DESCRIPTION AS ON AMAZON:
Samantha never intended to kill the President. As a doctor, she swore an oath to protect life – not take it. But that was before he ordered the murder of her family.
Swept from the frigid New York City winter, Dr. Samantha Bartlett returns to the Midwest to once again confront the sting of death – and face those she left behind. But she’s not alone. A strange man she dubs “Shades” haunts her every step as she seeks answers to the inferno which claimed her grandmother’s life, an eerie reminder of her parents’ deaths. The secrets Samantha uncovers forever shatter the image of those she only thought she knew.
Confronted by Shades, Samantha joins a secret underworld known only as the Elite, where a web of power and control is woven deep within governments worldwide. Their sights are set on the seat of domination behind the Resolute desk that is the powerhouse of nations – the presidency of the United States of America. Samantha becomes the Elite’s unlikely key to infiltrating the White House at its most intimate levels.
The Hippocratic Oath. All doctors swear by it. But the most despicable deeds must be avenged. The quest for blood swallows Samantha in a veil of darkness and threatens to destroy everything she once stood for.
And from the darkness there is no escape.
MY REVIEW:
I was given a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Teetering on the edge. I feel like I almost liked it, except the parts I couldn't get over. I feel like I'd need to read the next book to decide if I really liked it,(or maybe it would leave me in limbo if there was a third book), but at the end I wasn't saying 'I have to read the next book to find out what happens.'
There is a lot to take in with this story. Historical, political, and even medical conspiracy machinations; those were actually the interesting part. Very cool, I thought, but uncovered rather conveniently by a "rookie" after so many years of investigating and searching by top notch teams with sophisticated equipment that hadn't come up with the answers. Some characters and some of the scenarios were rigged like in a comic book superhero type movie. A lot of action - if unbelievable in many ways. The whole underground world was fascinating.
WARNING- There is an element in the book I had a hard time dealing with, and that is incest. Even though it made no sense, I kept reading diligently thinking it must be a "mistake" or explained by the end of the book, but it wasn't. I can't give much more information without spoilers. There are many graphic scenes detailing the incestuous acts which I couldn't force myself to read. The reader knows the character is committing incest. The character knows they are committing incest, and goes as far as saying they like it. I found it to be too gross, disturbing.
You will probably have ideas about particular characters, and certain things will be wrapped up by the end of the book. However, I was disappointed with no answers about Marcus. Why did he join the elite? He had me conflicted all through the book. The scenes with him and Samantha were weird. I don't know how else to describe them.
I guess this book just went in a totally different direction than I'd expected from reading the first chapter with Samantha in medical residency, fighting for the life of the prostitute against her superior's orders. Although I wanted to find out the truth about Samantha's life, I am not sure I'd read the next book.
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