Thank you to Thomas+Mercer for an advanced reader copy of A DEADLY INFLUENCE in exchange for an honest review.

Mike Omer books are insta-reads for me. He writes, in my opinion, my perfect thriller, and I recommend his books to everyone I know. I was so bummed when the Zoe Bentley series wrapped, but I'm so pleased with the start of this new series with Abby at the helm.

In A DEADLY INFLUENCE, we follow Abby, a negotiator for the NYPD, and survivor of a cult massacre. She receives a phone call from a fellow ex-cult member whose child has been kidnapped. Abby is sent down a twisty path of new cults, influencers, and her own past in order to save the kidnapped child.

Like the rest of Omer's books that I read, A DEADLY INFLUENCE is my favorite type of thriller. Heavily researched, twisty, fast, and a puzzle that's delightful to work through. I try to read Omer's books as slow as possible but I typically fail.

I really enjoyed this cast of characters, and Omer is one of only a few men writers who can write a woman lead in a smart, vulnerable, fully human way, and I found myself relating to Abby's character even though we could not be more different. I craved to hear more of her backstory, and was so delighted with the involvement of a cult in the present mystery, and not just in Abby's past.

Also we end on one doozy of a cliffhanger and I'm DYING to read the next book in this series.

Totally blindsided!! WOW – great book.
Meet Abby Mullens, hostage negotiator with a past that haunts her. Out of the blue she gets contacted by a friend from her haunted past to help as her son is kidnapped. Abby has to dig into her past experience to help out, working with her partner Will, and detective Carver – at the same jugle the care of her kids and her ex.
Kidnapping, media influencers, cults, family, murder, gun trafficking, mind control .. it will have you all at the edge of you seat! Please tell me that book 2 is not that far off??
Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy of this book for my honest opinion.

I found this quite a compelling read. It's definitely a series I intend to follow, and will check out the author's earlier books as well.

First of all, I really enjoyed the storyline. The pacing was terrific. The protagonist, Abby, was brilliant as a negotiator and police officer. And the book's moral to always be wary about what you reveal online is a cautionary tale that we all should take heed of.

However, I had a big problem with a lot of the misogynistic language thrown around, especially by the villain(s). I didn't like it at all, and unfortunately that has brought my rating down for the book, which could have scored a high 4 otherwise.

Many thanks to the publisher and author for the ARC.

There was one thing I learned from this book....I am not a negotiator. Abby is an amazing person! The obstacles she had to overcome in her upbringing made her a strong person and a very good negotiator. The twist in the end made me wanting the next book so bad.

The story immediately pulls you in with an interesting plot and likable characters. Definitely a must read for readers who enjoy mystery and hostage situations.

Abby Mullen is a hostage negotiator which is a stressful enough occupation, but then it turns out she is also a child survivor of a cult, and that brings all sorts of other baggage with it. I found it fascinating to read how hostage negotiators work, the techniques they use. It is a tough job, for sure.

Abby is trying her best to bring up her kids as a single mum. Her ex seems to be a smarmy bugger whom I wanted to swear at, more than once, but despite this, she seems to be juggling her world fairly well. Until Eden walks into it. Eden also survived the same cult when she was a child, and her child, Nathan is missing.

Very complicated plot and many, many times I just had to hold my breath and keep reading, despite myself. I almost didn't want to know what happened next, but I HAD to know what happened next!

Nathan's kidnapper is one nasty piece of work and my heart breaks for this small boy, being at his mercy.

I got very emotionally involved in this story and I really liked all the characters, it has to be said. I liked the thought of Abby getting a bit of a lovelife as well.

That cliffhanger ending though!!! Crikey, I hope I get to read the next book in the series.

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer.

Mike Omer is quickly shooting to the top of my list of favorite mystery writers. I adored the Zoe Bentley series and was sad to see it end, so I knew I had to try this newest release, the beginning of a new series with another female lead.

I will say I didn't connect to Abby Mullen as much as I did Zoe Bentley right off the bat. Abby is a detective where Zoe was a forensic psychologist, so definitely different perspectives, and Zoe had a lot more sass than Abby does so far. But Abby definitely has an interesting past that makes her uniquely qualified for the work she's cast right into the middle of in this story.

The story centers around a local cult and the kidnapping of a young boy whose mother had escaped the cult with her two children years prior. Abby, having been a victim of a cult when she was a young child, is called in to help.

The most interesting part of this story, though, was not so much the cult, or really even Abby and her life outside of the job. It was the sister of the boy who is kidnapped and the fact that she is some kind of Instagram-famous influencer. We learn right off the bat from page one that we have a stalker in our midst, and the story develops piece by piece, adding on little by little, until we begin to shape the full picture. This was done really well. The slow build, the clues revealed in due time. It only took me a couple of days to get through the book because I kept wanting to come back to it to find out what was going to happen next.

It seems like the cult aspect of this first book will carry on into future installments of this series, and I will say that this aspect seemed to be well-researched and portrayed. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong about that, having never actually been a member of a cult and all, but it just seemed to be detailed and thought out. It definitely made me feel some kind of way to read about the cult leaders and what they were doing, especially to the younger female members, and how they manipulated people into being afraid to ever leave.

Kudos to Eden for taking her children and running when she did, for seeing past the bull****.

But just when all is revealed and everything is solved and everyone goes back to living their lives, Omer sneaks in and ends the book with a fabulous setup to lead into the next book. Of course, now we have to wait for the next installment to come out to get deeper into the backstory and find out more about Abby's past. Now it's really got my attention.

Loved this book!!!! I am a fan of thrillers involving cult leaders, people who survived the cult etc and of thrillers that have stories that can  definitely happen in real life. And this book has it. Abby is my favorite,  I liked her character as soon as I started the book all the way to the end. She is professional, empathetic,  understanding, and a mom who is dealing with a teenager and an ex who doesn't seem to help much.
The cult leader persona, the way he thinks, acts, and controls were well researched and explained. Books usually tell you about the cult leader's bad deeds but seldom do they explain why they do what they do and how can anyone rich or poor, educated or not, can fall directly into their grasp. The transition of the book, the flashbacks, the wording and overall structure of the book are perfect.  I loved this book and I highly recommend it.
Thank you #netgalley and the publishers for this copy.

This is one of the best first books in a new series I have read in a long time! The characters are compelling. Abby is complex and I can't wait to see her develop. The other characters are just as interesting and the author does a fantastic job of drawing you in and making you invested in them. The mystery is dark and full of suspense. I didn't see the reveal coming and was shocked. There are also some great doses of humor amidst the tension. The scene with the simulation had me laughing so hard I cried. There is one towards the end with Carver that I loved as well. Talk about an interesting character, I can't wait for more of Carver. This book just scratched the surface. And that ending! A bit of a cliffhanger that was perfectly timed. It left me with my mouth hanging open and ready for the next book.

Fifty seven floors up on an unfinished skyscraper a jumper sat, despite the cold windy almost freezing temperature. Lt. Abby Mullen stepping out as a negotiator she had on a rappelling harness, wouldn’t really hold her if she fell. Question didn’t get answered, when she noticed he keep patting his pocket. Wanting a cigarette he opened up, he smoked, yet his sister didn’t and he had just attended her funeral.
Abby grew up in a cult, a divorce mother with two children, at thirty nine, has seen a lot. Was there another cult going on at the Tillman farms. A kidnapping of an eight year old boy, with a five million ransom.
First I have read by the author and did a good job of portraying a strong leading woman’s role in Abby. The police protocol was good. A little bit of a cliff hanger at the end, and the first in a new series. Enjoyed and the plot caught one’s attention from the beginning.
Given ARC by Net Galley and Thomas Mercer for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.

I don’t get into anything about cults because they kind of freak me out but the premise of this one sounded interesting. And. It. Was.

Because of the short chapters and the smooth transitions, it was hard for me to end a chapter and not want to go back for more.

Men writing for female main characters is often a no-no for me but I reaaaally liked the main character. It probably helped that she was extremely dynamic and didn’t put up with certain shit while still remaining human and vulnerable at times.

Also, I have a habit of picking up books where the MC is someone in law inforcement and then wind up not liking it because it’s TOO cop-ish. I didn’t feel that way at all. ALSO, this is my first read by this author but I def would like to read another. This would be great as a @netflix series.
I received this ARC in return for an honest review from @netgalley

Abby Mullen, divorced mother of two, has been through a lot in her 39 years. As a child, she lived with her parents in a cult when a standoff turned deadly. As one of only 3 survivors, she had a lot to work through but turned that experience into a new talent for dealing with worst case scenarios. Then she hears from Eden Fletcher, the other girl who lived through the events surrounding the fire at the Wilcox Family compound. Eden's 8-year-old son, Nathan, has been kidnapped! The culprits are demanding 5 million dollars in ransom which Eden, as a single mother herself cannot possibly pull together. Fortunately, Eden's daughter, Gabrielle, is a popular Instagram influencer so she starts crowd sourcing the money. But wait, someone has eyes on Gabrielle -- was this all done for her? NO SPOILERS.

This is the first in a new series featuring hostage negotiator Lieutenant Abby Mullen of the NYPD. I enjoyed getting to know Abby and her family as well as some of her colleagues on the NYPD. The backstory of Abby's involvement in the cult was interesting as well as were the details of the current focus on another such group, those on the Tillman Farm. There are connections everywhere and a burgeoning romance for Abby. I'm curious enough to see where this series goes next as this ended with a bit of a cliffhanger.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-book ARC to read and review.

Excellent police procedural! I am new to the author and found this a very entertaining and fast-paced read. The main character was strong, and I liked the way Abby’s complex personality was explained as we learned more about her traumatic past. The cliff hanger ending might annoy some readers, but it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.

This is the first in a new series. Abby Mullen is a crisis negotiator. But she’s also a divorcee and a mother of two. “They should insist all prospective negotiators have kids. Nothing prepares you better for crisis management.” Abby also grew up in a cult. Now, she’s involved with a kidnapping case. The mother happens to be another survivor of that cult. And it’s possible her child has been kidnapped by another cult the woman joined as an adult. Or is the kidnapper someone with a fetish for the daughter, who is an Instagram star?
This is a well done, fast paced thriller. There are flashes of humor. I didn’t see either of the twists coming at the end. Omer gives us lots of interesting information on cults. And I intend to use a few of Abby’s tricks for how to win over people. 😉
Recommended for anyone who’s a fan of well done police procedurals.I will definitely be reading book two in the series.
My thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.

I have never read one of Omer's books before, and picked this at random due to the description, and that it was the first book of a new series he is working on. As far as mystery/thrillers go, this was a very enjoyable read. From my perspective, even realistic and plausible. I was somewhat impressed that the main character had real-life issues going on as the same time the crisis is happening. Like most of us in real life! Overall, I truly did enjoy the story, and would be interested in reading further books in this series, and possibly check out some of the author's other works.

Thanks to NetGalley.com and the author/publishers for this copy for free in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #ADeadlyInfluence

First in a new series. It took a bit to get into but once I did, it held my interest. I generally prefer to be hooked from the first paragraph. Well developed characters. I may continue the series.

Really exciting novel. Abby is a great new character and the author has given her a tremendous backup cast with a thrilling, twisting plot. I highly recommend this novel.
This is the first book I have read by this author and I could not put it down. I loved the characters and now cant wait to read more.
The twist you won't see coming!

I could not put this book down! I ended up downloading the audio book from Audible so I could take it on my morning walk and finish the last hour and a half. It's that good.

First, the main character is brilliant. I'm a big fan of Omer's and I love the Zoe Bentley, but I loved Abby even more! Abby is a really relatable female character who is strong but also human. I LOVED her conversations where she has to practice conversations she has to have with her ex and how she can't keep a lid on it. So funny and so real. I also loved how she has to accept help from her mom all the time. I think generally speaking a lot of single parent characters with kids seem to just always have nannies or au pairs and I never understand how they do that on a young police officer's salary. It was refreshing to see a realistic take on that without making the character seem weak. I also loved Carter and hope to see more of him!

I also loved the title and how the nefarious underside of social media was fleshed out. It was done in a brilliant way, not openly or aggressively demonizing, but clearly illustrating how dangerous it can be in the wrong hands and how naïve people can be.

Lastly, I loved the setting. Admittedly I'm biased because I grew up in Suffolk County, but I loved the reminder that cults aren't always obviously radical until the tipping point, and they often are on police radar but not technically able to be charged with anything. These people lived on a farm in the middle of one of the most densely populated counties in the country and still managed to remain extremely isolated.

I just can't say enough good things about this book. I hope there's a lot more to come from Abby & Carter.

I really enjoyed this new series with Abby Mullen. She was born and raised in a cult. Now she is a hostage negotiator and this case involves a cult. Abby uses her own expertise to help break the case.
This was a page-turner.
I was given a copy by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.