Book Review: Fatal Judgment by Irene Hannon/4.5 Stars

About the book:

U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor has seen plenty of action during his years in law enforcement. But he'd rather go back to Iraq than face his next assignment: protection detail for federal judge Liz Michaels. His feelings toward the cold-hearted workaholic haven't warmed in the five years since she drove her husband - and Jake's best friend - to despair...and possible suicide.

As the danger mounts and Jake gets to know Liz better, he's forced to revise his opinion of her. And when it becomes clear that an unknown enemy may want her dead, the stakes are raised. Because now both her life - and his heart - are in danger.

Full of suspense and romance, Fatal Judgment is a thrilling story that will keep you turning the pages late into the night.

My thoughts:

Fatal Judgment was the first romantic suspense novel I've read in quite a long time.  It was also the first time I've read anything by Irene Hannon, and I have to say that I was very impressed.  The first novel in her new series, Guardians of Justice, was a thrill ride with U.S. Marshals, the FBI, and a murderer on the loose.  The action was consistent throughout, but sprinkled with moments of grief and healing for both Liz and Jake.  It was up to Jake to protect Liz at every turn, and he was definitely a hero worth reading about! 

Another thing I loved was that, as a reader, I knew who the bad guy was all along because he was revealed about 1/3 of the way into the book.  From past experience, sometimes that works for a story, sometimes it doesn't.  In Fatal Judgment, it defintely worked!  I was given a glimpse into his crazy mind, and his motives for striking out at Judge Michaels.  On the other hand, his character saddened me because there are so many people in the real world that have his same twisted logic toward our country.

I have no doubt that the next installment in this series will please suspense fans as easily as this one did.  Irene Hannon has enormous talent within this genre, and the thoughts and research that went into this novel was evident on every page.  And now that I know that a few characters from this novel were a part of her previous series, I can't wait to get my hands on those next!

4.5 Stars

Southern?  Yes, set in St. Louis, Missouri
Sass?  No

*On a side note, I experienced a first with this novel.  There were three characters in this book that had very familiar names--mine, my mom's, and my dad's.  How weird is that?!?!?  Christy, Harold, and Eleanor (and all spelled exactly like they should be) made an appearance in Fatal Judgment.  Too bad my hubby's name couldn't be in there somewhere, too.  :o(  Maybe he'll show up in the next book.  :o)

**Many thanks to Revell for providing a copy for review.