The Killer Collective (#3 of Livia Lone books) --by Barry Eisler

Fiction

401 pages / 1205 KB

5 Stars

I'm never sure what to write when I review one of Barry Eisler's Livia Lone books. Thrillers are not my genre of choice, but I can't stop reading these. In fact, I'll be reading his other books soon.

Livia Lone is a Seattle Sex Crimes detective who doesn't think NO is a proper answer when she's on the hunt. When she tumbles to a hurtcore pedophile ring, when the Feds shut her investigation down, she calls on a mercenary she knows to help. He, in turn, calls his fellow merc buddies.

Mayhem ensues, also murder and other fast-moving and fun things. If you are squeamish about such things as sex trafficking, don't read this book. If you do read this book, and I hope you do, be sure to read the notes at the end.

I am delighted this is a series. The only problem with it that I can see, is I read them considerably faster than Eisler writes them.

This was an Amazon First Read. 

To see my review of the first Livia Lone book, go here. 

Livia Lone --by Barry Eisler AVAILABLE OCTOBER 25 2016

Fiction / Thriller

5 Stars

Legalities: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am not a fan of thrillers, and at best police procedurals are okay. The subject of sex trafficking does not interest me; I do not care for gratuitous sex and or violence. In short, I have NO idea why I chose this book to read. But, I did. And it was a one-sit read. Literally. I opened it this morning and finished it this afternoon. I could not put it down, I had to read it, I had to KNOW how it would end. I could not turn the pages fast enough.

The action starts on page one, and it doesn't really stop until page End. The chapters frequently go back and forth between her childhood and adulthood, with everything coming together for a most satisfactory ending.

This is a dark book about an even darker subject, sex trafficking. It is also extremely well written, and the author wisely chose not to get into the nitty gritty details of the sex and or torture, but allowed the reader to supply as much, or as little, as they chose.

Livia and her younger sister were sold by their parents in Thailand, allegedly to get jobs in Bangkok. Instead, they were brought to the US to be sex slaves. They were separated once they reached Portland, Oregon, and Livia ended up in Idaho, where she eventually escapes, finds a home with love, gets an education, and joins the Seattle PD, never giving up the hope of finding her beloved sister.

Personally, I would never have chosen someone like Livia to be my best friend, but after this book, I want her for that. She is dark (who wouldn't be with her background?), she is strong, and she has a dragon. Though I've never been involved in the sex trade, I had no problem relating to her, and found myself cheering her on in a few places. (I have worked, in years past, with rape victims.) I even found a few places to laugh out loud.

If you like thrillers, I think you'll like this book.