Code of Valor by Lynette Eason

I have mixed feelings about this novel. The plot is very complex. Emily is a crimes investigator with a bank. She suspects nefarious acts and tells her friend, a newspaper reporter. The reporter goes missing and Emily survives a kidnapping and murder attempt, thanks to Brady St. John. The complex plot is off and running.

Emily supposedly has some information the bad guys want. She doesn't know what it is and when she does become aware of it she does not know its significance. Readers are kept in the dark about the villain, his identity deliberately obscured so we wonder if we would know who he is if his name was used. Then the plot gets even more complex when someone trying to kill Emily is himself killed. So there are two groups of people after her, one wanting her dead while the other wants her alive?

One aspect of a novel I cannot tolerate is suspense caused by the stupidity of a main character. It happens here. Emily leaves secured protection, even after there had been several attempts on her life, even when she promised Brady she would stay there. It was no surprise to me that she was soon in danger. I like it when an author figures out a clever way to build suspense, not at the expense of the stupidity of the main character. Emily had seemed resilient to me and that she would make such a stupid move, especially after being rescued from near death several times, just irritated me.

I was also disappointed that Brady became very open and expressive about his growing affection for Emily. Granted, he is technically on vacation, but he has been protecting her in an official capacity. That he would be so emotionally involved with a woman he is protecting did not seem very professional at all.

Readers who like a romantic suspense novel with a very complex plot and don't mind the issues I mentioned above will like this novel.

You can download an excerpt here.

My rating: 3/5 stars.

Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of the Women of Justice series, the Deadly Reunion series, and the Hidden Identity series and the Elite Guardian series. She is the winner of two ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Readers' Choice Award. She has a master's degree in education from Converse College and lives in South Carolina. You can find out more at www.lynetteeason.com. Photo © Mary Denman

Revell, 336 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.