Power Struggle by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

Amazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
One hit man who’s back for revenge.
One detective who’s not going down without a fight.

It’s been ten months since Detective Madison Knight almost died at the hands of Russian Mafia hit man Constantine Romanov. She hasn’t seen hide nor hair of him since he escaped police custody and fled to Russia soon after his arrest, except now her latest murder investigation gives her reason to believe he’s back in town. Seeing as the victim is the man who killed her grandfather, her perspective may be a little skewed, but with the MO smacking of Constantine and the victim’s connections to the mob, she finds it hard to be objective. Still, she’s doing her best to consider all the evidence.

When she receives a threatening letter from Constantine, however, her suspicions are confirmed. And he’s made it abundantly clear that not only does he plan to finish what he started but he has her family and loved ones in the crosshairs, too. Madison vows to do whatever it takes to save them, but as the hours race by, the body count rises. And the stakes only get higher when Madison’s sister, Chelsea, goes missing.

Now, Madison’s only play is to take Chelsea’s disappearance for what it really means: Constantine is calling Madison out for one final showdown. And they won’t both survive…

Review:

Power Struggle by Carolyn Arnold is the 8^th book in her terrific Detective Madison Knight series.  I have been a fan of this series since the beginning, and Carolyn Arnold never fails to give us an intense exciting story, not to mention her expertise in police procedurals.  Power Struggle, is the best one yet, in this series, as it is an edge of your seat suspense thriller.  

Madison Knight, our series heroine, is a tough detective, who also has a vulnerable side when it comes to family and relationships.  When Madison arrives on a murder scene with her partner, Terry, she senses déjà vu, as the Russian hitman, who almost killed her seems to be back. Madison is still getting nightmares about Constantine, and her fears escalate; especially after she receives a note threatening to finish the job and hurt those she loves.   This changes the game for Madison, as she must maintain her composure, keep her fears secret from workers and family, and find Constantine before he can do anything.  

Madison works with her friends and team (Terry, Cynthia, Troy, etc), to work together to find the clues about the murder, which will have many twists and turns along the way.  Why is Constantine back and are the Russian mob involved? Who is behind these murders?

What follows is an exciting, tense, pulse pounding action thriller, which has Madison running against time to protect her family, as well as her life.  She must also fight her superior’s determination to take her off the case, in order to protect her.  Madison, as tough as she is, becomes emotionally a wreck, desperately trying to keep her objectivity and calm. She will let no one stop her from being involved in a wild dangerous race to save her family.

I noted in my last review that I loved the changes Arnold made in the last book, and I must say I loved it even more in Power Struggle.  Madison still has a vulnerability and lack of confidence in totally bonding with Troy, which will change closer to the end.  But what I did love was giving us a glimpse at seeing her with her friends/coworkers and the closeness between them.  Cynthia, her friend and the medical examiner was great.  Even Terry, whom I have said previously that I did not like, has changed a lot, that I actually like him now.  We got to see all of Madison’s family, which was nice.

Power Struggle was a great story, which not only was exciting and tense, it also pulled a lot of our emotions throughout the book.  I loved Power Struggle, which I could not put down until the very end.  It was a thrilling edge of your seat  ride.  I you enjoy murder mysteries, written so well by Carolyn Arnold, you should be reading the Detective Madison Knight series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review