When it comes to suspense thrillers, Mike Omer has become my newest “go to” author. He is truly a consummate storyteller, who really knows how to build up a mystery and captivate his readers from start to finish. Such is the case with “Damaged Intentions,” the second installment to his Abby Mullen Thrillers series.

Abby Mullen is an NYPD hostage negotiator who finds herself embroiled in a school hostage situation that really hits home in more ways than one. Given the state of affairs in our country right now, the story’s premise depicts a frighteningly real scenario that kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the very last page. It’s one crazy roller coaster ride for sure!

While “Damaged Intentions” can certainly be read as a stand-alone, it really touches upon circumstances in Abby’s past that the first book addresses in greater depth. Hence, I would strongly suggest that readers new to this series start from the beginner in order to gain a greater understanding.

Although the story is wrapped up quite nicely by the end, not all of the threads are tied up in a tidy little bow. In fact, there is one major thread that the author has just unraveled and left precariously dangling. I can only hope that fans of this series aren’t left hanging for very long. Because, I, for one, need to get closure.

Mike Omer shows how to build suspense, add action, and keep readers on the edge of their seats in the second book featuring Abby Mullen. She’s a lieutenant with the New York City hostage negotiation team, a mother of two children, divorced, and a survivor of the Wilcox Cult Massacre in North Carolina when she was seven. Armed conspiracy theorists called the Watchers enter a local NYC high school and take hostages. How many hostages are there and what does the armed group want? Why did they enter the school?

While the book is mainly from Abby’s point of view (POV), it does switch to a few additional characters from time to time. Her character is well developed and shows both her strengths and vulnerabilities. Readers get insight into both her personal and professional lives. They also get great insight into Caterpillar, the screen name used by one of the armed Watchers, as well as Abby’s 14-year-old daughter. Other characters vary in depth, but provide support, conflict, or interest.

An intriguing and memorable opening scene will immediately pull most readers into the story. That scene is vivid and painful to imagine and leaves readers wondering how it fits into the puzzle. The suspense is built slowly initially as characters are introduced and readers begin to get a sense of what is to come. When the action started, this reader eagerly turned the pages with nervous anticipation. Who will survive? How will the situation be resolved? As Abby and her team work to resolve the situation, additional layers of mystery and deception are uncovered. What an ending! Will you guess what happens? While the main case comes to an end, there are plenty of threads that could be featured in future books.

A creative, complex, and well-paced plot with layers and twists will keep a reader guessing. High stakes and an all-too-real situation kept me engaged throughout the story. There are some shocking and disturbing scenes as it unfolds. The people in the story came to life, and I was cheering on the police as they worked desperately toward a resolution. Themes include work relationships, conspiracy theories, family relationships, PTSD, death, and hostage situations as well as how social media can influence people.

Overall, this was a gripping story with complex characters that kept me on tenterhooks. It’s intense and kept me turning the pages. There was enough background in this novel that it worked well as a standalone, but I have book one and can’t wait to read it while waiting on the next one in the series. Those who enjoy police procedurals and crime thrillers may want to check out this series.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Mike Omer 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. Publication date is currently set for March 22, 2022. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Another awesome ride from Mike Omer. I’ve read every book of his and have loved them all. This story hits home touching on several topics in the news today. At its heart it’s a cop drama, but there is so much more to the story. We’re getting to know more of Abby and her story with some unexpected twists along the way. Highly recommend.

Enjoyed the book a lot! I liked the switch between perspectives because I got an overall look on the situation the characters were dealing with. It was very thrilling to see how each character reacted. I loved the dynamic between Abby and detective Carver. I hope we'll see more of them as a couple in the next book.

However, the beginning of the book dragged too much. I was nearly tempted not to finish it. At about 30% in it picked up the pace, but the details at the beginning were already lost to me.

Thank you for the opportunity to review the book!

Damaged Intentions is the second book featuring hostage negotiator, Abby Mullen . The Watchers, a group of conspiracy theorists believe child trafficking is happening at a local high school. Three of the Watchers take it upon themselves to investigate. Sneaking in with guns, the Watchers soon take hostages and things quickly escalate. Abby’s daughter is in the school and Abby is pulled from the negotiation. Now Abby and her partner are in a race to uncover the truth and her past seems to be coming back to haunt her. Full of action and surprises, the story is a fast paced lesson in how quickly things can get out of hand. I am already itching for the next book! My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review the second book in the Lieutenant Abby Mullen series.
Abby Mullen was introduced in "A Deadly Influence" as a top-notch police hostage negotiator, who has first-hand experience of how things can go very wrong in a negotiation, as she was witness to a tragedy as a child, and carries that with her in everything she does.
In the age of QAnon, Mike Omers has brought us an extremely believable scenario, where a group of 'believers' who call themselves "Watchers" think they have stumbled upon a child-trafficking ring operating out of a high school (sound familiar?), and decide to do something about it.
Mr. Omers takes up into the minds of conspiracy theory adherents and the lengths that they will go to justify their beliefs - this time ending up as a hostage situation, and involving someone very close to Abby.
This one held me in its thrall from beginning to end; an ending which seems to hint at a possible cross over with another of Mr. Omers' heroines (and one of my favourite).
Definitely recommended.

Damaged Intentions by Mike Omer. A gripping, action packed, suspense thriller with two interwoven storylines. One is of the background of Abby's past and the other is a current school hostage situation involving Sam, Abby's daughter. Sam proves to be quite the heroine and very much her mother's daughter. The reveal at the end.....oh my! Looking forward to the next book in Abby Mullen series.

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

3.5 stars.

Damaged Intentions took way to long to get going. Almost 30% in, I was pulling my hair out, bored out of my brain. A lot of what happened in the first book was rehashed, with Abby investigating her dark past in the Wilcox cult. I know it was set only two months after book one, but it still felt too fresh for me. Quite frankly, I didn't care. Get to the negotiating!
Finally, Sam's school was taken hostage and Abby focuses on saving her daughter's life. A trio of crazy conspiracy theorists invade the high school believing a mysterious organization known as The Circle are planning to sell underage children into sexual slavery. Finally, something I can sink my teeth into. The pace increased but I still felt there wasn't enough substance to justify 390+ pages. The ending dragged on a bit and was unnecessarily padded, but did set up a nice cliffhanger for book three.

I picked up The first book in the Abby Mullen Series, Deadly Influence, by accident and was so excited to read Damaged Intentions. Abby Mullen is a strong, creative, inteligent protagonist but with a past that haunts her and never seems to stop popping back into her life. Abby is a cult-survivor turned hostage negotiator and when conspiracy theorists take hostages, including Abby's own daughter, her world is turned upside down.

This is a suspense-filled page-turner. I couldn't put it down. There are so many plots but they all work together - Abby's cult-survivor past and her present hostage situation - but there are also the relationships between Abby, her children, her ex and her collegues. Characters are really well-developed and there is just the right amount of character introduction in Damaged Intention that someone who hadn't read the first book in the series who quickly get up to speed without boring those who did read the first book with redundant descriptions. These are people you want to get to know and you want to stick around to the end to learn what happens.

If you like detective stories and suspense fiction or even just well-written characters, I recommend giving Damages Intentions a try.

This is the first book I could read and comment on before it was published, thanks to Netgalley. A good and exciting story, a worthy sequel to the first book in the series. Yet I am not completely satisfied. In part, it may be because I just received my third booster Covid vaccine, and that’s why I was awake all night, struggling with the pain in my arm. But that way at least I could read the book.
From the media, the same conspiracy theory and attitude to see everything negatively flows to us as what Watchers represent. I couldn’t identify with them, their thinking was too poor and naive for me. That’s why they were pretty uninteresting, I didn’t feel authentic, and their actions were illogical. I would be much more interested in the other story, which is related to Abby’s childhood, but it seems we have to wait for the next book to find out what the truth is about the cult.

This is book 2 in the ‘Abbey Mullen’ series and you definitely have to read the first book in the series.
Abbey is a single mum and a too hostage negotiator with the NYPD. Abbey and her team are called to a hostage crisis at the local high school, the very same school her daughter Samantha attends. A small group of conspiracy theorists calling themselves ‘The Watchers’ have invaded the school in the belief there are kidnapped children being held in the basement waiting to be human trafficked. While most of the school kids manage to evacuate, some teachers and a few students don’t, including Abbey’s daughter Sam. It’s up to Abbey and her team to negotiate with The Watchers to try to bring the situation to a peaceful conclusion.
Mike did a really good job of bringing in themes in the book that are prevalent in society now. Social media influencing so much our lives, the rise of conspiracy theorists etc. The perspectives of the hostage takers was unbelievable. Literally. All the conspiracy theories stuff was crazy and flabbergasting. I understand the idea that we all believe in some conspiracy theories but the stuff the Watchers believed in was another level of crazy.
This was definitely a thrilling read. I enjoyed every minute of it. And wow, the last chapter! I don’t want spoiler it for others but the next book is going to be great. Looks like the next book is going to have an appearance by Dr Zoe Bentley from the Zoe Bentley series. 4 stars from me.

Thanks to Mike and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Damaged Intentions.
It is a mixture of psychological thriller and police procedural which I would rate as 4 +..
The combination of cults, mob rule and social media delivers an interesting and engaging story.
This is a very timely book which highlights the dangers of social media, allowing unfounded theories to be shared in such a way that large numbers of the public accept it as fact.

Until 1987, Abby had lived with her parents, Martha and David with the Wilcox Family Cult in North Carolina.
Then there was a fire in which 59 people died. Only Abby, Eden and Isaac survived the inferno.
Now Abby is an NYPD Lieutenant is a trained negotiator and is in charge of Crisis Intervention Training. Abby has 2 children, Samantha (14) and Ben(8) with her ex-husband.
Experiencing disturbing flashbacks to the blaze, Abby returns to the area to find out more.

A group of conspiracy theorists calling themselves ‘The Watchers’ have been posting online.
They believe in the existence of ‘The Circle’, which controls the government, the army, the police and the media.
A watcher using the name Caterpillar interprets a tweet as meaning that there are forces based in the local secondary school, who are trafficking children, 3 watchers meet up to invade the school and root out the traffickers.
When things go wrong, the school is evacuated but there are several hostages, including Abby’s daughter Sam.

Can Abby and her team save the hostages?

Lots of twists and turns as the story unfolds.

My thanks to Thomas & Mercer, as well as to NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Damaged Intentions.

This book focuses on Abby Mullen, one of NYPD's finest hostage negotiators. In Damaged Intentions Abby finds herself caught between her past, which she wants to remain buried, and saving her daughter's life - no matter what that entails. I haven't yet read the first book in the series but feel this one can be read as a stand-alone.

To call the Watchers delusional is to take them too lightly. They TERRIFIED me and reminded me a lot of what's been going on in our country for the past few years. Damaged Intentions is a well-written and suspenseful story, with more than a few heart-stopping moments!! I recommend it!

This was my first Mike Omer book, but definitely won't be my last.

I was so excited to see this on netgalley as an earc. I purchased book 1 in the series on Amazon back in March and really enjoyed it.

This newest addition to the Abby Mullens did not disappoint! Fast-paced, a couple of twists and turns, and characters with stories and lives i in which you are invested in their outcomes. I can't wait to read more. This quickly became a must read series for me and I look forward to reading much more in this series.

Thank you #netgalley and #thomasandmercer for the eARC.

You could probably feel the wind off my request for this book. I slammed that button. It would be really awkward then if I had to be like, and then it disappointed me. But it didn't, so disappointment avoided. I thought this book was intriguing enough, but then came that reveal at the end and boom, it got even better. We love a [spoiler], don't we, folks?

Damaged Intentions, is the second book in a series. Had I known this, I would have read the first of the series, first. However, Damaged Intentions can definitely be read as a stand alone.

First, lets talk about this cover. Absolutely stunning. I tend to be a bit of a cover snob and I instantly saw this and needed to know what was inside.

Damaged Intentions does not have a villian shortage! Filled with twists and turns you wont see coming. Mike Omer does a beautiful job bringing these characters to life (I LOVED ABBEY!!).

The story line instantly grabs your attention and the pace is steady throughout the whole book.

I would recommend Damaged Intentions, but suggest you start at book 1 just so you get the whole picture from the beginning!

This is my first time reading Mike Omer book and I'm hooked. The writing is wonderful and the story is engaging. A wonderful thriller book! I haven't read the first book from this series, Abby Mullen Thrillers, so I didn't know if there's anything important connection that I missed from the first book.

Damaged Intentions focuses on Abby Mullen, the finest NYPD hostage negotiator who was caught between her past that she wants to buried back in her mind and saving her daughter life that at stakes. Although, I believe that her past would be much more detailed in the next book in the series as hinted in the last chapter.

This book is full of suspense and twist that will surely make everyone wanting for more. The description in this book is terrifyingly accurate that keeps giving me goosebumps.

Reading a mystery thriller book is making me paranoid 😂 I keep glancing around to make sure that I'm safe. This book is surely great for any thriller lover.

I don't know what else to saya but this book is really amazing. I'm really glad that I read this book.

Anyway, I willingly request this arc from Netgalley so the review is solely based on my honest opinion.

Abby NY finest hostage negotiator, with a dark past
It became personal when daughter taken by the Watcher’s at school.
At gunpoint, to save her daughter’s life. Abby has to remain calm,
The group are weird, not facing reality. Who and why behind this attack
Her secrets thought hidden is woven into this nightmare
Tense, the settings are vivid, with the powerful Abby to led.
Given ARC by Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for my voluntary review
and my honest opinion ….Releases March 22, 2022.

This is second book in this series I've read and omer just gets better and better. The beginning, the middle right down to the explosive ending is just brilliant. A string, confidant and unforgettable main character within a story of too many twists and turns to mention.... It's gonna be big! Netflix is a calling!

'Damaged Intentions' is the second book featuring Omer's character, Abby Mullen. That being said, the author does a good job providing the context of the first book as it relates to this story. I will still be searching out 'A Deadly Influence' and am anticipating any future works by this author.

The story is suspenseful from the first chapter and drives the reader forward with the desire to know what happens next. I wasn't sure how the events of Abby's past were going to impact the story line of 'Damaged Intentions.' In my opinion, Abby's past was used to set the scene for a third book, which works, but could have been left out. The story was intriguing on its own and I was immersed in it from start to end.

What stuck with me most form this novel was the author's commentary on social media and a person's need to see patterns or conspiracies where they usually don't exist. The activities and thoughts of The Watchers are all too relevant in our pandemic world and frighteningly accurate.

Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of the suspense and thriller genre. I typically don't read from this realm of fiction as I have a hard time with suspenseful scenes and situations. I did enjoy Omer's writing and the story progressed at a pace that kept me reading for more.

#IndigoEmployee