Scorpion agents Dayton and Knight are always good for a spine-tingling, make-me-breathless adventure, and this third book in the series is no exception. The focus this time is on family. Technical specialist Day’s brother, Stephen, has gone missing, gets shot on national TV, and Day refuses to believe that’s the end of his family. Former Marine Knight continues to be a supportive partner while they’re on the job, but still struggles with guilt over the loss of his wife and son two years earlier – preventing him from letting Day any closer than he has already gotten. And that isn’t very close at all. Between all the action and never-ending danger Day and Knight face as they go looking for Stephen and find far more than they bargained for, they are also dealing with their personal issues. The combination made this an exciting, intense, and very rewarding read for me.

Day has come so far from “just” being a technical analyst - what with proving himself in Mexico, then during their hunt for lost art in Eastern Europe – that his previous job doesn’t get mentioned much anymore. Day has turned into a capable field agent, and Knight goes so far as to say he wants him at his back. A high honor indeed, coming from the picky former Marine! As they unravel the mystery of Stephen’s disappearance, Day’s ability to see patterns and notice things nobody else does turn out to be as important as his knowledge of how Stephen thinks. There isn’t much tracing and tracking and tech stuff to do during this self-appointed mission, but Day never hesitates and his value to the team is never in doubt. He has come far indeed.

Knight has fully accepted Day as his work partner. And while he still struggles with allowing Day closer on a personal level, he is perceptive enough to know what support Day needs. Losing his family is something Knight has experienced himself, and he does everything he can to make things easier for Day as they look for Stephen. What he still has trouble with is admitting and discussing his growing feelings for Day, and it leads to more than one explosive confrontation as Day tries to get him to face the truth. But Knight is at least as stubborn as Day, and it takes almost losing Day – again – for Knight to finally face how much Day means to him – and accept the consequences.

If you like stories about tough, macho men who are trying to deal with their feelings for each other, if you believe fear can be a powerful motivator, and if you’re looking for an intense mystery around human trafficking and scumbag international criminals, then you will probably like this novel as much as I did. I look forward to seeing how Day and Knight deal with their newly admitted emotional status.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )