Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Release Date: November 14, 2023
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thrillers / Espionage
A former Army sniper must fall back on her Special Ops skills when a friend’s death uncovers a global nuclear threat, in this electrifying new series featuring Special Agent Alexandra Martel.
Special Agent Alexandra Martel has put her days on the battlefield
behind her. Charming and disarming, relentless and lethal, she earned a
reputation as one of the most renowned and decorated Army snipers in the
service before stepping away. But when Alex, now an FBI special agent
on loan to Interpol, learns that an old friend, an MI5 officer, has been
killed under mysterious circumstances, she’s pulled back into the
dangerous world she left behind: a world where some people fear her,
some want to recruit her, and everyone seems to want her dead.
Following
a trail of clues left behind by the dead woman, Alex pieces together a
terrifying conspiracy that only escalates when a nuclear warhead goes
missing. Dodging death at every turn, she reluctantly joins forces with a
CIA officer, but he has plans of his own for her—and will stop at
nothing to achieve them.
Chasing the truth through the streets of
London and bustling Turkish markets to the underbelly of Paris, Alex is
unrelenting in her pursuit of justice. But as the clock ticks down and
the world edges closer to doom, she must fall back on her Special Ops
skills to stop the unthinkable. She thought her life as a sniper was
over—but with stakes this high, she must use whatever means necessary to
render the world safe.
Perfect Shot is Steve Urszenyi's is the first installment in the authors Special Agent Alexandra Martel series as well as his debut novel. Alex has seemingly put her days on the battlefield
behind her. Charming and disarming, relentless and lethal, she has earned a
reputation as one of the most renowned and decorated Army snipers and combat medics in the
service of her country before stepping away. As the story is filled with action, and suspense, you should be ready right on the opening chapter as Alex and her team race to stop an alleged Islamic terror group from exchanging special nuclear material.
The suspense continues when Alex, now an FBI special agent on loan to Interpol, as well as a member of ISA (Intelligence Support Activities Unit), learns that an old friend she met a few years earlier, has been killed under mysterious circumstances, she’s pulled back into the dangerous world she left behind. A world where some people fear her, some want to recruit her, and everyone seems to want her dead. Especially the Russians who are once playing puppet masters. Alex, of course, wants to take a look and at least ensure everything is being done to find the killer and the reason for her death.
Following a trail of clues left behind by the dead woman, Alex pieces together a terrifying conspiracy that only escalates when a US nuclear warhead out of Turkey goes missing. Dodging death at every turn, she reluctantly joins forces with a CIA officer named Caleb Brand, who belongs to a secretive unit called ACCT (Advance Counter terrorism & Counter Proliferation Team), but he has plans of his own for her—and will stop at nothing to achieve them. Chasing the truth through the streets of London and bustling Turkish markets to the underbelly of Paris, Alex is unrelenting in her pursuit of justice.
But so are her enemies in Russia who seem to pop up every where. As as the clock ticks down to a major peace summit taking place in Paris, and the world edges closer to doom, she must fall back on her Special Ops skills to stop the unthinkable. She must wade through a litany of both people who want to kill her, people who want to betray her, and people who are desperate to have her on their side. She thought her life as a sniper was over but with stakes this high, she must use whatever means necessary to render the world safe. Not matter where she turns, there seems to be danger at every corner.
*Thoughts* I normally begin reviews of books like this by saying you should expect to suspend reality in order to read this book. However, as a debut novelist, the author really did his due diligence and research. He has made Alex a likable character as well as someone you can easily root for because she has been through so much. It is easy to scoff at the idea of a female sniper, but if you look back on history, some of the best snipers in the world were women. There are allegedly, don't quote me, 9 current Women snipers in the US Army.
I have no issue with Russia once again being the villains, after all, they literally invaded Crimea and Ukraine without any reason. Russia are the boogeymen of my generation having lived through the cold war. We know what they are capable of because they have both the GRU and FSB playing shenanigans with our military, or CIA, NSA, and our most important infrastructures. The ending of this book was both expected, and not. Alex has to make some career defining choices that will leave her in an untenable position going forward. I look forward to the next book in this series.
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