Get ready for a book that you can't put down. It's intensity starts at the very beginning and doesn't stop until the end. The book starts with a couple of story threads that slowly start weaving themself together. Celine is a surgeon and model in Boston who is attacked one night but manages to fight back and escape. Dominic and Rashid are in Africa uncovering devastation of villages and vowing to stop any more from happening. Dominic and Rashid rush to Boston to get to Celine and keep her safe from the evil plans Caldwell and Zakira are planning. After a friend's death, Celine realizes the depth of depravity of Caldwell and agrees to help Dominic, but only after warning Eve Duncan not to get involved. Eve finds she doesn't have a choice when her son is kidnapped by Caldwell. She agrees to go and sculpt the death mask for Caldwell and Zakira, but only if her son stays with her. It is at this point when everyone must pull together resources to find the village deep in the jungle and save Eve and Michael before she finishes the mask. While there is a combination of characters from previous books and new ones, this book can be read as a stand alone as there is enough description of everyone to explain the relationships. This is a very intense book that I ended up reading all in one sitting. Very good and well worth the loss of sleep.

As is the case for all books containing Eve Duncan, strong females play a pivotal role in the story. In this story, Eve once again must prove herself a rock star in her field while showing the evil doers that you don't mess with a brilliant mama bear. I loved how she parlayed the one weapon she had, her talent, into a weapon to keep her son safe which just goes to show there is nothing more important than family. Eve's strength is well matched by the other female lead in this story, Celine Kelly. Right from the first, Celine refuses to be victimized and instead fights with everything she has for her freedom and the safety of others. She proves more than a match for both the villains and for her assigned protector. The strength does not stop there, Kontara, a survivor is forced to confront her deepest fear to help save the others. Three strong woman brought together by a strong women of the past and a ruthless and heartless man who seeks to exploit her. In this story, he wishes to further his ridiculous belief that he is destined for greatness. The only thing he is truly destined for is to find himself on the wrong side against a more than formidable team including our ladies and the men in their lives. It is great to see Caleb back and to get a check in on new mom, Jane.
When I read about baby Cira, it reminded me of how far this journey has gone for Eve and those who love her and those who readers have come to know from other stories. Eve's been an amazing character from book one but that look back helped me to understand her growth and how far she has come. The death mask intrigued Eve when first mentioned but in this book she was willing to set aside her passion for work to be with family something that did not seem likely in early books when she was consumed with her work. She only takes the job when it becomes clear what is at stake. The mask itself and the backdrop provided for a lot of action. While I hated how this book sometimes leaned into the darkness, especially with the little girl, it was still very much worth reading. If we are treated to another Eve book, I will be right there to read it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC.