Victim #8

What an exciting political thriller that kept me reading to the end! The second book in the Luke Steele political thriller series once again features Luke and FBI Special Agent Amberlyn Reiner. Luke is a military aide to President Frazier, and is struggling with self-doubt after a tragic loss during his last mission. However, when an American journalist is killed in Istanbul, Turkey, Luke must take on a new assignment.

While the Turkish police report the journalist is the eighth victim of a serial killer, US intelligence isn’t so sure. The president tasks Luke and Amberlyn to investigate and eventually, they go undercover as a couple in Istanbul to connect with a Russian source who holds key information to the case. Can they find him in time?

Luke has a dry sense of humor, listens when others need to talk things out, has a fierce sense of loyalty, and is caring and patriotic. However, he feels he’s not worthy of notice and can be hard to read. Amberlyn is smart, kind, and insightful. Their characterization along with that of the secondary characters is excellent.

The novel starts with an intriguing prologue and continues with investigations, suspense, and action. The author does a great job building suspense until it culminates in an action-packed ending. Readers get insight into events and operations in the White House as well as both Luke’s and Amberlyn’s jobs. A large part of this novel is the investigation and its discoveries. Then in chapter 31, Luke and Amberlyn arrive in Istanbul and the action gets underway and the danger to them escalates. There’s a slow progressing romance as a subplot. Other themes include grief, survivor’s guilt, trust, friendship, family, and power. Readers get insights from Luke and Amberlyn as well as an antagonist. My biggest quibble is that the shifts in points of view occur somewhat abruptly and multiple times during a chapter without warning. The transition is not smooth and effortless. Despite this, the book is one of the most enjoyable political thrillers I’ve read in 2025.

Overall, this excellent political thriller with a touch of romance was full of mystery, suspense, and action. Ms. Abramson is a new-to-me author and I can’t wait to read more of her backlist of novels. She is a superb storyteller who kept me on the edge of my seat with gripping scenes and a twisty plot. It was a riveting story full of drama, action, and interesting characters, with suspenseful moments that made it an enthralling read. It also incorporates some relevant real-world issues into the story that adds to the realism.

Shadow Mountain Publishing and Traci Hunter Abramson provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for October 07, 2025.