Trigger

The plot was ingenious and hooked me right away. I connected with the main characters and was rooting for them. There were lots of ups and downs, I stayed up late to finish this book the same day I started it. I highly recommended this book and author.

What's more impressive than a lesfic author who can pen a well-written mystery-thriller?... well, one that can competently weave in a romance to boot. Unfortunately, that's not the case here. Heck, there didn't even need to be a romance here. With the good writing and research found here, I would have been satisfied with a strong F/F friendship with lesbian undertones... albeit one with depth and chemistry and two vivid personalities. Nope.Set in Canada/Seattle, we meet Dr. Kate Morrison (5'6" redhead), a 32 yr old Chief Resident of Vancouver East Emergency Room who gets embroiled in what might be a terrorist plot when a "human bomb" stumbles into her ER. Upon discovering that Kate is able to handle said bomb without setting him off (skin-to-skin contact normally does the trick)... Kate is instantly recruited into the investigation by athletic (6-foot!) and blond hottie, Sergeant Andrea "Andy" Wyles, an 11 yr veteran on the police force who's been on the case for 3 months now.We follow them on a fast-paced mission via Kate's point of view as they try to solve the mystery of how such weaponry could be implanted and who might be behind it. The medical stuff feels very realistic, I believed the bomb drama, and the author is skilled in plot development (engaging and suspenseful!). Relationships and characterization... not so much. Leads and one-dimensional villains left much to be desired.This story is about 95% action/thriller/medical mystery and maybe 3-5% romance. And by romance I mean a checklist of subtle looks and observations throughout the story followed by sudden and unearned declarations of love (what?!), and later, graphic sex in the same way. Waaaaay too much "relationship" dumped in on us that did not feel organic or real. Especially at the end.Why bother shelving this as a romance at all, is all I'm thinking. Perhaps this is best appreciated by fans of the action/thriller genre who don't want any real romantic interference (all the more reason this story should have been buddy leads- or a romance reserved for the sequel). Yet I still wouldn't recommend it as a 5-star thriller just because there is some good writing from an author who knows how to build some degree of suspense.Eventually, my engagement subsided and all the action and plot in general seemed to move on mechanically and just felt lacking for a depth of human relationships. Leads aside... suffering humans are all about, but I didn't care about any of them. Their presence was superficial and dripping with an emotional appeal found in B movies. In part, I believe this was my experience due to the point of view it's written in because we're stuck in Kate's head and her limited perspective. This also made Andy a very flat character for me... even though I felt she was potentially the hottest and most interesting. We can't tell what she feels or if she even likes the doc all that much. Limited point of view requires more writing skill than this author had to offer.Kate also has a reckless and self-destructive side that wasn't played out to its full dramatic or psychological potential. Moreover, I got the initial impression Kate was actually straight yet can't recall her reflecting on that or feeling a sudden attraction to a woman being weird at all. Too much about their connection was flat out ignored or undeveloped. Overall, the romance and villains both felt plopped in like an afterthought.Despite my criticisms, I get this is a debut novel and the good writing found here makes me curiously hopeful that the sequel(s) will be much better. With a better arrangement/development of the relationship, I actually think this has the makings of a pretty cool movie.

Absolutely brilliant!Jessica Webb has successfully created a mysterious plot and such dynamic characters, that it had this reader begging for more! When I first read the books synopsis I was honestly skeptical. Human bombs that are detonated by touch? Seemed a little far fetched to me. However, after reading the book and some minor research of my own, the story was more realistic than I first realized. I believe that was the selling point in what made this book so great; the author did not simply create this plot and slap it onto paper, there was ample amount of research, (both medical and scientific) done on the topic and it shows!Along with the in depth plot, Webb's character creation is also something to admire. Each character that was introduced had a distinct quality that separated each one into their own person. The character's intentions throughout the book were clearly distinguishable and allowed the reader an inside look into each mindset. The two main characters, unlikely partners at first, meshed together beautifully. The relationship grew naturally and did not seemed forced and, on a high note, did not take center stage of the book, (which I enjoyed!). Webb was able to create a relationship without dimming the light on the main plot/case.This book was new and fresh! Webb has earned herself a fan in me. I am looking forward to continuing this trilogy.

Let me start by saying that I am not going to tell what the story is about. This is impossible for me. You have to read the book yourself. I can assure you that it's more than worth it. This book is filled with bursts of adrenaline and excitement. Full of terrifying situations, determination, survival and non-stop action. A great cast of characters and I was drawn to them early on. They are vivid, strong, clever and they make this book come to life. Andy is my favorite. She is a kickass heroine. Also the romance is not forgotten but plays a smaller role. The attraction is palpable and always present in the background. For the romance lovers, the end is not disappointing. The whole storyline is incredible and it's skillfully written. I loved the mix of action and science. It will have you turning pages, it's a hard to put down thriller. It was the most exciting, shocking read in a long time. Got it and you won't be sorry.

Although I read this book within 24 hours of purchase, I found it somewhat lacking.***SPOILER ALERT***85% of the book had to do with the police work, while the last 15% or so dealt with the romance. It was either / or. There was very little suggestion that Andy returned any of Kate's feelings yet in just a few lines, it is explained to the reader that she did indeed. I believe there needed to me more of a romance hinted during the length of the book as opposed to having everything left at the end.The book, however, was very well written, with very few, if any, grammatical errors (something which seems to be rampant in lesbian romance literature). The concept was an interesting one, and it makes you think whether something like this - human weapons - could actually be medically possible. I guess it would be the next "logical step" (if it could be called such) to suicide bombers. A scary thought indeed!

Então...Meu review...*suspira* Gosh, eu nem mesmo sei como expressar minha decepção.Quando eu primeiro li a sinopse do livro eu fiquei muito excitada pela perspectiva que a narrativa tinha. Então eu olhei alguns reviews e vi que ele tinha uma boa nota e pensei: oh, essa vai ser uma boa viagem.Bem...Vamos apenas dizer que a decepção foi grande, pois eu minha cabeça eu tinha colocado este livro em uma alta lista.Nos primeiros capítulos eu fiquei um pouco: Isso está andando rápido de mais...Mas, eu decidi parar de ser tão critica e deixar minha mente aberta para os futuros capítulos.No meio do livro eu já estava lendo forçada, apenas porque tinha começado. E ainda assim, mesmo lendo como se o livro fosse um fardo eu mantive a esperança que em algum ponto a narrativa pudesse melhorar.Não me entenda mal, a narrativa é ok. A escrita da autora também, mas...Essa é uma história que pelo que o enredo prometeu, suspense e mistério, eu não encontrei nada disto.As cenas de ação foram corridas, nunca aprofundando na situação, de modo que eu não senti nada enquanto lendo por elas.Adicione então o rápido romance entre as personagens principais. Ok, eu entendo que o livro tem poucas páginas, mas...A personagem principal já estava apaixonada por uma mulher que ela mal conhecia.E por último...Quando eu cheguei ao final, em que finalmente existiu uma cena que prometia um grande desfecho, uma grande situação de tensão e suspense...Bem...Tudo se resolve em apenas duas linhas. Eu literalmente baixei o livro e sentei na cama totalmente chocada.Que momento perdido!A partir de então, se eu já estava lendo apenas porque quando eu leio eu preciso terminar algo, eu simplesmente desisti de vez.Eu li apressadamente as poucas páginas que faltavam (10 páginas, talvez) e fechei o livro.Eu apenas estou muito desapontada de ter visto um enredo tão promissor acabar gasto desta maneira.Eu não consigo me fazer dar mais do que uma estrela.

This book is the first of three that follow Dr Kate Morrison and Sgt Andy Wyles as they meet then work against the clock to solve the mystery and foil the terrorist plot was riveting. It was intelligent, well written and edited. I think that this is foremost a thriller with an underlying romance story arc that slowly simmers as the two protagonists come to terms with their attraction in the midst of all the chaos.I have the hindsight after reading book 2 to consider the romance story arc to be much like the first part of a standalone romance and the honeymoon and conflict are still to come. More about this in my review of book 2 The Pathogen.I loved this book and the fact that it is mainly set in Canada was totally a bonus. Always fun to recognize the culture, habits and geography of your home. I highly recommend it.

An exciting and imaginative page turner! I highly recommend this book and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

The story had the spirit of Kathy Reichs novel but without all the jargon and so much more well rounded and developed. The characters were complex and relateable and gave weight to an already fascinating plot. I was honestly pleasantly surprised when I picked this up randomly and will continue to keep buying books as long as she writes them.

I wouldn't normally spend £9.56 on an ebook, especially by an author I had not read before. However, I saw one of my friends had given a different book by the same author a good review. I think it was a later one in this series. So I thought I would read the preview of the first book (this one) and see if it sounded interesting. It did, I was intrigued, so after a few minutes of arguing with myself over the price, I thought YOLO and bought it. I then spent five hours reading it.I found it fast paced and generally well written. I did spot a couple of hiccups like repeated words. I had a grumble about bed sores being caused by sheets not being changed rather than pressure due to immobility, but that's probably because I do admin and develop online training for a care company. It's not something everyone would notice.I enjoyed the author's style and expression, particularly engaging all senses. There was the obligatory 'save the cat' moment towards the beginning to get the reader and Kate to like the rather stern Andy a little better. I felt the relationship between Andy and Kate developed nicely and was well written with just the right amount of angst not to overdo it. There was just a bit of cliche towards the end with the 'are you sure?' and sensations exploding, but to be honest, these days it is nigh on impossible to avoid it, perhaps it is even required.Overall, I thought this was a well written, well structured three act plot that crossed all the Ts and dotted all the Is. I would recommend this to others and will most likely continue with the series, although perhaps out of next week's budget, lol.