Fighting organized crime and a little romance
Going Under is a sequel to Talented Amateur, the debut novel by this author. Although the book can stand on its own, I would have liked to read #1 first.
Going Under is a mix of romance and crime and is divided into two parts. The first part is a bit lengthy, introducing the newly formed Latin American Security Agency LASA and its agents. Among them are Maeve and Patricia, both specialists, one in accounting and the other in the pharmaceutical industry. Although it is interesting to get to know this organization, this part could have been a bit shorter. During their collaboration, Maeve and Patricia become closer and have a no-strings affair. The funny thing is, why does the breakup hurt so much then?
The second part begins six years later. LASA has already achieved quite a bit and broken up one or two drug cartels. But now things get really nasty. Child trafficking is one of the worst crimes against humanity. An absolute NO-GO. By a dramatic coincidence, Maeve and Patricia are drawn into this case and have to rely on the help of LASA and their agent Anna (Patricia’s former recruit), and her friend Peel. Together they try to prevent Child trafficking but it’s not easy when their own lives are on a knife’s edge as a result of these investigations. This topic may be a trigger for some readers, although it is mainly “just” talked about and not explicitly acted upon.
This part is full of action and suspense and I liked it better than the first part. Even though in my opinion, it was not quite realistic in parts, it is thrilling to see how the women face danger.
I liked all the main characters, and I really liked Anna and Peel as a couple. But what wasn’t really all that compelling is the romance between Patricia and Maeve. They got a second chance at their love, but I couldn’t really feel the attraction, the chemistry between them and although I don’t begrudge them their happy ending, the romance was lost in the suspense of stopping organized crime, the romance was kind of secondary.
Thanks to Bella Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC for an honest review
