Dark ‘N’ Deadly by Tee O’Fallon – a Review

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Description:
ATF Special Agent Eric Miller and his explosives detecting K-9, Tiger, pull over a truck, the contents of which are explosive. Literally. More shocking, the driver is the kid brother of a woman he left behind. One who still haunts his days and his nights.

Review:

Dark ‘N’ Deadly begins with Tess McTavish receiving a cryptic phone call from her little brother, Jesse, saying the words she had prayed for “……….I want out………”.  When Jesse had to abruptly end the call, Tess had no idea what would happen next.

Eric Miller was driving with his K-9 officer, Tiger, when a truck in front of him lost it’s truck bed’s cap.  Eric turned on his lights to pull the guy over, but the driver had other ideas.  Eric gave chase and the driver finally pulled over.  When the tag came back as bogus, he knew something was off.  As he approached the vehicle, there were other signs that put him on alert and let him know that he was pulling over a “sovereign citizen”, who happened to be hauling two partial drums of ammonium nitrate that sovereigns use to blow things up.  The driver then left his vehicle and ran, but Tiger gave chase and apprehended the guy pretty quickly.  Once Eric learned the boy’s name was Jesse McTavish, he couldn’t believe it.  The resemblance to Tess was unmistakable, but he had no idea how much his life was about to change.

When Tess arrived at the station, she couldn’t help but wonder why it had to be Eric Miller who had pulled her brother over.  She did know one thing……..she would do whatever she had to to get her brother out of the nightmare she had ran from so many years ago.  When she gets to talk to Jesse, they come up with a sort of plan for how Jesse would answer the questions that they both knew would be asked of him.  Eric comes into the room to begin and is not really prepared for seeing Tess again, but he reigns in those ‘old’ feelings and begins.  It doesn’t take long for him to catch on to the fact that Tess is signaling Jesse.  Wondering what they are hiding, he soon realizes that Jesse is just a pawn in a bigger plot and that the kid really had no idea how much trouble he could be in.  When Jesse agrees to help them find out who is behind the shipment, Tess is uneasy, because she knows down to her toes that once Eric finds out who they are related to, all bets will be off.

Dark ‘N’ Deadly is an amazing story.  The world that O’Fallon has built with this series is unparalleled.  The characters she writes about are rich and complex and leave you wanting more.  Tess’ backstory is one of isolation and abuse.  Once you read why she had to leave her brother behind, your heart will break.  Eric didn’t have as bad of a childhood as Tess and Jesse, but it shaped his life in a way that left him craving control.  What hit him even harder was his team being killed during an op. The chemistry between Tess and Eric is palpable.  The building suspense keeps you turning the pages faster, but it’s their interactions, both intimate and just their every day rapport, that endears them to the reader.  The secondary characters, some of whom we’ve met in previous books, are well written and only add to the story.  Once again, O’Fallon has written a truly amazing story that will leave you cheering.  I can’t wait for the next installment.  Well done, Tee O’Fallon!!!!  Very, very, very well done!! 

(Personal note:  Very early in the book, O’Fallon tells about an event in West Memphis, Arkansas where two policemen were killed by sovereign citizens.  My ex-husband, and the father of my children, was a cop in West Memphis for over 20 years.  I personally knew both officers who were killed.  One ate supper at my table so many times when he was training so many years ago.  My girls, and our entire community, were devastated over those deaths. The schools were on lockdown and we watched the actions play out on live tv at my office that day.  My oldest was home, and was maybe 75 yards from where the literal shoot out happened once the perps were located.  I called to make sure she had the doors locked and could literally hear the gunshots as the situation came to an end.  It was terrifying having to tell my daughter to get down in case a stray bullet from a high powered rifle came towards our home.  Every year, on the anniversary of their deaths, our community still mourns their loss.)  

Reviewed by Vickie

Copy provided by Publisher