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Formats
Ebook Details
  • 03/2021
  • B08YW8HGFR
  • 336 pages
  • $4.99
Paperback Details
  • 03/2021
  • 9798597558035
  • 336 pages
  • $14.99
M.J. Holt
Author
The Devil's Safe
M.J. Holt, author
Death threats, lies, and murder send Stella Fargo to the brink of losing her life unless she can make her way through a maze of betrayals, hate, and violence. The police suspect that she had been sent to retrieve millions of lost money and drugs that her BFF's murdered husband stole, and so do the murdered man's thugs. Then the woman whom she wishes had been her mother is murdered. The people who should help cannot be found. The man who can help her may be the greatest threat of all. Stella has one choice: save herself and best them all.
Reviews
A targeted woman and a framed man must run for their lives in this action-driven thriller debut. Stella Fargo finds herself at the center of a deadly mystery with one just ally, Egan Bogart, a man she barely knows and hardly trusts. The two are knee-deep in a drug-fueled mystery thanks to the murder of Egan’s drug dealer friend Augie, who got killed before a big drop off. Now, the bad guys think Stella and Egan have the missing merchandise, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it back.

After a somewhat protracted opening, Holt crafts an intense game of cat-and-mouse, with danger and betrayal powering the narrative forward. Stella proves a formidable protagonist whose courage and inner strength grows over the course of the story. Not only is she facing down drug dealers--she’s also being stalked by her manipulative boss, whom she once dated, a subplot that keeps the stakes and tension high. Though she isn’t looking for a man to swoop in and save her, she finds comfort and companionship with Egan, who is determined to clear his name and keep both of them alive. Some readers may find that their mutual trust develops too quickly, but they both reveal themselves as strong characters with chemistry that lights up the pages.

Tucked amid the engrossing action are occasional interjected conversations about sexuality and gender that seem out of place, and a few scenes prove repetitive. One unsettling plot thread concerns a friend of Egan’s who wants to “mold” an addict into a “loving companion” for himself as she rehabilitates, making him her “savior”--unless Egan wants to “challenge” him for her. The surprise: Stella and Egan voice no objections. Still, the duo’s survival instincts will keep readers turning the pages and hoping for a happily ever after. Any crime thriller fan who loves a mystery will enjoy Holt’s sharp twists and turns.

Takeaway: This on-the-run crime thriller offers mystery fans dynamic leads, intense action, and surprising twists.

Great for fans of: Ann Cleeves’s Vera Stanhope series, Tana French.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A-

Formats
Ebook Details
  • 03/2021
  • B08YW8HGFR
  • 336 pages
  • $4.99
Paperback Details
  • 03/2021
  • 9798597558035
  • 336 pages
  • $14.99
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