Liz Wolfe Reviews

Added July 6, 2006

Natural Selection

Author: Liz Wolfe
Publisher: Medallion Press
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: November 2005
Genre: Fiction: Suspense
Format: Paperback
Price: $6.99
ISBN: 1932815228
Author Email/Website: www.lizwolfe.net
Reviewer: Sharyn McGinty
Rating: 8 Gargoyles

It was an offer she couldn't refuse. Paige Blackwell knew competing in the reality show Xtreme Adventure would be challenging, but the money would enable her to buy a share of Parker Security and Investigations completely, without having to make any type of payments. She didn't expect the rules of the game to change completely.

What starts out as just a reality show quickly becomes a nightmare. Their first night on the island, Paige barely escapes a bear and one of their teammates disappears. Tension between Paige and another team member continue to escalate, especially when the airplane pilot crashes through the underbrush and collapses in their camp. His story that there is no reality show and the supposed contestants are nothing more than prey is pretty far-fetched. But can they afford to take the chance he is lying?

On an island with only two ways of escape, hunted, Paige and the others must work together if they are to survive. Survival is paramount, if they intend to discover why they were specifically chosen to compete. Wild animals, earthquakes and injuries...if they can handle these problems, surely they can find out why they were chosen. How do you defeat an enemy who is better equipped, rested, fed and has planned for all contingencies?

When I opened Natural Selection it was with the intent to read one chapter, two at most, before heading to bed. Well, that didn't happen. I'd finished chapter two and couldn't put down the book, I was enthralled. Only when the last page was read did I move from my spot on the couch. Wolfe's writing style is crisp, descriptive and flows well. Her characters are solid and the plot interesting. One could easily see sequels involving Page and her co-workers; they are private detectives, after all.

Enjoyable, suspenseful, Natural Selection is a perfect choice for summer reading.

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Added May 18, 2004

Breeding Evil

Author: Liz Wolfe
Publisher: Medallion Press
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: May 2004
Genre: Suspense
Format: Paperback
Price: $6.99
ISBN: 1-932815-05-8
Author Email/Website: www.lizwolfe.net
Reviewer: Robin Taylor

Shelby Parker, is a former FSA Black Operative - Federal Security Agency. But now she owns her own private investigations firm. After ten years with a very stressful job, she is pleased to do her own thing. However, her former handler, Ethan Calder, approaches her and asks her to do a black op, well a grey one... and it is very confidential. The case Ethan is trying to get Shelby to take is already being investigated by the FBI, but he has a personal interest in this, so he all but begs for Shelby's help.

To be totally honest, Shelby's new agency is barely operating in the black, and the advance that Ethan offers her has more zeroes than she can believe. But, money isn't the only instigator; there are innocent victims at stake. National security is very important to Shelby, but finding out there's a little boy being held against his will, and that his mother may've been killed, goes a long way in helping Shelby to make her decision.

Shelby must infiltrate The Center for Bio-Psychological Research where the child and, hopefully, the woman, are being held. She masquerades as a computer programmer. After she successfully plants a computer virus on The Center's network, she's in, but not before being subjected to a lie-detector test by Dr. Mac McCrae. Shelby's research reveals that the sexy Australian has a background that doesn't match up with his profile.

Breeding Evil will take readers on a ride of exciting proportions while Shelby reluctantly accepts Mac's help to get the woman and child away from the sick minds who intend on breeding meta-humans, ones who will be raised in labs and conditioned by the government and other ruthless owners. Though Breeding Evil is short on romance and long on suspense, the balance works exceptionally well in a story that has corruption on many levels, including an apparent mole in the FSA.

First-time author Liz Wolfe writes with a dry wit, and does a fantastic job with Shelby's character. Shelby consistently reminds everyone that she always works alone, but it is quite humorous how her pride must take a back seat as lives are in danger. Shelby's reactions and comments made me laugh out loud more than once. The light romance between her and Mac was a terrific addition to a story that could easily be classified as a thriller. The action never stops in this captivating story by Wolfe. Though this book is several hundred pages, I advise you to block out several hours, uninterrupted ones if possible, as you won't be able to put this book down!

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