Books I've read this week - Deadly Codes

Deadly Codes: A Gallagher Novel © 2009 by J P O’Donnell

ISBN: 978-0-595-5411-3

Publisher: iUniverse

216 pp.

Price: $15.95

About the book: “Daniel Cormac Gallagher, Jr., a Boston private eye, is hired to investigate the death of Jennifer Clark, tragically killed in a car bombing in her own driveway.

Gallagher has been commissioned by Jeanne Campbell, Jennifer’s twin sister, to find a mysterious woman – Jennifer’s secret lesbian lover who vanished immediately after the bombing. While the authorities continue to pursue their suspicions that the terrorist act my have been intended for Jennifer’s husband, Bill, who holds a top- secret position in the counter-intelligence division of the National Security Agency. Jeanne reveals intricate details to Gallagher that intrigue him enough to take on the case. While Gallagher begins searching for the missing woman, he has no idea that a bounty has been placed on his won head – two hired gunmen are plotting to kill him. Gallagher’s search takes him to Washington, D. C., where he discovers that the car bombing is only a backdrop to a complex, treasonous scheme to sell code-breaking formulas to a hostile enemy nation.

As the violent mystery unravels, Gallagher finds himself under deadly attack from two shocking but powerful forces – one he knows and another he never suspects.”

I really enjoyed the action and suspense of this book. Gallagher is a good investigator who happens to trust the wrong person at times. After he and his wife narrowly escape death, he promises to retire from P.I. work. As he’s trying to close his office, Jeanne Campbell comes in, tells him about her sister’s death, and asks him to find her sister’s lover. After hearing the details, he agrees to ‘just one more job.’ Of course, he uncovers more that he bargained for, once again putting his life in danger. The book was well-written, full of action and plot twists. It’s a shorter book but it doesn’t compromise on content. I hope the author brings this character back.

J. P. O’Donnell is also the author of Fatal Gamble.

The book was sent to me for review by Author Marketing Experts, Inc.