Monday, October 28, 2019

Review: Search and Destroy (Outbreak Task Force #4) by Julie Rowe

Search and Destroy by Julie Rowe

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Search and Destroy by Julie Rowe blurb

Search and Destroy is fast-paced, gripping, scary, and authentic. Hold on to your seats as people get shot at, blown up, threatened, and targeted, and the body count rises at an alarming rate.

I'm a big fan of Ms Rowe's bio-terrorism stories as they are both insanely suspenseful and incredibly realistic. It's shocking how frightening the scenarios outlined in her stories are because this shiz could totally happen, and it's not all that hard to make a reality. On top of that, the stories get the adrenalin pumping as danger stalks the characters as they race against time to save countless lives at risk of being easily infected with deadly infectious diseases and adding to the high death toll. Ms Rowe certainly doesn't pull any punches as she writes these fictional (thank goodness!), what-if scenarios that seem all to possible.

John Dozer and Carmen are not easy people to figure out, and they have a past that ties them together in more ways than one. It takes monumental effort on both their parts to get beyond what happened to them to begin to forge a future for themselves as a couple.

Carmen is prickly. That's the best way to describe her. She's been hurt in the past by John and because she was young, she ran instead of dealing with it as an adult and communicating. Each time I read about her reacting to John as though it was nine years ago, I flinch. So many years wasted because of a stupid misunderstanding and the lack of communication. This sort of thing pisses me the heck off. It's a cop out but I also understand why Ms Rowe did it. Carmen was very young. She needed time to grow up and come into her own and become the strong woman she today, capable of being the Head of Infectious Diseases at the CDC. In their nine years apart, she's grown into a confident, competent woman, a decisive leader, and a compassionate woman, dedicated to the people she serves. That said, I had a hard time warming to her because she was reluctant to let John explain himself, unwilling to forgive, and held a grudge. She held all of their past against John and used it as an excuse to push him away. It takes extreme circumstances and a long time for her to finally realise what a waste of energy and effort her unbending stance was.

John, on the other hand, is a neanderthal. He's dominating and protective, and there's nothing he won't do for Carmen. He's utterly dedicated and devoted to her and he will put himself in danger every time to protect her. He has a hard time trusting she can take care of herself because he's so focused on being the one in the line of fire and keeping Carmen safe. I loved his single-minded focus on her well-being but I can also understand Carmen's frustration. It's hard to be independent when your man wants to wrap you in protective cotton wool. Still, I loved that John made an effort to explain himself, make amends, and get beyond their past. It bothered me that with John continuously putting himself in the emotional hot seat to work things out, Carmen kept shutting him out. Granted, they were also dealing with a national crisis at the time, but they had a few quiet moments to themselves too.

I love Ms Rowe's bio-terrorism stories but crikey, they scare the heck out of me. I keep reading them though. I really want the bad guys caught because for goodness' sakes, they are destructive mofos. They do make a fantastic read though so if you haven't read any of her books, I highly recommend them.

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About the author

Julie Rowe

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