Not a bad read, but it moved really slow. When there was action, it was really good, but there is not a lot of action. Outside of that, the characters are great, and the villain was really good. The plot is excellent I just wish there was more action.

🧩 BOOK / REVIEW 🧩

What a wild and terrifying ride #akillersgame by @authorisabella was! Thank you @wunderbookspr for getting me hooked on this new author and allowing me to be #ontour with this book. I have heard from several #bookstagrammers that Isabella is a fantastic author, so I am glad I got my hands on a copy of her newest book.

First things first, Dani Vega is a genius and TOTAL BADASS. I absolutely loved her character and I was rooting for her from the start. This book is the definition of fast paced and it kept me flipping the pages for hours. I could have probably binged this is on sitting, so definitely set aside some solid reading time, as you will have trouble putting it down. I loved the uncanny partnership between Vega and Toro - a nice element to the storyline.

I was a huge fan of "The Saw" movies growing up and the plot of this book was just as thrilling and gruesome. The ending was a pleasant surprise and I definitely didnt see who the Nemesis was going to be 😰. A really fun and unique #thriller that is OUT NOW!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dani Vega is the ultimate girl boss and badass. People may love her or hate her, but they’ll always respect her skills.

Non-stop physical and mental action made this book a great page-turner. Dani is just trying to get her morning coffee and make it to a meeting on time, when she’s quickly redirected to a bomb threat, until she witnesses a murder on her way out of the coffee shop. Even as an FBI agent, her day has gotten unpredictable in a hurry, but luckily she has the unique training for her to follow the murder suspect and try to untangle the web of a crime that runs much deeper than the apparent murder on a New York street.

Dani Vega was not the only engaging character in this first book, with at least one more book scheduled featuring the Army Ranger turned FBI agent. Readers also meet her FBI co-workers and NYPD counterparts, and learn of her family relationships and how they shaped the powerful female characters. This book earned 5 out of 5 stars with full-developed characters and a fascinating plot. It could be recommended to those who like strong female main-characters, police procedurals, and psychological thrillers.

A Killer’s Game by Isabella Maldonado was an excellent read. I couldn’t put it down.

I enjoyed every aspect of the book, from the police procedural to the assassin’s game of cat and mouse.

I can’t wait to read more about Daniela Vega’s next adventure.

Thank you NetGalley, Isabella Maldonado, and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC.

A Killers Game is absolutely riveting! I love as captivated immediately and it held my attention throughout the entire book. I absolutely loved Dani she us a strong determined and fierce MC and I am completely hooked on the series. I highly recommend this book!

My Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

This story was..... interesting. It started off as an interesting police procedural novel, only to become an adult geared, assassin-for-hire version of The Hunger Games. And to be honest, when that happened? I almost just saved myself the hassle and DNF'ed it.

But I soldiered on (haha, no pun intended), and in the end? I actually didn't hate it. Sure, there were moments that defied all logic (these moments happened more frequently than I would have liked). And sometimes I felt like Dani was a bit too Mary Sue-like in her ability to solve absolutely any kind of puzzle or riddle, even under extreme duress, and not only to come up with the correct answer but also to be able to perform (for lack of a better phrase) all of her own stunts without being injured.

However, there were some good parts, too; Toro, for example, proved to be a compelling addition. Every time I thought I had him figured out, he would go and do something that I didn't expect (or, in a couple of instances, do exactly as I had expected, which meant that I never quite knew what to expect. There were also a couple of other twists that had me completely surprised.

All things considered, I am definitely curious as to where this author takes this character next so would continue on with the series. And as I have enjoyed other novels by this author, I definitely plan on reading more from them in the future.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

This book had all of the ingredients to make this a best seller. I couldn’t put the book down until the very end.

The author of the Nina Guerraera series introduces us to a series starring, FBI Agent Daniela Vega. Vega is an FBI agent in NYC where by sheer circumstance she witnesses a murder on the street which leads through the first of numerous intense action sequences in this novel. Vega, an ex-Army Ranger, knows how to handle herself no matter what is thrown her way and it seems that everything, including the kitchen sink, comes at her at the hands of a truly evil mastermind. The problem though is that it all seems just so over the top. It was fun to read, but it just wasn't particularly believable.

I wanted to love this book as much as I love this author's Nina Guerrera series, but it just wasn't quite up to that level.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Action-packed thriller pits an ex-Ranger against a criminal bent on revenge.

Dani Vega is currently an FBI agent working in New York when she sees an unusual assassination on the sidewalk. The dead man had political connections and soon the hit man has been turned into an informant and will need to work with Dani to uncover a wide-ranging conspiracy. Can Dani trust Toro? As they infiltrate a group of hired assassins to obtain the truth, they soon find themselves trapped in a game of survival.

I was not expecting the events and narrative that this book provided. For some reason, I was reminded of Hunger Games and Squid Games instead of the actual spy story that I was prepared for. It was fast-paced and easy to read with few surprises. I didn’t feel any tension or suspense and I doubt I’d reach for another in this series. The main character, Dani, was quite stereotypical of the genre — at least there was no romance.

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

A Killer’s Game by Isabella Maldonado
Daniella Vega #1

Puzzles, codes, and games are right up Daniella “Dani” Vega’s alley ~ Her skillset is just what is required for this first book in a new series!

What I liked:
* Dani: intelligent, lethal, team player, leadership qualities, loves her brother and sister, retired Army Ranger, works for the FBI, strategic thinker, hero-qualities, looking forward to knowing more about her as the series progresses
* Her backstory and how it determined the profession she chose to follow
* The thought processes Dani used to successfully solve what needed to be done to move forward
* That the story, and Dani, grew on me – I have to admit it took awhile to get into the book and considered not finishing but am glad I read to the end as it all came together well
* Being able to easily visualize what was happening
* The fantasy gameplayer and TV-movie feel of the story – though it meant suspending belief more than a few times
* That at least one of the bad guys wasn’t totally evil
* Meeting the characters that will probably play parts in future books of the series – depending on what Nina’s next assignment is.
* Getting in on the ground level of a new series

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about how twisted and evil some people can be

Did I enjoy this book? Eventually
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

I love this full action mystery thriller. A wonderful start to a series that I think will become one of my fav series.

What I like:
- It's criminal minds meet escape room. The suspense is superb. Every bad scenarios for the heroine that I was so afraid will happen totally happen so that surely made this one a page turner and absolutely got me on the edge of my seat most of the time, I hold my breath in every challenge that Agent Vega needs to face.
- Agent Daniel Vega, definitely Athena personification, smart, brave, strong, handle every situation calmly, I admire this woman, she's just amazing and with the story of her past, it makes me adore this heroine more and more.
- That plot twist, didn't see that coming, I thought I got it right but I was wrong, and I love it, love when a book give me a surprise.
- The JTTF. All the members are amazing. Loyalty, team work, and everything just awesome, they will do anything to protect their member.
- All the feelings. From the suspense to the sweet moments.

What I don't like: there's one thing that I felt too convenient, but other than that ecerything is chef's kiss.

Recommended: yes absolutely yes, if you love mystery thriller with lots of action, this one is for you. If you love Criminal Minds and Escape Room, this one is also for you.

After reading and loving The Cipher, I knew I would be looking to get my hands on another book by Maldonado. The main character Daniela Vega is a very different protagonist from Nina Guerrero, but still dealing with her own form of trauma. The premise is somewhat similar to the Saw franchise where a sadistic killer wants to use a game to pit "players" against each other and use other environmental traps to pick them off. Sounds fun! For the most part, it is, but I will say that I hoped for more puzzles and clever traps and instead it was kinda amateurish riddles and "figure this out in 60 seconds or you die" traps which lacked any real sophistication. The ride is still solid though and has enough little twists and turns that it keeps it entertaining and fast-moving throughout. A perfect summer beach read, but with the depth of a tide pool rather than the ocean.

I'm a fan of Maldonado's Nina Guerrera series so I was excited to delve into the world of Dani Vega. it was a little slow to start but once it got going it was very hard to put down. I love locked room mysteries and this was a fun one with all the clues and puzzles. Dani is a great female mc, tough and smart. I look forward to more in the series.

I received a complimentary copy from Thomas & Mercer and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

After devouring cipher from Isabella Maldonado I could not pass this book. The book follows Dani who witnesses a murder in Manhattan of the chief of staff of a New York Senator. This should be a simple case but nothing is as it seems as she has to partner with Gustavo a former assassin. I do not want to give anything away but what a read. It's a perfect dose of mystery , locked room mystery and false clues -perfect for a day read as it will keep you reading.

Convulations of plot maintain the interest, whilst the story drives itself forward. Fans of the Cipher will recognise the ride to resolution

A Killer's Game is the first book in the Daniela Vega series. This is a fast paced, strategic thinking, riveting ride.

Daniela "Dani" Vega FBI agent and former military codebreaker gets her morning coffee when she gets a call about a bomb threat at the courthouse nearby. On route she witnesses a man getting attacked by a man with an umbrella. As she gets closer, she realizes he has been poisoned and believes the two events are connected. As she calls for assistance, she also pursues the suspect but loses him. Returning to the fallen man she learns that he is Chief of Staff to a Senator. Toro, the suspect is later apprehended and agrees to take Dani with him on the next mission.

The next mission is supposed to be creating a virtual training program. Once arriving at their destination, Dani and the other members of the team realizing this is not going to be what they were told. The each will be pitted against one another with only one winner. Things take a turn for the worse when Dani and Toro will have to make a choice to work together or be the winner.

I am not into gaming or virtual reality, so this book was going to be a stretch for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this and am looking forward to more books. I can't rave about this book highly enough. It was full of action and breaking codes was so fascinating I just couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it.

I enjoyed Isabella Maldonado's "The Cipher" series and was so excited to get the opportunity to read an ARC of her newest book! However, I did wait until pub day to be able to tandem read/listen through kindle unlimited. This book was really good and fast paced, but I wasn’t as invested in this one as I have been with Maldonado's previous books. I will say that the audiobook did elevate my reading experience because the narrator used a distorted voice feature for the unknown villain and that was creepy and just so engaging! Can't wait to read the next book in the series!

This was the first book of Isabella Maldonado's that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

FBI special agent Daniela Vega witnesses the death of a senator's aid and as the investigation progresses it takes an unexpected twist involving an online video game and an underground labyrinth.

The plot was intense and sinister it was fast paced with lots of twists and turns. The characters were flawless and multi layered with a strong female lead.

Thank you to Wunderkind PR and Netgalley for the ARC

First let me start by saying if you haven't read the Nina Guerrera series by Isabella, then why not? It's brilliant and what first got me into reading Isabella's books. Not my usual sub genre if I'm honest but I literally consumed those books! When I saw A Killer's Game I knew I had to have it and was not disappointed.

When it comes to fast paced stories with strong characters that keep you flicking through those pages, Isabella has everything you need. I love her writing style and her strong female leads (Like Dani Vega) are what keep me coming back. Although a little predictable at times in A Killer's Game I wasn't unhappy with the ride at all. As I mentioned before, this sub genre (Police procedural thrillers) isn't my usual cup of tea but I found this gritty and exciting!

A solid 4 stars. I highly recommend A Killer's Game and the three books under the Nina Guerrera series too. Available on Kindle Unlimited Limited (With narration too), so a free read if you subscribe to the service.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this advance readers copy in exchange of an honest review.

3.5 stars
So, I’m a bit late with this review. I enjoyed Isabella Maldonado’s Cipher series and was excited to see this new series. Then I saw that A Killer’ Game was selected as a Prime First Read at Amazon in May, which usually means it whispersyncs as a read and listen title in Kindle Unlimited on the first day of the next month (today). So I waited until 6/1 to listen to the audio. The narration was good, especially the distortion for our unknown villain. While I found the sequence of events that resulted in Vega finding herself in a “last contract killer standing” situation. Once that part of the plot kicked in, I was more invested in listening to find out how everything was going to play out!
Good first installment for a new series. I’m interested to see what happens next!
*Shout out to the blurb writer. The book was exactly as advertised and I especially liked that the blurb wasn’t littered with “for fans of” references that didn’t apply.
**Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advance reader’s copy.