Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: May 21, 2024
Publisher: Kensington
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thrillers / Espionage / Suspense
A government assassin. A sociopathic killer. Both hunters—and both
hunted—in the ultimate game of deception, double-cross, and death.
Retired CIA agent Helen Warwick returns in this electrifying thriller by
USA Today bestselling author and former spy Cindy Dees. . .
She craved the shadows. Invisibility. Seeing but not being seen.
As
an elite assassin for the CIA, Helen Warwick was trained to keep a low
profile. To blend into the crowd. To eliminate her targets swiftly,
silently, and efficiently. But now that she’s retired, Helen is forced
to take on a very different, and very public, role—as the proud mother
of a rising young politician. At a DC press conference for her son’s
campaign, she sees the ominous green light of a gun laser fixed on her
son’s head—and her CIA training kicks in. She jumps into action, pushes
her son down, and saves him from a sniper’s bullet. In that moment,
Helen realizes she will never escape the secrets of her past—or the
deranged man she thought she killed. . . .
He is still alive—and coming for her family.
His
code name is Scorpius. A Russian mole embedded in the CIA, he recruits
dangerous sociopaths ejected from the military and trains them to kill
at command. None of his CIA colleagues—including Helen Warwick—know his
true identity. But when members of his kill team begin to disappear, he
realizes his entire operation may be at risk. His greatest threat, Helen
Warwick, has agreed to rejoin the CIA to help expose Scorpius after the
assassination attempt on her son. She suspects that Scorpius may be one
of her colleagues, part of a vast conspiracy that reaches the highest
levels of government. And now that her family has been personally
targeted, she’s willing to break every rule in the CIA handbook to stop
Scorpius and his trained killers. Unless, of course, they kill her
first. . . .
Double Tap, by Cindy Dees', is the second installment in the authors Helen Warwick series. As an elite assassin for the CIA, Helen Warwick was trained to keep a low profile. To blend into the crowd. To eliminate her targets swiftly, silently, and efficiently. After 30 years, she was told that she was too old (55) to continue, and that it was time for her to retire. But now that she’s retired, Helen is forced to take on a very different, and very public, role—as the proud mother of a rising young politician.
A role that is not so easy since both her sons are angry at her for missing 30 years of their lives. At a DC press conference for her son’s campaign, she sees the ominous green light of a gun laser fixed on her son’s head—and her CIA training kicks in. She jumps into action, pushes her son down, and saves him from a sniper’s bullet. Unfortunately, Helen's sons are not all that happy that she embarrassed them so publicly.
In that moment, Helen realizes she will never escape the secrets of her past—or the deranged man she thought she killed. After the dust settles, her former boss, James Wagner, Director of the CIA, approaches Helen about returning to work for one more mission. The mission is to find the man named Scorpius who has been a deep undercover mole who has been working for and with the Russian FSB for over a decade. His code name is Scorpius.
A Russian mole embedded in the CIA, he recruits dangerous sociopaths ejected from the military and trains them to kill at command. He runs a team of commandos, spies, and a network of informants. None of his CIA colleagues—including Helen Warwick—know his true identity. (Although I now have a pretty good guess who he is). His greatest threat, Helen Warwick, has agreed to rejoin the CIA to help expose Scorpius after the assassination attempt on her son.
She suspects
that Scorpius may be one of her colleagues, part of a vast conspiracy
that reaches the highest levels of government. And now that her family
has been personally targeted, and certain members of her family appear to have deep, dark secrets that have been exploited, she’s willing to break every rule in the
CIA handbook to stop Scorpius and his trained killers. Unless, of
course, they kill her first.
*Thoughts* With the authors background, this book is easy to follow and understand without having to suspend reality to enjoy the book. As I mentioned, with the ending of the book, I am looking forward to the sequel. I am 99.998% sure I know who Scorpius is now unless the author was just messing with my mind in the hints she gave throughout the book. As someone of a certain age like Helen, I appreciate that the author doesn't try to make Helen superhuman. Her body is not the same as it was 30 years ago. She even tries to play the part of an elderly woman to lure the villains out in the open.
