Splintered Lies

Detective Rissa Marten lives a life of loneliness.  There is a price on her head, placed there by a vengeful drug cartel for putting their drug lord, her own mother, behind bars. Forced into faking her death, her dreams of having a normal life with Detective Jerah Qassem, the man she secretly loves are dashed.   When she is ordered to investigate him, also working deep undercover in the drug cartel world, Rissa is afraid she’ll reveal her love. When Jerah discovers Rissa’s duplicity in her faked death, his bitterness knows no bounds. One question remains:  can he overcome that bitterness to save the woman he loves? 

"Splintered Lies" is a fast-paced suspenseful romance set in the dangerous world of the drug cartel, but with a twist. The heroine being a law enforcement agent, as well as the daughter of a female drug lord who wants her dead, adds a unique element to this interesting story. There is plenty of action, high sexual tension, and steamy romance; however, it falls short of its potential due to its disjointed flow and too many aliases used by the heroine, which hinder the focus on the storyline. Rissa’s background also needs to be fleshed out to answer the questions of why her mother was a crime boss, and what part Rissa played in putting her behind bars.

The characters are believable in their vulnerabilities as well as their strengths, and the storyline is gripping with lots of danger. Despite the issues, this novel has enough action and romance to keep the reader interested and turning the pages until its conclusion. 

Janna Shay