The Last Mile (Blood Ties #2) by Kat Martin (2023)

 

Abigail “Abby” Holland, the granddaughter of legendary treasure hunter King Farrell, has inherited a map from King that he claims will lead to the gold for which he spent the last 10 years of his life searching. When someone breaks into Abby’s house looking for the map, Abby is even more convinced her grandfather was on to something. Abby contracts with another professional treasure hunter, Gage Logan, to help her find the treasure. Their quest leads them into the Superstition Mountains with danger following and then to Mexico where their biggest obstacle is the government and the cartels.

Abby is a beautiful woman who knows what she wants so expect a lot of conflict between Abby and Gage. Gage is your typical tall, dark and handsome male with a phobia about commitment. Mention of the sexual tension between the two characters gets a bit monotonous and distracts from the story.

Kat Martin is one of my go-to authors. Her books have never disappointed and this one does not either, although it is not one of her best. The “Blood Ties” series follows the three Logan brothers but can be read as standalone novels.

4.04 stars on Goodreads, 4.4 on Amazon

The Exchange: After the Firm by John Grisham (Firm #2) (2023)

 

Every time I read a John Grisham novel I am reminded of why I enjoy them so much. They are well written, fast paced, and engaging stories and The Exchange: After the Firm is no exception. The story begins 15 years after The Firm. Mitch and Abby McDeere now live in Manhattan with their where twin sons, Carter and Clarke. Mitch is a partner in the largest law firm in the world and Abby edits cookbooks.

When a mentor in the firm’s Rome office asks Mitch to go to Libya to negotiate the settlement of a lawsuit between a Turkish construction company and Gaddafi’s Libyan government Mitch, who is always looking for the next adventure, says yes. He also agrees to take his mentor’s daughter, an associate in the firm’s London office. When things go very wrong and the mentor’s daughter is kidnapped by terrorists, Mitch finds himself in the middle of the a high-stakes hostage negotiation that endangers everyone around him.

Some of the reviews I’ve read complained about the frequent mention of Mitch’s air travel, meals, etc. but I found the everyday minutia of life an interesting contract to the stress of the main event.

Although The Exchange is considered a sequel to The Firm, having read The Firm is not a prerequisite to enjoying this story.

3.72 stars on Goodreads, 4.0 on Amazon