"Max and Gina finally have their emotional, gripping story told."
Breaking Point
Posted: June 17, 2005
Then Max is delivered the horrible news: Gina's name is on the list of those killed by a terrorist bomb. Devastated and sorry for all the things he didn't say, Max travels to the scene of the attack, only to have his knees literally buckle when he looks at a dead woman who is not Gina.
But where is Gina? Desperate to find her, Max and Jules go a little AWOL (okay, okay, there's probably not such a thing as a "little" AWOL) from their FBI jobs.
Gina has been pulled into the romance between Grady Morant and Molly Anderson. Grady is wanted by practically everyone in the world for his various misdeeds (including the U.S. government), but he's a reformed man who is thoroughly in love. How can he and Molly ever find happiness, though?
The women are kidnapped in an effort to draw Grady out and Max and Jules, working reluctantly with Grady, rush to help them. Will Max get the chance to tell Gina how much he cares?
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I have enjoyed all of Ms. Brockmann's books in this series and have wondered when we'd get Max and Gina's story. I did, however, have problems with the extensive use of flashbacks to when Max was in the hospital. It seemed to interrupt the flow of the book and, although I think the author was using them to establish Max's personality in walling himself off from emotion, I think it could have been done in a more effective way. I loved the love story of Molly and Grady -- gotta love those sexy bad guys! Also, Jules was a strong character in this book, as he was in the last. Those with difficulties dealing with homosexuality may be a little put off by him, but I like the guy. He's a good friend to Max and Gina, both. I recommend this book, though I do think you'll like it better if you've been reading the series.
Book Summary
As commander of the nation's most elite FBI counterterroism unit, agent Max Bhagat leads by hard-driving example: pushing himself to the limit and beyond, taking no excuses, and putting absolutely nothing ahead of his work. That includes his deep feelings for Gina Vitagliano, the woman who won his admiration and his heart with her courage under fire. But when the shocking news reaches him that Gina has been killed in a terrorist bombing, nothing can keep Max from making a full investigation -- and retribution -- his top priority.
At the scene of the attack, however, Max gets an even bigger shock. Gina is still very much alive—but facing a fate even worse than death. Along with Molly Anderson, a fellow overseas relief worker, Gina has fallen into the hands of a killer who is bent on using both women to bait a deadly trap. His quarry? Grady Morant, a.k.a “Jones,” a notorious ex-Special Forces operative turned smuggler who made some very deadly enemies in the jungles of Southeast Asia . . . and has been running ever since. But with Molly’s life on the line, Jones is willing to forfeit his own to save the woman he loves.
Together with Max's top agent Jules Cassidy as their only backup, the unlikely allies plunge into a global hot zone of violence and corruption to make a deal with the devil. Not even Jones knows which ghosts from his past want him dead. But there's one thing he's sure of--there's very little his bloodthirsty enemies aren't willing to do.
Troubleshooters #9 Ballantine
July 1, 2005
Featuring: Gina Vitagliano; Jules Cassidy; Max Bhagat
400 pages
ISBN: 0345480120
EAN: 9780345480125
Hardcover