Unknown Threat

 Title: Unknown Threat

Author: Lynn H. Blackburn

Series: Defend and Protect #1

Publisher: Revell

Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Synopsis:

 US Secret Service Special Agent Luke Powell is lucky to be alive. Three of his fellow agents have died in unusual circumstances in the past ten weeks. Luke is devastated by the loss of his friends and colleagues, and his inability to locate the killer feels like a personal failure. He's an expert at shielding others, but now the protectors are in need of protection.

FBI Special Agent Faith Malone is driven to succeed and confident in her ability to solve every case she's assigned. She's been put in charge of the investigation into the unprecedented attacks, and with Luke's life in danger, the stakes have never been higher. But it's hard to know how to fight back when you don't know who the enemy is.

As more agents are targeted, Luke and Faith will have to work together to bring a killer to justice and prevent any more names from joining their fallen brothers and sisters on the Secret Service Wall of Honor.

My Thoughts: 

 This is the first book that I have read by Lynn Blackburn but it felt familiar. I had to go back and look at what she has written to be sure that I had not read her before. The reason her writing is so familiar is that she writes like several of my favorite suspense authors.  

Unknown Threat is the first book in her newest series, Defend and Protect. This novel grabbed my attention from the first scene where we meet Luke and his buddy Zane. Luke and Zane are with Secret services and have unknowingly walked into a trap. Luke is an all-around good guy, hard-working, protective of his friends, and hates the FBI. He holds hurts from his childhood, yet tries to stay objective in the case that he has to work with FBI agent Faith Malone.

Faith is close to her sister Hope but has trouble getting close to anyone else. She also holds onto hurts that happened in her childhood and it makes it hard for her to trust in other people. Faith comes across as strong, driven, level-headed, always in charge of her cases and her emotions. While Faith seems to get along with everyone, her co-worker Janice seems to have a vendetta against her. It does not help when Faith is assigned the lead on the case with the Secret Service agents.

Unknown Threat is a real page-turner. I was annoyed when I had to put the book down to get stuff done. It is a quick read. The characters are well developed and relatable. None of them are perfect and the friendship and care that they show toward each other is touching. This book is high on mystery and low on romance. It was impossible to figure out who the "unknown" threat was and kept me guessing until the end. There is humor sprinkled throughout the book that helps to dissolve some of the intensity. There is also an element of faith, not in a preachy way, but subtle.

I cannot say enough good things about this book. It has a nice mixture of so many elements. This is a must-read for anyone who loves a good suspense novel! I cannot wait for the next in the series. Fans of Terri Blackstock, Colleen Coble, Lynette Eason, Cara Putnam, and Patricia Bradley will not want to miss this one! Lynn Blackburn joins my list of favorite suspense authors.

Thank you to Revell for the opportunity to read this book. I was not required to give a positive review but am excited to be able to. All thoughts and opinions are my own.