Hi treasures! Today I’m coming to you with a review for one of my three February books. This one is called Network of Deceit and is actually the second book in the Amara Alvarez series by Tom Threadgill. If you’ve been around for a while, you’ll remember my review of Collision of Lies which you can read here (I didn’t have my review system down yet XD).
The review for Collision of Lies was posted February 20th of 2020. That’s EXACTLY a year ago! XD How fitting is it that I sat down to write a review for it today? Let’s get into it!
Amara Alvarez’s first case as a homicide detective drags her into the murky world of computer hackers. When she finds herself under attack by cybercriminals, she has no choice but to use unconventional methods to expose the truth and find a killer.
I really like short blurbs XD.
The Characters
Amara Alvarez was still the amazing girl that she is. I could definitely see the development and growth into who she was from the first book. I really loved the way that the author pulled facts and events from the first book to connect the two. It almost felt like I never left Amara and I was back with a good friend. (I have a hard time really actually liking female characters, and she’s one of the ones I do like.
Starsky. Who is this guy? I couldn’t remember him from the first book, but I was really appreciating the way that he let Amara do her own thing. But he was always there to help her, and he really did care about who she was as a person. Girls, there was NO SENSUAL CONTENT IN THIS BOOK. I LOVED the way that Starsky and Amara’s relationship developed. I didn’t agree with the way that they were “not dating” according to Amara, but the pace and the tiny thread of “are they really together or are they not?” was so much fun to read.
Amara’s mom with her cancer, and Wylie’s constant care of her was really a beautiful thread in the story. I loved the hispanic aspect that was threaded through who Amara was. It was just the way that she was, the way that her life was lived, and it was really refreshing from the generic cliché white household, or divorced parents or whatever the cliché is. That’s one reason I really like this series.
The Plot
The plot was awesome. So FUN. (No offense to the dead of course.) A death from heatstroke at a waterpark? Oh but the cameras were out on the spot the victim entered the water. Hold on, was it a drug overdose? But what if it was a murder? (So much like the first book and yet so completely different).
The pace was so much fun to follow. I think it may have been a tad fast for some people, but I like faster plots, so it was perfect for me. I also loved that Amara chased all the threads the could. She didn’t spend any time sitting around waiting for results. Even if they were false threads or leads, she wasn’t sitting around gossiping or wallowing in her sorrow.
Also, the part with her mom really did help. Usually an author would make that part of the plot a romantic aspect. She’d spend all her time at the gym wondering what she and Starsky were and what they weren’t. And she didn’t. Very tasteful and very very good.
Content
There wasn’t anything graphic in this story. (the murder was very clean 😉 ). As I said before, there was no sensual content. That being said, Wylie and Amara’s mom are in a relationship and don’t hide the fact.
In Summary
I really did like this story a lot and I’m so glad I got it. The internet aspect was so much fun. Watching the cameras at the waterpark and picking out tiny facts was so much. Working through this case with Amara gave me such fun vibes I will definitely be coming back to this story. The ending came about at the perfect time. It wasn’t obvious or cliché by any means, and I really enjoyed watching them take down the criminal. So basically, if you like to read clean suspense, this is a very good book to go with! I recommend for almost anybody 16 and over!
Thank you to Revell and Tom for the review copy! A positive review was not required and all opinions are my own!
Thanks for this review!