FBI Agent Daniela Vega is back, and she’s ready to crack the code on a new case! This time, she’s on the trail of a mysterious criminal mastermind, guided only by the cryptic clues left behind by the now-deceased assassin-turned-informant, Gustavo Toro.

The fast-paced, cross-country hunt for justice makes A Killer’s Code an engrossing page-turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat! I absolutely love this series for its unique cases, interesting characters, and adrenaline-pumping storytelling. With lives hanging in the balance, Dani and team must race against time to outsmart their nameless, ruthless adversary.

I appreciated the further insights into Dani’s character. Through flashbacks to her military service and glimpses into her family history from the previous book, we get a fuller picture of who she is. It’s easy to see why she’s so driven and meticulous in her work. Her past has shaped her into the formidable bada$$ agent we admire.

In conclusion, A Killer’s Code is not just a thrilling mystery; it’s a journey into the heart of a complex character. If you’re looking for a gripping read that combines action, depth, and intrigue, this book is a must-add to your reading list!

I have enjoyed both the Nina Guerrera and Daniela Vega series by Isabella Maldonado and A Killer’s Code did not disappoint. Maldonado is technical in her descriptions which can sometimes be annoying but does not detract entirely from the fast paced, action-packed prose. Vega is a brilliant heroine and I can’t wait for the next instalment!

I’ve always enjoyed works like Dan Brown’s “The DaVinci Code” and Nicolas Cage’s “National Treasure” movies. The heroes in those works travel around the world (or the United States) to uncover and decipher secret messages left behind centuries earlier. In Isabella Maldonado’s new thriller, “A Killer’s Code,” her protagonist, FBI Special Agent Daniela Vega, and her team go from a Las Vegas casino to a Caribbean cruise ship to the Arizona desert in search of a “treasure” left behind by a dying hit man. Unlike Cage and Brown’s hero, Robert Langdon, Vega doesn’t have to go back centuries searching for answers. Everything she needs to know was put in place mere months earlier. However, she must also outmaneuver and outfight some highly trained mercenaries intent on cleaning up loose ends. The result is a fast-paced, highly entertaining thriller.

Daniela Vega is the protagonist of two other novels in the current series before “A Killer’s Code.” However, the author provides all the backstory readers will need regarding characters from the earlier books. One such character is Gustavo Toro, a notorious contract killer who teamed up with Vega on an earlier undercover assignment. After his death, Toro delivered a posthumous message to FBI Headquarters. He kept meticulous records of assignments, employers, and payoffs, and this information could bring down many powerful criminals. In the message, Toro said he will provide this data trove to the FBI… if they can decipher the clues to find its location.

Toro wants Vega and her team to locate a scientist who’s been missing for five years. As Vega investigates the disappearance, she learns the missing scientist was working on a research project with enormous national security implications (aka, the McGuffin). Soon, the other people involved in the project begin dying suspiciously, thanks to some ruthless black ops personnel employed by a shadowy mastermind. (Toro used to be one of those ops before his change of heart before his death.)

I was interested in Vega’s quest and the series of clues Toro left. However, my curiosity was piqued enormously when one clue led her to the supposed vicinity of the Lost Dutchman Mine. For those unfamiliar with the Lost Dutchman Mine, the legend is part of Americana lore that could have easily been part of a “National Treasure” movie. Far be it from me to reveal how the Mine figures into the plot of “A Killer’s Code,” but the author provides some fascinating backstory about the Mine that will probably inspire some readers to do further research.

Daniela Vega is an intriguing and highly likable protagonist in “A Killer’s Code.” She’s a former Army Ranger with training in intelligence work as well. (The author was a law enforcement official for nearly 20 years before turning to writing. Many of Vega’s observations come courtesy of the author’s experiences.) Vega is an expert at body language and interrogation tells. For example, in one chapter, a witness says he “categorically denies” a particular accusation. In Vega’s eyes, that’s practically an admission of guilt. Later, she makes an observation I’d never heard in my decades of reading similar thrillers. As her team awaits the arrival of the bad guys via helicopter, Vega notes that the best place to shoot trained operatives wearing combat gear is in the thigh. That’s the only part of the body not protected by body armor, and a high-powered bullet in the thigh will incapacitate the victim or kill them if it hits the femoral artery.

The author’s attention to tactical details makes the final showdown between the outnumbered FBI agents and the mercenaries so entertaining. This sequence takes up several powerful, page-turning chapters in the book. The author doesn’t dwell on the weaponry involved. Instead, she has Vega lay out how the mercenaries will probably storm her location. She then outlines how she intends to thwart those plans. These observations and the description of the ensuing firefight are as enjoyable as what you’ll find in most military thrillers.

“A Killer’s Code” contains several flashback chapters that detail Toro’s actions months or years before the present-day events. Some of these chapters may seem cryptic to readers at first. However, the author eventually ties them all together to explain Toro’s actions and his change of heart. The result is one of the more fully characterized villains in current thrillers. Similarly, much of Vega’s personality comes through in the many chapters told from her perspective. We get several intriguing references to her family (which would probably make more sense to someone who had read the earlier books in the series). Overall, the author does a good job of portraying a highly skilled and likable protagonist.

Some other characters in “A Killer’s Code” are more annoying. In particular, the FBI Assistant Director, who is Vega’s supervisor, plays the highly stereotyped role of clueless superior. This character is common in police or intelligence procedurals. It’s a gratingly annoying person who is consistently and inevitably wrong in their opinions, conclusions, and actions and ignores what the protagonist says. Here, the AD refuses to give Vega the support she needs (including denying her the use of private jets for supposed budgetary reasons) and goes behind her back to criticize her competence in front of the Director. This novel is entertaining and suspenseful enough courtesy of the villains taking actual shots at Vega; it didn’t need a 100% Wrong Club charter member to add to her problems.

“A Killer’s Code” also paints a highly rosy picture of everyone else working for the FBI (except the AD mentioned above). For example, Vega is attracted to her immediate superior. Still, their every interaction reads as if it were taken from the pages of an HR manual on the proper behavior to avoid sexual harassment. The descriptions of the Bureau and its personnel reminded me of the 1960s FBI TV series for which J. Edgar Hoover approved the scripts. Eventually, the beyond-exemplary behavior of all the FBI personnel became somewhat annoying. This book is an occasion where a bit less fulsome praise would have made for a more entertaining read.

Daniela Vega is a great protagonist, and “A Killer’s Code” is an excellent thriller. The author has halted her other crime novel series after three books apiece, but I hope she will find room for an additional Vega novel or two. (Admittedly, it will be hard to top the level of high intrigue in this book in a more down-to-earth sequel.) For those looking for a fast-paced action thriller, “A Killer’s Code” fits the bill.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

This book was a thrill ride of mystery and intrigue. This is the first book that I’ve read by Isabella Maldonado, and the third book in the Daniela Vega series. I was able to catch up with the characters and background information very quickly, so this can be read out of order. This was a very entertaining read.

A Killer's Code by Isabella Maldonado is a fantastic, riveting scavenger hunt.

Will Daniela Vega and the team find Gustavo Toro's treasure before the bad guys take them out?
Wu, Vega, and Patel are the FBI's A team. They are tasked with finding evidence from a famous hitman implicating high government officials. Although this group has some complicated relationships, they work well together and support each other throughout the case. We see how their personal backgrounds influence their decisions to help find the clues and protect each other when the enemy comes in, guns blazing.

It's impressive how Ms. Maldonado spins this tale with such believable characters and multiple settings. I loved the subtle changes in the crew and their adversaries as the scavenger hunt played out. Gustavo Toro shows his humanity with his final video.

Daniela Vega is my favorite character. I love her strength, passion, and ability to think independently. She is highly complex yet down-to-earth. We see a real vulnerability when it comes to her mother and younger siblings.

The Hunt
Gustavo Toro sends them on a hunt for evidence of all his hits that lead back to someone connected to the government. He has them travel around the United States as they track the clues. However, the bad guys are also tracking the FBI crew and staying ahead of the crew for the most part.

Five Stars
My rating for A Killer's Code by Isabella Maldonado is five stars. I was so into the story that I couldn't sleep until I reached the end. If you want an excellent read, check out A Killer's Code. I loved it.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of A Killer’s Code by Isabella Maldonado.

Until the next time,
~Jen

If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.

I have yet to read anything written by Isabella Maldonado that did not engage me completely. The third installment of the Daniela Vega series, "A Killer's Code", is no exception. A murdered contract Killer has left clues for Dani's team to find and protect the only asset who can bring a violent criminal operation. The suspense, the action, the small character reveals, add up and are non-stop. Highly recommend this book.
Thank you Thomas & Mercer, as well as NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.

Hooked me from the start, and I couldn't put it down. Agent Dani Vega is a force to be reckon with, but she also has a heart of gold for those she cares about. Her last assignment had her working with a professional hit man, who gained a conscience ???
The plot reads almost like a wild goose chase, a "treasure hunt" created by a hit man to reveal the secrets of those with power over him.
I love the characters and watching them work and interact together. The plot keeps moving and there is always another twist or turn. Cover to cover great read!
Looking forward to the next book.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Once again we are back in the code world of Daniela Vega and I’m all here for it. I like this series for its diversity. Vega is Puerto Rican and her culture features heavily in the story. Then there is her boss who is Asian and a co-worker who is also non-white. There are mental health issues in her family which are discussed often. All of this is vital to who Vega is and the series.

Then we have the mystery which is an ongoing one from a previous book. The interesting relationship with a killer is viewed from another angle and it’s intriguing. It brings more layers to not only the killer, but to everything surrounding the story.

Isabella Maldonado sucks you into the story right away. The briefing of past events blends seamlessly into the current story. I would recommend though to get the full flavor and impact of what is happening to read the earlier stories. It really brings context and depth to A Killer’s Code.

I’m curious on where the author is going with some strings that were left dangling. Am I seeing things where there isn't anything or is something intriguing just around the corner. I can’t wait to find out.

The Killer’s Code by Isabella Maldonado is a fast-paced, gripping thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. FBI Special Agent Dani Vega is thrust into a high-stakes investigation after hitman Gustavo Toro dies in her arms, leaving behind a cryptic video exposing a powerful and elusive mastermind. As Dani and her team follow the dangerous clues, they uncover a web of secrets more twisted than they could have imagined. With tense action, clever twists, and a relentless pursuit of justice, Maldonado crafts a suspenseful and engaging story that will appeal to fans of crime thrillers and intricate mysteries.

P.S. Can we please turn this into a tv show…

I enjoyed the book's fast-paced action and the intriguing puzzle-solving elements. However, the plot and character development felt a bit straightforward, lacking the complexity I was hoping for. Despite this, it was still an entertaining and engaging read.

5/5 stars

I took my time with this one because I really wanted to get all the details and process all the information. This is just another book that proves Isabella Maldonado knows how to create a world of suspense and intrigue that keeps you on your toes. This was the final book in the Dani Vega series and it ended very well. I did not expect to see a character that was written off in the beginning to come back and create a cat and mouse scavenger hunt. It was well written and entertaining. I will definitely keep reading from this author since I have yet to be disappointed.

Highly recommend this book for fans of suspense and mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

Book #3 in an original series that gets better with each book. Daniella Vega is a three dimensional character whose strengths far out weigh any weakness she may have. A KILLER'S CODE closely follows the hunt started when a masterful criminal dies, but leaves a treasure trove of clues that will lead Vega's team to evidence they need to convict many of the worst criminals on the city's streets.

I've grown very fond of Isabella Maldonado's books. I'm assured an excellent mystery with plenty of clues to lead my guesses while appreciating the cast of characters and the way they work so well together. If you've not read her books, it's not too late to start this excellent series.

First, I appreciate “series” books that do not require the previous books to understand the next book in the series, just the main character going through another story. But this has honed me in in a way the other Dani Vega books are expeditiously being added to my TBR!

What a combination of thrill, suspense, romance, and action al packed into one. I absolutely loved this book!

A contract killer, who knows their death is imminent. Clues left for treasure. A race to see who can find it first. Undue deaths. Unknown causes. Why is the FBI involved and why are they always one step behind?

Conflicted with time, Dani struggles to manage home life and work life balance, being tugged from both ends. Feelings of not being present enough at one and being sucked in too far in another. Risking it all, family and her own life, for the sake of others. What could go wrong?

Nightmares of her past cloud her sleep, rehashing her past shortcomings. What she considers her failures have only given her the strength to pursue on and grow stronger, more efficient, though she wonders if she will ever be able to move past the blockade of her heart. Tactical training could never prepare her the heartbreak of losing someone you never admitted to loving. She wouldn’t make that mistake again.

Her team engages in a secret, read in only, mission in hopes of protecting the now only asset that can bring one of the worst sharks down. To do it, they must break through codes, interpret clues, and really get into the mindset of a killer—a dead one. Traveling through the ranks, this mission proves harder and more engrossed than any of the team could have imagined, and gets dirtier by the minute.

The ending was fantastic, and left me on the edge of my seat. To the very end, I was absolutely hooked, and yet was still left with a sense of compassion and comfort, for all involved, even with all the loss.

First book read from this author but there will be many more to come. Excellent read.

I enjoyed reading this book, the third installment in the Daniela Vega series. Dani is a member of the FBI and patriotic to the core. In the first book, Gustavo Toro and Daniela had been imprisoned in a labyrinth where they were subjected to a murderous game - they were expected to kill the other trapped people and each other until only one would survive. This is the 3rd book and relates closely to the 1st book. I didn't think it was possible but it is even more suspenseful. .

Toro had sent a video to the FBI director before he died, a video that was a puzzle of where various clues had been left. Since Dani had been the person closest to him during their ordeal in the maze that he didn't survive, she was chosen along with two colleagues to find the clues that Toro had left. The clues were to eventually reveal the name of a person responsible for serious crimes over several decades. Some of these clues came with a countdown - if not found by a certain time, it would blow up and possibly take innocent lives with them.

I highly recommend this series. My thanks to the publisher Thomas & Mercer for the e-arc. It was my pleasure to voluntarily read and review it.

A Killer’s Code is a gripping thriller from page one. The complex story revs up as code breaker Dani Vega tries to run down a complex set of clues from a former hitman Gustavo Toro before its to late as enemies circle can Vegas discover the truth or will she end up dead like Toro with the secrets buried with her. The plot is excellent and well paced and dangerous lurks around every turn s Vega uses her brilliant mind to do what only she can do. Another great installment in the series a must read that was hard to out down.

A Killer's Code by Isabella Maldonado is a gripping, twist-filled thriller that combines suspense, mystery, and personal stakes.
The characters are excellent and this is one fabulous story, very much worth the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the ARC!

This is my favorite book in this series so far. My biggest criticism for books 1 and 2 was I felt that the author was reminding the audience of background information way too often, which frustrated me because it was so repetitive for no reason.

The overall story of this book connects back to book one which I really liked because I missed Torro so much, he was a really well written complicated character. I think I liked this book so much bc of the split POV with Dani and Steve.

Overall I think the characters were a lot more likeable in this book. Although, I think the author could work on relationship development because some things came out of the blue, like Angela wanting to meet Dani's family and the relationship developing between Dani and Steve.

Overall it made me want to continue the series, so I'm excited for book 4!

A Killer's Code is the third installment in author Isabella Maldonado's Daniel Vega series. During a recent undercover operation, hitman Gustavo Toro died in the arms of FBI agent and former military codebreaker Daniela “Dani” Vega, who had been on pins and needles waiting for the end of her career after she went rogue. Toro sends a video to FBI Director Franklin. In the video, Toro sets out – in the form of a puzzle – the whereabouts of hidden information that will lead to the identity of a man responsible for serious crimes that have been ongoing for decades.

As Vega, Special Agent in Charge Steve Wu, analyst Sanjeev Patel, and NYPD Detective Flint traverse the country following Toro’s coded clues, they start to piece together his past. Vega and their team must interpret clues, leading them to another place and further interpretive challenges until they find what they’ve been looking for. As an added incentive, they discover that lives are at stake and that their time to complete the task is severely limited. As a former US Army Ranger, Dani's elite military training in pattern recognition, crypto analysis, and counterintelligence are key to solving the case.

This story alternates between a bunch of players like Dani and Toro in the past and Wu and includes the villains. Villains who seem to be killing off key players who may have important information that could be worth billions. This leads Vega and her team to find Dr. Tina Castillo, who disappeared around the same time Toro died. It’s a wild goose chase back and forth across the country following the clues and every lead they follow almost gets them killed. Someone else is following the same leads and beating Dani and the team and doesn't care if they are federal agents.

It would behoove you to ensure you are taking notes or are very good at keeping things in your memories. The main reason I continue to read this series is the background of the author. Isabella Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico and the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in her police department, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. Over two decades on the force, her assignments included hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander. She uses her law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her writing. Maldonado loves her trilogies, and this is probably the end of the Dani Vega series.

A Killer's Code is hard to put down, so clear your schedule: FBI Special Agent Daniela “Dani” Vega is back in another exciting, fast-paced, smart thriller! Hit man Gustavo Toro reaches out to the FBI from beyond the grave, providing them a series of cryptic clues to what is basically a treasure hunt to evidence he collected over his career. This evidence is so "hot" that it will identify powerful men that have been using Toro's services and help put them away, but one of those men is in a position to know what the FBI knows and will do everything he can to stop Vega and her team from finding Toro's treasure. Maldonado knows how to grab -and keep- the reader's attention: the plot is action-packed and suspenseful, and the characters are three-dimensional and relatable, despite some almost superhero-like qualities. Vega is a strong but very likeable female "lead". While this book is 3rd in a series, I think it can easily be read as a standalone (although there is spoiler or two, so if you love this one and go back to read the earlier books, you may need to try to forget some of what you know).

A Killer's Code, the third installment of the FBI Agent Dani Vega series, showcases her exceptional skills in code-cracking, a talent honed during her time as an Army Ranger.

With the death of Gustavo Toro, the riddles he leaves behind become the catalyst for a high-stakes chase. Dani and her team embark on a thrilling journey across the country, racing against time to unveil a powerful mastermind. The investigation is a rollercoaster of suspense, with cryptic puzzles, secret locations, and a constant battle to stay one step ahead of the adversaries. The tension mounts, leading to a gratifying conclusion. It's an exhilarating read.

While A Killer's Code is a captivating standalone read, the experience is enriched when you delve into the action-packed thrillers of the previous two books, making the series a must-read for all thriller enthusiasts.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for a digital advance review copy. A special shoutout to Isabella Maldonado for crafting such an immersive series! I'm eagerly looking forward to the next book in the series, and I'm sure you will be, too, after reading this one!