Dead Even

The book came fast, was in great shape! I'll definately order from them again!

This book, this entire series, is so amazing. Normally a series of books starts off really good and simply gets worse as the other books come along. Not this one! Each book in the series continues to get better and better. I'm just waiting on pins and needles for her next book to be out!

DEAD EVEN is the third in the series by Mariah Stewart. Even though DEAD WRONG and DEAD CERTAIN are complete in themselves, this one ties up all the loose ends and in a most satisfying way. Miranda Cahill is the lead agent on this investigation. She is teamed with Will Fletcher who has been her significant other off and on for 6 years. Two years ago they had drifted apart and neither knows how to relight the fires that burn in both of them. In DEAD WRONG we met the three men who talked about killing each others enemies. Well one is left, Archer Lowell. A 19 year old kid. Vince Giordano is now in prison, but he is determined that Archer fulfill his part of the bargain. He promises his friend Burt Connolly a lot of money to see that Archer does his job. The FBI already have figured out that the 3 men planned on the killings even if they don't know when they were together. Miranda and Will pay a visit to Archer and are convinced he is not a killer. However, shortly after the visit the killings begin. Burt has forced Archer to live up to his part in the deal. Will figures out that Miranda may be one of the 3 people on Curt Channings list. As the other 2 people on the list are killed they desperately search for Archer. While they are caught up in their case. Mara Douglas's daughter has been found in a religious commune, where young girls are sold to the highest bidder. Julianne has been protected by her father, who stole her from Mara 7 years ago. Jules has been money-laundering for the cult. Both investigations are intense and riviting. This brings us to a very unusual exciting climax. This is a very good book, I enjoyed it very much and I will be looking for more from this author.

This is the third book in an inovative series by Mariah Stewart. I read them in sequence(highly recommended), Dead Wrong, then Dead Certain, followed up by this last book, Dead Even. I liked the first book, not at all the second, and in my opinion this book was the best. I stayed up all night reading. We had experienced a broken water pipe in our new home's basement--I surveyed the damage, called a plumber, and continued to read--that's what husband's are for, right? Seriously folks, this book is a keeper. It had dueling plots that kept me on the edge of my seat, instead of being annoying like some books. When Mara(Dead Wrong) finally had her reunion with her long-lost daughter Julianne, I had to wipe my eyes. I found Miranda and Will's story refreshing. No sex, but lots of chemistry. I don't know if it was intentional, but the scenes between Archer Lowell and Burt were hilarious. I got a kick out of Archer's "stupid criminal" scenes. Like Miranda, I almost started to feel sorry for the guy. Almost. Anyway, loved the book. It's a page-turner.

Three prisoners met briefly one February morning. Archer Lowell was the youngest. To make himself look tougher, he suggested a game. Each of them thought up three people that they would love to kill once they were out of jail. Then they swapped victims. Archer never meant for any of it to really happen. When Archer finally got out of prison, he decided to stay on the straight and narrow. So the other two prisoners went after those on their swapped hit list. One of them, Curtis, was dead. The other, Vince, would never get out of prison again. Archer was not a killer and had no intention of going after his three targets. However, Archer did not expect Vince to hire someone to watch him. When it became obvious that Archer would not play the game, Burt stepped in to make him. FBI Special Agent Miranda Cahill was partnered with Agent William "Will" Fletcher to watch Archer, just in case he went on a killing spree. No one expected him to actually do it, not even the Bureau's profiler, Anne Marie. When the first person died under their noses, the hunt was on for a fleeing Archer. Also, Julianne, the daughter of Mara Douglas (from previous novel), had been located after seven long years. Mara's ex-husband, Jules, had hidden himself and his daughter with the Reverend Prescott. An agent had been inserted into the Reverend's Valley of the Angels and would soon escape, taking a reluctant young girl home to her mother. The agent first had to gather evidence that would shut down the child-prostitution rung that masqueraded as a shelter for run-away girls on the street. Everything was about to come to a climatic ending! ***** Romance takes a back seat in this, the third of the "Dead" series. Since Miranda and Will already have a history together, the author did not have to build on the love portion. The two main characters already had strong feelings for one another. This gives much more time to the story's plots. Plots, plural. Hold onto your seats, because Mariah Stewart will plunge you into a heart pounding, roller coaster ride. You won't come up for air until the last page has been turned. Excellent! ***** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.