The Ghost Assassin

4.5stars-fast paced, intriguing, thought provoking

4.5stars-THE GHOST ASSASSIN is the ninth instalment in Lisa Renee Jones’s contemporary, adult LILAH LOVE romantic, suspense series focusing on on foul-mouthed, aggressive, contentious and prickly FBI agent Lilah Love-Mendez, and her husband, businessman /Cartel heir Kane Mendez. THE GHOST ASSASSIN should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up after the events of book eight THE PARTY IS OVER. If you have not read the previous instalments, there may be spoilers in my review.

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

Told from first person perspective (Lilah), and several chapters from Kane Mendez, THE GHOST ASSASSIN picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book eight in which someone working closely with our story line heroine is dead, an assassin’s bullet meant to send a message to Lilah Love. Throughout the series, Lilah has been looking into an organization known as The Society, a powerful group that controls many of the politicians, law enforcement personnel, and the rich and famous, and it is this group that may or may not be targeting the people at the top. As Lilah and her intrepid group of specialists begin to slowly unravel the clues, Lilah finds herself facing down the person who may be responsible for killing them all.

Meanwhile, Lilah’s husband, and Mexican cartel heir Kane Mendez, finds himself at a crossroads. As the heir apparent, Kane must come to terms with his future going forward but similar to Lilah’s investigation, the people surrounding Kane are dying at the hands of someone in charge.

The world building continues to focus on Lilah Love’s frenzied determination to take down the bad guys but the bad guys are often someone Lilah knows. As Lilah’s investigation takes on a personality of its’ own, Lilah’s home life is sitting on the precipice of a hole from which neither she nor Kane will be able to recover.

Once again, there is a large ensemble of secondary and supporting characters including Lilah’s bodyguard Jay, Kane’s bodyguard Kit; NYPD Chief Houston, interim FBI Director David Ellis ; Lilah’s brother Andrew; hacker Lucas Davenport; forensics tech Jack Cox, medical examiner Danica Day; and Lilah’s IT guru Jeff ‘TicTac’ Landers, most of whom are the hunter/gatherers of Lilah’s investigations. We are introduced to a new team of FBI agents, an assassin who goes by Ghost; and the return of someone long thought buried and gone.

THE GHOST ASSASSIN is a story of secrets and lies, power and control, murder and assassinations, struggles, acceptance, friendships and love. The fast paced premise is intriguing, thought provoking and fascinating, and covers but a couple of days in the life of Lilah Love and her husband Kane Mendez; the characters are determined and dynamic. THE GHOST ASSASSIN ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.