Book Recommendation - Critical Alliance

Elizabeth Goddard is a new-to-me author of romantic suspense. When this series first came out and I learned that the heroine of the first book was named Terra and the heroine of  the second book was named Erin (my older sister is Tara and I'm Erin), I knew I had to read these. Add in the backdrop of the mountains of Montana (the most beautiful place in the US in my opinion) and that made it even more exciting to me. And I was not disappointed. All 3 novels in the series can stand on their own, but there is shared history of the characters in all 3 books and so reading them all helps to flesh out some of that. I've enjoyed all 3 books, but I think this one may be my favorite. Dealing with a heroine and a villain who are hackers, this one delved into the frightening world of cyber-attacks and cyber-security. 

Here's a bit about the book:

Mackenzie Hanson's special set of skills opened the door to a successful career as a professor of cybersecurity at a Michigan university, allowing her to put her criminal past behind her. But when a long-ago partner in crime delivers a cryptic message about her father's tech company being under cyberattack, she heads for Montana to secure exposed assets, close security breaches, and hopefully save lives.

Diplomatic Security Services special agent Alex Knight is back home in Montana to decompress from a mission gone wrong. But even as he's trying to relax, he's drawn into another mystery, complete with suspicious deaths, lethal threats, and whispers of espionage that all have one thing in common--a beautiful cybersecurity expert with a dark past.

When the situation turns deadly, Alex and Mackenzie will have to work together to find the answers they need--before someone silences Mackenzie for good.

USA Today bestselling author Elizabeth Goddard weaves a tangled web of nail-biting suspense and heart-stopping romance in this fast-paced conclusion to her Rocky Mountain Courage series.

As part of the author's launch team for this one, I was able to get in a Q&A. Here's how that went:

    1.     This book deals with cyber-security as the villain and heroine are hackers. What led you             in that direction? 

 

I have a computer science degree and worked in the software industry for almost a decade before retiring to become a writer. Cybercrime is a huge issue since we are all connected to technology so I decided to dive into the topic, especially since I love to bring intrigue into my adventure stories, this one in Montana. 

 

    2.     What was the most interesting (or most frightening) thing you learned in the research                 you did for this book? 

 

While conferring with a cyber security expert, I learned that almost anything I could imagine a hacker could do—they actually CAN do. 

 

     3.     What was your favorite part of writing this book/series? 

 

I loved writing about both my characters, Mackenzie and Alex. I especially enjoyed writing about Alex's character and his background as a Diplomatic Security Services special agent.  

4.  Did anything in the story end up surprising you or changing trajectory? 

What a great question. This often happens in stories and that’s okay because if it surprises me, then it surprises my readers. If the trajectory changes, then that’s a great twist as well. On Critical Alliance, I’m not sure the trajectory was changed, but since I mostly write by the “seat-of-my-pants” everything was a surprise. 

 

    5.      Do you base your characters (even loosely) on anyone you know? 

 

I do not intentionally base a character on someone I know, but I think it’s impossible not to include bits of every person you’ve ever met when creating a brand-new character. 

 

    6.      Do you have any bits of "trivia" or "behind the scenes" tidbits you'd like to share with         my readers?

 

Yes! I introduce Detective Trevor West in Critical Alliance and he shows up as the main character in book 2 in my Missing in Alaska series—coming next year. 

 

    7.      What's coming next and when can we expect it? 

 

Cold Light of Day is book 1 in my brand-spanking-new series, Missing in Alaska, 

and will release in February 2023. I’m so excited for you to get your hands on this first book. 

Thank you for having me! Readers can stay in the know by signing up for my newsletter at my website: elizabethgoddard.com

 

I'm glad we'll see more of Detective West and looking forward to this next series! This book releases on July 5, 2022 wherever books are sold. For additional information, check out the following links:

Elizabeth Goddard's website: https://elizabethgoddard.com/

Elizabeth Goddard's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethGoddardAuthor

My full 4.5 star review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4804641006