Claire Morgan and Nicholas Black have been through a lot to
get to where they are now. Finally, everything is going
well for them, both personally and professionally. Black
has waited a long time for Claire to agree to marry him and
then to set a date for the wedding in her beloved Lake of
the Ozarks home. He found the perfect spot for their
honeymoon -- a stunning, secluded Italian villa. However,
as he leaves the villa to make his way home, the cruel and
evil Marcel Soquet, who blames Black for his wife's death,
takes him captive.
Reports that Black's private plane exploded with him on
board reach Claire and her wedding guests just as she is
wondering why the groom is late. Believing him dead, Claire
is shocked to receive a call from his cell phone. His
sadistic captors torment Claire with horrible threats
against Black, but their only demand is that she come to
rescue him. Black's life and sanity depend on Claire and
the assistance of Rico, a small boy also being held captive
by the demented Soquet family. Claire relies on Black's
best friends, Holliday and Booker, as well as her business
partner, Novak, to come to their rescue. These three are
well-trained commandos and skilled at hostage extraction,
but the Soquets are psycho-assassins and masters at
diversion and trickery. Is this the end for them all? Or
will they find an ingenious way to survive?
GONE BLACK, the ninth installment in Linda Ladd's
stunning Claire Morgan Investigations, is an
excellent addition to this highly suspenseful series. The
terror level is over the top with spine-chilling plot
twists and some very nasty antagonists. To save Black,
Claire has to prove not only her physical prowess, but also
her astute intelligence dealing with some of the vilest
villains she has ever encountered. And she has certainly
dealt with her share of disreputable criminals over the
course of this series. I am glad that Ms. Ladd gives
readers more insight into Claire's new PI partner, Novak.
He proves to be an impressive operative, so I am hoping he
will be featured more in future installments. Having
reviewed (and enjoyed!) all the books in this thrilling
series, I can say that GONE BLACK is one of the best.
His wife is dead, and he knows exactly who’s to blame.
Nothing will bring her back, but exacting justice is the
next best thing—at least for a grieving mafioso…
A Vanquished Love
Claire Morgan’s life is finally coming together. The newly
minted private investigator is about to marry the man of
her
dreams, psychiatrist Nicholas Black, and embark on an
Italian honeymoon. But dreams have a funny way of vanishing
into thin air…
A Valiant Pursuit
Claire assumed Black was dead when his plane exploded in
Europe, but a disturbing call reveals he’s being held
captive by a sworn enemy. Now, the would-be bride and a
covert coterie must find and free him—before death’s black
veil ensnares them all…