Cold Deceit

4.25stars-fast paced, intriguing, captivating

4.25stars—COLD DECEIT is the second instalment in Toni Anderson’s contemporary adult COLD JUSTICE: MOST WANTED romantic suspense series- a spin off from the author’s COLD JUSTICE series. This is former US Navy SEAL turned FBI HRT operator Seth Hopper, and forensic anthropologist Dr Zoe Miller’s story line . COLD DECEIT can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

WARNING: Due to the nature of the story line premise,there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from several third person perspectives including Seth and Zoe, COLD DECEIT follows in the wake of the discovery of a body in the Sonoran Desert. Zoe and her team of forensic anthropologist were on a recovery mission to locate and repatriate illegal immigrants believed to have died in the Sonoran Desert but Zoe and her team stumbled across a a fresh corpse, a corpse whose identity was about to push Zoe and her team into the Mexican Cartel. Enter FBI operator Seth Hopper, the man with whom Zoe would fall in love. On maneuvers in the desert, searching for drug smugglers in the Arizona desert, Seth and his fellow FBI Operators would find themselves rescuing a group caught in the web of the Mexican Cartel, a group whose leader is the daughter of the American VP. Falling for Zoe was never the intention but acting as Zoe’s body guard and protector meant plenty of one on one time with the woman with whom Seth would fall in love. What ensues is the building but forbidden relationship between Seth and Zoe, and the potential fall-out as the Mexican Cartel has set their sights on our story line heroine.

Zoe Miller is an independant, strong willed young woman who has refused the assistance of her mother’s Secret Service but Zoe never expected to come face to face with the Mexican Cartel, having found herself the victim of an abduction and death threat. Seth Hopper knew that to fall for Zoe could mean the end of his career as an FBI Operator but Seth’s only concern was the protection of the woman with whom he was falling in love.

The relationship between Zoe and Seth is one of immediate attraction having briefly met under different circumstances the night before. With a target on her back, Zoe is in no position to refuse Seth’s help but Zoe was something more from our story line hero. The $ex scenes are intimate, passionate and intense without the use of over the top sexually graphic language and text.

We are introduced to Zoe’s anthropological team (Karina,James and Fred), her ex boyfriend and USSS agent Colm Jacobs, as well as several of Seth’s team members including JJ Hersh, Meghan Donelly, and Ryan Sullivan. The requisite evil has many faces.

COLD DECEIT is a story of power and control, death and destruction, desperation and mistakes, acceptance and love. The fast paced premise is intriguing and captivating; the romance is seductive and proactive; the characters are energetic, determined and dynamic.