The Mask

Vanessa Michael Munroe, chameleon and information hunter, has a reputation for getting things done: dangerous and not quite legal things that have taken her undercover into some of the world’s deadliest places. Still healing from a Somali hijacking gone wrong and a brutal attack that left her near death, Munroe joins her lover, Miles Bradford, in Japan where he’s working as a security consultant protecting high-value technology from industrial espionage. In the domesticity of their routine she finds long sought-after peace—until Bradford is arrested for murder, and the same interests who targeted him come after her, too.

     Searching for answers and fighting to stay alive, Munroe will soon discover how far she’ll go to save Bradford from spending the next twenty years in locked-up isolation; how many laws she’ll break when the truth seems worse than his lies; and who to trust and who she must kill. Because she’s a strategist and hunter with a predator’s instincts, and the man she loves has just stabbed her in the back.  

      With break-neck pacing, incendiary prose, and an unforgettable cast of characters, The Mask features Vanessa Michael Munroe: a brilliant, lethal heroine who will stop at nothing to find the truth, no matter what it may cost.

My Impressions:

This is the first book I have read by Taylor Stevens and I am blown away. Although this is a series, I did not feel that I was missing any vital information picking up a book midway through. The story is amazing with a great plot that is enhanced with detailed characters that you can really bond with as you read. Monroe is a an amazing character. A natural linguist, assassin, world traveler, and an all around bad ass. Set in Japan, Monroe takes on not only the Japanese culture, but the Mafia as she tries to clear Bradford and stay alive. Bradford, who is in private security, is a force to be reckoned with in his own right, but when he falls for a trap brought on by corporate espionage, he relies on Monroe to clear his name and rescue him at all costs. This was a great read that was fast paced, intriguing and full of twists that kept you wanting more, coupled with some kick ass fighting scenes.

I adored this book and cannot wait to read more by Stevens. Who doesn't love a little murder, mystery, love, and espionage all tied together?

Disclaimer: "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

About the Author

TAYLOR STEVENS is the award-winning New York Times bestselling author of The Informationist, The Innocent, The Doll, The Catch, and the novella The Vessel. The series featuring Vanessa Michael Munroe has received critical acclaim and the books are published in twenty languages. The Informationist has been optioned for film by James Cameron’s production company, Lightstorm Entertainment. Born in New York State, and into the Children of God, raised in communes across the globe and denied an education beyond sixth grade, Stevens was in her twenties when she broke free to follow hope and a vague idea of what possibilities lay beyond. She now lives in Texas, and is at work on the next Munroe novel.