TRACKED
by Suzanne Ferrell
Neptune's Five - Book 2
Publisher: Suzanne Ferrell Productions, LLC
Release Date: September 14, 2021
Reviewed by PJ
November 1941.
America remains politically neutral in the war rocking the rest of the world. In the background, government and military leaders are preparing for the inevitable by shoring up the Army and Navy.
A cryptic message
Army codebreaker Ruth Haynes, daughter of a retired colonel, recognizes the code she and her brothers created as children. One brother, a spy for the British, is warning her of a Nazi plot to sabotage the 2nd Armored Division during secret war maneuvers, the same division where his twin is a gunner on a tank. When her attempts to alert both the Army and the State Department of the imminent danger meet deaf ears, she goes to her friend Sophie and the Neptune’s Five team for help.
His mission
Known by the locals as ghost, Sean “Scout” Hanahan grew up poor in the mountains of Kentucky silently hunting for prey to feed his family. The youngest member of the spy-chaser team, he functions as both their tracker and sniper. When Neptune assigns him to shadow the little lady codebreaker, he saves her from dangerous men on her trail. As the pair team up to search for the saboteurs, her safety is now his first priority.
Danger draws near
As storm clouds of war near the shores of America, can Ruth, Sean and the team uncover the traitor in their own government and stop the spies before lives are lost?
PJ's Thoughts:
Suzanne Ferrell returns with another page-turner in her 1940's, Neptune's Five, romantic suspense series and I couldn't be happier. The months leading up to America's entry into WWII were tumultuous times in both our nation's capitol and all along the country's eastern coastline. Ferrell captures the intensity, fear, and confusion of those times as a secret, military spy-chasing unit works against time to ferret out deadly spies and traitors hiding among us.
I was on the edge of my seat for most of this book. The author has created a complex mission with many moving parts and seamlessly woven them together to keep me, the reader, on my toes trying to figure out what would happen next. Her descriptions were vivid, and true to the time, putting me right into the heart of the action, from dark DC alleys to the marshy Lowlands of South Carolina.
I loved the intensity of the suspense, action, and intrigue in this book; Ferrell knows how to keep her readers on the edge and guessing. But I also loved the human face she put on these events, offering up fully developed characters who pulled me into their minds and their lives. The physical descriptions, voices (the accents made their voices so clear in my mind), unique capabilities, individual quirks (loved Sean's dictionary) and peeks into their hopes, fears, and dreams made it easy to become attached to them, feel my heart in my throat when things went sideways, and cheer them on when things went right.
TRACKED can be read on its own but I think you'll enjoy it even more if you read book one, SHANGHAIED first. Either way, you're in for a breath-stealing tale of espionage, suspense, and sweet romance but be prepared to not be able to put this one down until you reach the end. I finished it around 2:00 AM.
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Do you enjoy WWII books?
Have you read any set in the U.S. prior to their entry into the war?
Birthday Giveaway #13
One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, September 14 will receive a print book from my stash.
*U.S. only
*Must be 18
*Void where prohibited
yes, but not too many before hand but of course during and after (just don't ask me for titles because I'm just horrible at that).
ReplyDeleteNo, I have not read books set during, before or shortly after WWII. I've read more set around WWI and earlier. However, I have watched a few seasons of Outlander which begins just at the end of WWII.
ReplyDeleteWorld War 11 novels are my favorite. The era, the stories of courage, and the trials and tribulations are thought provoking, profound and memorable. Meaningful books which I treasure. Yes, I have read many set prior to the war. What Only We Know, Stage Door Canteen.
ReplyDeleteReading World War 11 books is captivating and unforgettable. My main reading consists of fiction and non-fiction from that period since it interests me greatly for the adversity which individuals had to endure. So many fabulous books that give me great pleasure even though the subject is hard to take. The Postmistress, The Cherry Harvest, That Year of Our War.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy WWII books and have read some set prior to the US entering the war, but it has been a long while since I've read them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, PJ! I'm so glad you enjoyed Sean, Ruth and the rest of the Neptune's Five team's story. The ending let me, as my son would say, "channel my inner Ludlum." I adore the whole WWII era. It lends itself to very heroic people, men and women. Ordinary people who step up to do things that can change the course of not only their own lives but others, as well as history.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds like a wonderful story. I used to read WWII books all the time, but I am no longer able to deal with my anxiety. This story sounds like a real page turner. I love the idea of an American woman being a code breaker. Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteHope everyone is well and safe and happy.
Most of the ones I've read have been set in Europe.
ReplyDeletedenise
The WWII era is so romantic to me. Everything was so immediate and intense. Plus the cars, hairstyles and clothes are my favorites. Definately going to check this series out.
ReplyDeleteI like reading books where I can learn about history.
ReplyDeleteI am very drawn to the WWII Era both in books and on film. It's a very poignant period in time, and it is full of powerful emotions and deeply-felt patriotism. I enjoy stories from Pre-WWii, WWII itself, and Post WWII. Seeing our service members standing so proud in their uniforms makes me want to stand up taller and straighter, shoulders back! Most of my family members who were in the military served in the U.S. NAVY. I was raised by mother and her parents, and I was given the life values of an older generation. I have always gotten along very well with older people and appreciate them as friends. One older gentleman, who was a customer where I worked, became a very dear and close friend. He was a WWII Vet, a skilled carpenter, and a teller of corny jokes. Our friendship lasted twenty years, until his death. My friend told me many stories of his service in the NAVY during WWII. He was a gunnery sighter on the USS Mustin in the Pacific Battle Theater. He really made me see the horror of war. He was a very honorable and patriotic man. I miss him every day!
ReplyDeleteI've read many books set before WWII or in the 1930s in Eastern Europe. I highly recommend The Ritchie Boys if you haven't read it, it's a great story and all true.
ReplyDeleteI, too, enjoy WWII books, but I haven't read Suzanne Ferrell, yet. Two fascinating books that I've read recently that touched on life in the US before and during the war were:The Diplomat's Daughter, by Karin Tanabe, and When Courage Comes, by Paul Fleming.
ReplyDeleteI love reading books along the WWII timeline, especially Holocaust stories as we lost a number of family members during that time. Plus my dad was a Navy man in the Pacific. This book sounds good because of the code breaking theme. As a kid and then a math teacher I loved making up secret codes. Thanks for the chance PJ.
ReplyDeleteSarah Sundin has written some amazing books around WWII. I will have to add Suzanne Ferrell to my reading list.
ReplyDeleteAs I've become more of an historical fiction fan, I have begun enjoying WWII books! Exciting adventures, dangerous times and (hopefully) a little romance thrown in. :)
ReplyDeleteI have not read any books set in the US prior to entry into WWII. However, I do love romantic suspense and espionage.
ReplyDeleteThis is a series I must put on my Wish List. It sounds intense and complicated just like I like them. I pick up old books when I can. Many years ago I found several that were printed in the 1940's. The first one I read was set in the weeks leading up to Pearl Harbor. Much of it took place in the Washington, D. C. area with the end at their cabin/house in Front Royal, VA . It was contemporary fiction for the time in which it was written. It gave a good view and feel of what the atmosphere was in the country during that time. If I remember correctly, some were involved in the government and some were in college or just finishing. The final chapters have them sitting by the radio listening to the "Day that will live in infamy"speech, and the actions and directions taken by the extended family members and friends. It captured the essence of the tone and atmosphere during that time. I would tell you the title and author, but my dog chewed the book up a few days after I finished it. Thankfully I had finished it. It was odd, because it was the first time that had ever happened.
ReplyDelete