Cargo
by DV Berkom
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GENRE: crime thriller
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BLURB:
Haunted by memories of an op gone bad, former assassin Leine
Basso travels to Bangkok in search of a missing backpacker. With help from an
old contact, she discovers the man responsible for the girl’s disappearance is
connected to a violent Hong Kong triad and is the linchpin of an extensive
trafficking network—both animal and human.
Making enemies isn’t new for Leine, but making one in the triad is—she soon finds herself a prisoner onboard a cargo ship headed for sub-Saharan Africa. To ensure her survival and to continue her hunt for the missing girl, she must join forces with Derek, an ivory poacher who promises to help her.
For a price.
Making enemies isn’t new for Leine, but making one in the triad is—she soon finds herself a prisoner onboard a cargo ship headed for sub-Saharan Africa. To ensure her survival and to continue her hunt for the missing girl, she must join forces with Derek, an ivory poacher who promises to help her.
For a price.
EXCERPT:
This wasn’t right.
Kylie leaned over the side
of the tuk tuk and gasped for air but only succeeded in choking on the thick
exhaust of heavy evening traffic. The neon signs of Bangkok’s Soi Cowboy District
streaked past at dizzying speed, shifting her unsettled stomach into epic
nausea.
I didn’t have that much to
drink.
She’d been at the bar for
less than an hour, waiting with her friends from the hostel for the legendary
lady boys to appear. The thought that the bartender had spiked her beer skated
across her mind, but she rejected the idea. Why drug a customer who was
obviously part of the backpacking crowd and wouldn’t have much money?
The motorized rickshaw
turned down an unfamiliar street, heading in the opposite direction from the
hostel.
“Wait—where are we going?”
she asked, her breathing shallow. The words echoed in her brain, like she was
standing in a hole. Slowly, she swiveled
her head. Alak, the guy she’d been talking to who worked at the hostel, sat
across the seat studying her closely, as though she were an insect pinned to a
bug board. Frowning, she glanced in the rearview mirror. The driver was
watching her, too. Dread crawled deep in her stomach, clawing at the thought
that the two men knew each other, knew what was wrong with her, expected it, in
fact.
I have to get out…get back
to the hostel. She curled her fingers around the metal rail that surrounded the
backseat and leaned toward the open doorway. I need to call Mom and Dad, tell
them I’m ready to come home…
Alak grasped her arm and
pulled her back. Unable to keep her grip, her fingers slid from the railing.
MY REVIEW
I really enjoyed Cargo, and here's why.
First, I love a kick butt heroine, and that's exactly what we have in Cargo. She's a former assassin, but she isn't in that line of work anymore. She's still very much involved with clandestine operations of one sort or another. She's very resourceful and creative, but she isn't perfect. She makes mistakes along the way, and she'd rather her daughter was nowhere near her business, but that's exactly where the girl wants to be. Don't think that would cause a mom a little stress?
Second, the story is compelling so you keep reading to find out what happens next. I really would have preferred to read it all in one big gulp.
Third, the story has angst and tension in spades, but it doesn't bog you down in so many technical details you get bored and start to skip big chunks of the story.
Fourth, the writing is good.
If you're in the mood for some fast-paced action, I recommend Cargo. 5 stars.
MY REVIEW
I really enjoyed Cargo, and here's why.
First, I love a kick butt heroine, and that's exactly what we have in Cargo. She's a former assassin, but she isn't in that line of work anymore. She's still very much involved with clandestine operations of one sort or another. She's very resourceful and creative, but she isn't perfect. She makes mistakes along the way, and she'd rather her daughter was nowhere near her business, but that's exactly where the girl wants to be. Don't think that would cause a mom a little stress?
Second, the story is compelling so you keep reading to find out what happens next. I really would have preferred to read it all in one big gulp.
Third, the story has angst and tension in spades, but it doesn't bog you down in so many technical details you get bored and start to skip big chunks of the story.
Fourth, the writing is good.
If you're in the mood for some fast-paced action, I recommend Cargo. 5 stars.
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
DV Berkom is a slave
to the voices in her head. As the bestselling author of two award-winning
thriller series (Leine Basso and Kate Jones), her love of
creating resilient, kick-ass women characters stems from a lifelong addiction
to reading spy novels, mysteries, and thrillers, and longing to find the female
equivalent within those pages.
Raised
in the Midwest, she earned a BA in political science from the University of
Minnesota and promptly moved to Mexico to live on a sailboat. Several
cross-country moves later, she now lives just outside of Seattle, Washington
with the love of her life, Mark, a chef-turned-contractor, and several
imaginary characters who like to tell her what to do. Her most recent books
include Cargo, The Body Market, Bad Traffick, A One Way Ticket to Dead, and
Yucatán Dead.
Links:
Amazon
Author Page:
Cargo
Buy Links:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/559351
DV
Berkom will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn
winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter.
