than the U.S. featured in American crime fiction), but this wasn't enough to lift the novel up for me.

The idea behind the plot is very interesting but the execution wasn't quick moving nor layered. Too many conversations were rehashed again and again. The conclusion is everything it about be. I wish the build up was as well
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion.

This author has one heck of an amazing mind! This book starts out with Will and Lori meeting at a little out of the way steak place only to have some strung out teenager pick Will out as her babies daddy. Forced out of the restaurant and into a car only to be drugged. The ball rolls from there into a drug/ child slavery operation that Will and Lori try to bring down.

What did I like? When the girl picked Will to be the baby daddy let just say she picked the baddest person around. Lori is one lucky lady to get Will all to herself. I did not read the other books in the series but this book definitely stood on its own and I would definitely go back and read the others.

Would I buy this book? Yes, this author is an amazing story teller, and the scenarios she comes up with are real believable. Opioid crisis is affecting America, and it doable to think that drug mules are using children from the slavery rings as covers.

Thoughts for this author? Congrats on the new release it was an amazing read. Five huge stars of entertainment. They should give your characters a tv show!

This is the 5th book in the Will Novak series. Oh boy does Will have a knack for getting himself in trouble even when he’s doing nothing but sitting in a restaurant eating waiting for his girlfriend. I’m so glad Will finally has a love interest. Lori Gardner is so perfect for Will. She is tough and can take care of herself. Will has such a big heart he has to help the girl who caused all the problems in the first place. Fans of this series will love the action packed installment. Evil comes in so many forms and the bad guy is one of the worst.

Being in the wrong place wrong, time was certainly true for Will Novak. While munching on his delicious juicy steak awaiting Lori Gardner arrival, his dinner was unexpectedly interrupted when he notices a young strung out teenager pointing him out. Being accused of being the father by the pregnant girl shocks Will but he allows the scene to play out, fearing for the teenager safety, but what he didn’t expect was being escorted out of the restaurant, stuffed in the back of a car at gun point and brought before the accuser’s daddy. What happens next is the stuff movies are made from, from high speed chases, to kidnapping, to trying to take down a major drug operation and with Russian spies thrown into the mix this book has it all, highly entertaining.

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Books for the opportunity to review this book.