THIEF'S MARK by Carla Neggers

THIEF'S MARK by Carla Neggers is the seventh book in the Sharpe & Donovan series and may be read as a standalone novel. This book has very extensive back stories from many of the characters both main and secondary along with background information about past events that can make you feel a little overwhelmed. The series features FBI Agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan as they work together to solve case after case. Sharpe and Donovan are not only work partners but are also wrapping up their honeymoon.

The pair is roped into assisting an investigation involving a cold case in THIEF'S MARK. Their friend Oliver is engaged which provides even more drama. I found it to be a fast-paced read but lacking the suspense and thrilling edge of your seat scenes that would make for a more exciting mystery read. I just felt this book does not hold up to the other books in the series in regards to the suspense. I was disappointed and thought it lacked "not sure what to expect on the next page scenes" like the previous books in the series. There are various mini plots running throughout where you can easily get confused. The romantic element is overpowering and takes away from the suspense of the novel. It could be because the pair is still in their honeymoon phases. I enjoyed reading the others in the Sharpe & Donovan series and hope the next book in series steps back up to the thrilling suspense for which the Sharpe and Donovan series is known and praised.

A murder in a quiet English village, long-buried secrets and a man's search for answers about his traumatic past entangle FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan in the latest edge-of-your-seat Sharpe & Donovan novel As a young boy, Oliver York witnessed the murder of his wealthy parents in their London apartment. The killers kidnapped him and held him in an isolated Scottish ruin, but he escaped, thwarting their plans for ransom. Now, after thirty years on the run, one of the two men Oliver identified as his tormentors may have surfaced. Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan are enjoying the final day of their Irish honeymoon when a break-in at the home of Emma's grandfather, private art detective Wendell Sharpe, points to Oliver. The Sharpes have a complicated relationship with the likable, reclusive Englishman, an expert in Celtic mythology and international art thief who taunted Wendell for years. Emma and Colin postpone meetings in London with their elite FBI team and head straight to Oliver. But when they arrive at York's country home, a man is dead and Oliver has vanished. As the danger mounts, new questions arise about Oliver's account of his boyhood trauma. Do Emma and Colin dare trust him? With the trail leading beyond Oliver's small village to Ireland, Scotland and their own turf in the United States, the stakes are high, and Emma and Colin must unravel the decades-old tangle of secrets and lies before a killer strikes again. New York Times bestselling author Carla Neggers delivers the gripping, suspense-filled tale readers have been waiting for.