New York Times bestselling author Carla Cassidy delivers nonstop suspense and magnetic romance in the first book of Tactical Crime Division, featuring the best of the best in crime solving.The Tactical Crime Division—TCD—is a specialized unit of the FBI. They handle the toughest cases in the most remote locations.When TCD learns of a school invasion turned lockdown, every agent is ready to … school invasion turned lockdown, every agent is ready to engage. With children in jeopardy, the stakes couldn’t be higher. But it becomes personal for hostage negotiator agent Evan Duran when he learns Annalise Taylor is one of the captives holed up with the students in a school for the gifted. He’ll need every resource available at TCD and every ounce of his expertise to turn this disastrous situation into a rescue mission—and if he succeeds, maybe reunite with the woman he never stopped loving.
From Harlequin Intrigue: Seek Thrills. Solve Crimes. Justice Served.
Discover the lives and loves of the remaining team members in the Tactical Crime Division series:
Book 1: 48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy
Book 2: Secret Investigation by Elizabeth Heiter
Book 3: Midnight Abduction by Nichole Severn
Book 4: Running out of Time by Cindi Myers
more
48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy has Evan Duran, a hostage negotiator, heading to Pearson, North Carolina to rescue children and adults who were taken hostage at Sandhurst School for the Gifted and Talented. The case is personal for Evan because his ex-girlfriend, Annalise Taylor is one of the teacher’s being held hostage. Evan and Annalise broke up three yeas ago, but he still loves her. Evan will need to utilize all the resources of the Tactical Crime Division is he is to rescue the hostages from people with extreme agenda. 48 Hour Lockdown is the debut of the Tactical Crime Division series. I enjoyed meeting Evan Duran and the other individuals in the Tactical Crime Division. I thought the story was well-written and it moved along swiftly thanks to the action. Evan and Annalise still care for each other. Evan’s feelings are obvious from the moment he learns Annalise is being held hostage. I like that the romance was clean (no intimate scenes) and I like how it progressed. The tension was thick as Evan negotiated with the hostage takers who kept shooting out the windows and threatening the hostages. I enjoyed the suspense that kept me swiftly turning the pages. There is a mystery as well which was fun to solve. It was interesting to see how the police handle a hostage situation. I am looking forward to reading Silent Investigation. 48 Hour Lockdown is a riveting romantic suspense with tense situations, a touching romance, complex characters, and cruel kidnappers.
48 HOUR LOCKDOWN (Tactical Crime Division Book #1) by Carla Cassidy is the start of a new Harlequin Intrigue four book, multi author series featuring members of the FBIs Tactical Crime Division. This is a highly specialized unit of the FBI formed to handle the toughest cases at a moment’s notice anywhere in the country.
Annalise Taylor is a computer teacher at the Sandhurst School for gifted, underprivileged students. When she is with three of her most gifted young students, they are taken hostage. They are being held by an unknown armed group in their schoolroom.
Evan Duran is the best hostage negotiator in the FBI and a member of the Tactical Crime Division. When he hears of the lockdown, he is ready to go. With children in danger, he knows the stakes are high and when he learns that their teacher is Annalise, it has become personal.
This is a fast-paced romantic suspense with the introduction of the Tactical Crime Division, a second chance romance and suspense plot all intertwined well throughout the story. Annalise and Evan worked well together. The romance is what I call a cozy romance because there are no sex scenes, but the romance did progress realistically. The suspense plot through the hostage situation kept me glued to the page, but when the reason for the hostage taking was revealed, the remainder of the plot for me was not realistic. If you can suspend some belief in some of the plot in the second half of the book, you still have a fast, exciting read and are happy with the solution of the crime and the HEA.
I am looking forward to reading more about the other members of the team in future books.
RATING: 3.5 out of 5 rounded up to 4
48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy
Tactical Crime Division #1
Sandhurst School for Gifted and Talented is a place underprivileged highly intelligent young people are gifted with scholarships. Analise Taylor is a teacher at the school when it is invaded and soon surrounded by police. She is with three students in one classroom unsure who else is also in the school. Her job will be to keep her students safe while also trying to find a way out of the situation.
Evan Duran is a hostage negotiator for the Tactical Crime Division and when he hears Analise’s name he is ready to go immediately. Sure, he has a need to save the children but he also has history with Analise. He thought she was his forever woman until…she wasn’t.
Will the team be able to save the students? Will they break the bad guys and resolve the situation and if so, will they do it without bloodshed? Also, will Analise and Evan have a second chance and this time get it right? Perhaps 😉
What I liked:
* Analise: strong, intelligent, caring woman who did what it took to keep her students safe. She also was willing to go out on a limb to state her feelings.
* Evan: strong, intelligent, dedicated law enforcement person eager to make the right decision in negotiating the safety of those being held hostage. He is willing to, eventually, address some of his emotions and reach out for a possible HEA
* The TCD Team: want to get to know them better
* Sadie: One tough little girl
* The resolution and getting the bad guys in custody.
What I didn’t like:
* The bad guys, of course…
* That Evan and Analise wasted time apart that they could have been together
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I like to read more in this series? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4-5 Stars
Evan Duran’s worst nightmare has come to life. His former love has been taken hostage, and he may be the only thing between her and certain death. Annalise Taylor knows the lives of her and her students rely on the one and only person she knows can save them – the man whose heart she left behind years ago. This is an exciting, suspenseful tale that will have you on the edge of your seat. The characters and storyline are well developed and very appealing. It’s a 2nd chance romantic suspense with a few twists that will keep you engaged from start to finish. I recommend this as an extremely captivating and entertaining story you’ll find hard to put down.
This fast-paced suspense was tense right to the end. Armed gunmen took over a school, killing some staff. Attempting to keep her students quiet and calm through the ordeal, computer teacher, Annalise Taylor, was terrified but tried to hide it from them. FBI Hostage Negotiator, Evan Duran, attempted to talk to the gunmen but didn’t have any luck getting them to communicate with him. He could not negotiate with them if he didn’t know what they wanted and they were not talking. It didn’t help that his ex-girlfriend was one of the hostages. Evan’s feelings for Annalise made him even more determined to get the hostages out safely. The tension for everyone (even the bad guys) was high. I felt sorry for the teacher who did everything she could to keep the children’s spirits up. That she found a way to communicate with the negotiator was impressive. I must say, the reason the hostages were taken was not what I expected.
I enjoyed this suspenseful second-chance romance. It was fast-paced with unexpected twists. The romance was secondary to the suspense but added a sweetness to the story.
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 rounded up
It dragged at times.
You will not put this book down. Great book. Highly recommend.
One of my favorite authors, always delivers.
Loved the suspense, strong characters, clean romance. All ended well with brave children and main female character.
This one didn’t do it for me. It was okay, but it wasn’t as good as some of the other books in the series. I didn’t care if the main characters got together at all because they were equally unexciting. The intrigue itself was mostly plausible, if not predictable, but it didn’t suck me in like some of them do. A solid 3star read if you like FBI miniseries.
Exciting and intense moments of suspense during the hostage negotiation that brings face to face old lovers while battling against a cult of culprits.
Carla Cassidy knows how to bring the readers to the edge and hold them there throughout the story. I have always enjoyed the way she tells her riveting tales. There’s danger, there’s passion, there is growth, there’re twists and unexpected developments, thrilling, entertaining stories I love to read.
I was super excited about the 48 Hour Lockdown since I haven’t had a chance to read Carla Cassidy’s books for a little awhile. When I realized it was part of a new multi-author series, I went to investigate a bit more since serial novels are not for me but this one has a new hero and heroine in each installment and conclusion to the story in each book – so not a problem for me.
The Intrigue books from Harlequin are shorter in length and have the suspense on the front thus the romance gets a little less spotlight and chance to develop. It was fantastic that Evan Duran and Annalise Taylor knew each other from before, the history they had didn’t end well, but the reasons for that were revealed and worked on. Evan’s past demons were something he learned to recognize and knowledged to work on them. Annalise’s as well had grown and matured over the time apart.
While I understand that the authors need to create the feel for the continuing series the focus and time spent on the other team members felt – for me personally – unnecessarily long. I wish that time and space could have been given to show the chemistry between Evan and Annalise, (too) much was left to the reader’s imagination when it came to the connection, bond, and zizzle between them.
~ Four Spoons
Exciting from start to finish! With the kick-off of the Tactical Crime Division series, Carla Cassidy brings the intrigue in 48 HOUR LOCKDOWN. The story line is fast paced and filled with tension and the characters are easy to get invested in. The romance is light, but the danger and intrigue is full throttle.
Evan Duran is accomplished and dedicated with a back story few know about. The life he has lived makes him an interesting lead in this investigation.
Annalise Taylor is dedicated to her students and has no clue that danger is going to come knocking on what should have been an average day. She’s concerned about her students, but when she hears Evan’s voice she has no doubt he will get them out.
I highly recommend this book if you enjoy a high intensity read that centers around a particular spot of danger and it’s victims. The scene was set well and the intrigue was top notch.
“48 Hour Lockdown” by Carla Cassidy is book 1 of Harlequin Intrigue’s 4 book series, Tactical Crime Division.
Hostage negotiator Evan Duran is sent to North Carolina when teachers and students are being held inside a school. When he learns of his personal connection to one of the teachers, he vows to make sure no harm comes to those inside.
Teacher Annalise Taylor has to do what she can to protect her students and when she hears Evan’s voice, she knows he will save them. Even though three years ago she left him, opting to start a new life elsewhere. He’d treated their relationship the same way he controlled a crime scene, but she hadn’t known about the tragedy Evan faced as a child that had left him feeling helpless.
Now, the two work together when the hostage situation turns into a rescue operation, all while memories of their love for each come to the surface.
Filled with all the tension you’d imagine a hostage situation to be, Ms. Cassidy crafts a thrilling, and suspenseful, mystery.
You’ll definitely want to know more about this elite team called the Tactical Crime Division.
This was a good second chance romance combined with an intense suspense story. Annalise is a teacher at a school for gifted, underprivileged children. As the story opens, she and three students are doing some afterschool computer work. Their activities are interrupted when the school is invaded by a cult leader and several of his followers. It develops into a hostage situation when the rapid police response traps them in the school.
Evan is a hostage negotiator with the Tactical Crime Division. He is very good at what he does, and is ready to go when he hears about the lockdown. When he learns that children are involved, he knows that the stakes are high. But when he learns that Annalise is one of the hostages, the situation becomes personal.
Evan and Annalise have a history together. They were a couple for two years, then three years ago Annalise left Evan, breaking his heart. He thought their love was strong, and had no idea why she left. Though Evan thinks he is over her, it is obvious from the start that he still cares. When Annalise hears his voice, it gives her hope that the situation will be resolved successfully. As the story progresses through the lockdown and the kidnapping that follows it, the time that Evan and Annalise spend together stirs up the old emotions. A little bit older and wiser, both of them take the time to talk about what went wrong before. When Annalise learns about Evan’s tragic past, it gives her insight into the issues that caused their breakup. She also has the confidence to push back against Evan when she needs to. Evan is warier. He’s not sure that he wants to give his heart to her again and risk having it broken again. I loved his “aha” moment as he realized where he had gone wrong and how it opened his heart to trying again.
The suspense of the story was intense from beginning to end. The cult leader, Jacob, was one scary man. His actions during the lockdown kept the tension high from the moment it started. His refusal to talk to Evan made Evan’s job even harder. I was very impressed with Annalise’s ability to stay calm and her cleverness in finding a way to use her cellphone to contact Evan. The longer the lockdown went on, the harder it was to see a successful resolution. I loved the courage of the little girl, Sadie, especially when she interacted with Jacob. The rescue operation was a nail-biter and didn’t go as well as they planned, when Jacob and his wife escaped and took Sadie with them. I loved the teamwork of the TCD, and how Annalise was a big part of that team. It was fascinating to follow the thoughts and procedures that went into Sadie’s rescue. There were several twists, including the realization that there was someone on the inside working against the good guys. The final confrontation with Jacob was intense and led to the unmasking of the insider.
I’m getting the FTC disclaimer out of the way right now. Because ADHD reigns supreme. I received a review copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. A free book does not sway me in my judgment and I hope my readers know that about me by now.
I read 48 Hour Lockdown in less than a day, even though my mind wandered everywhere while I was reading it. I was pleased to find out that romance took a backseat the suspense in this story. Raise your hand if you’ve screamed at a romance where the couple is being hunted down by evil-doers in a jungle or they’re, like, five minutes from certain death at the bad guy’s hands, and they decide that that is the best time to have sexy times. Honestly, how do y’all straight people survive anything? Annalise and Evan table addressing their attraction and all that that entails for when everything is said and done. Yes, there are some moments but nothing major or excessive that detracts from the case at hand. Very task-oriented of them.
I liked the inclusion of a cult in the storyline. I have a thing for cults, they’re very entertaining to me. So getting to giggle at the craziness that always ensues when there’s a cult involved was a plus for me. I’m not saying that cults are good or funny, I just know that if I weren’t so jaded about the world because of childhood trauma, I’d have wound up in a cult myself because oof, was I a naive sheep. But y’all. There are some warped cult members and the prerequisite shifty cult leaders in this story. Cults and hostage situations with cops are just nerve-wracking. I was on the edge of my seat with the story, wondering exactly how much of a disaster would it turn into for Annalise and Evan having to deal with cult crazies.
Another thing I liked about 48 Hour Lockdown was the coverage of the possible aftereffects of hostage situations and kidnappings and shootings that Annalise and her students were exposed to in the story. Annalise worries for her students mental health as well as their physical health. She specifically mentions the possibility of developing PTSD from the events in the book. As someone with non-combat Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, seeing an author shedding light on mental health and working to destigmatise non-combat PTSD, I cried a little. There’s a lot of work to be done of making people realise that PTSD can come from all sorts of situations in life’s journey and I appreciate the author’s contribution.
Part of the fun of reading intrigues, mysteries, and thrillers is seeing if you can solve the crime(s) before the protagonist(s). I’m happy to say that I was reasonably stumped by the twists thrown at us by Ms Cassidy in 48 Hour Lockdown. Some instances were obvious to me (I won’t name any but you’ll know them when you see them) but then I got whacked upside the head with a few. Hooray for surprising me! But I was a bit perturbed that the story didn’t end with the miraculous recovery of Evan’s long-lost sister returning to his life for a true happily ever after ending. I’m hoping it’s addressed in a later story because I need a happy ending on that! I was also dismayed about the level of suspense in the story, after the hostage situation, events were kind of anticlimactic in comparison.
As usual, please practise care in your reading. If any of these issues are problematic for you, please don’t hesitate to message me for any clarification of degree of severity or whatever. Because mental health is just as important as physical health. • This story contains scenes of gun violence on page, hostage situations, assault, child abuse, child abduction, and cults and the extremist followers that go with that.
Overall, I’m going to give 48 Hour Lockdown by Carla Cassidy a solid 3 stars and 1 little flame for heat. I loved the mental health awareness the author presented I have no choice but to give accolades for it and the level of suspense was pretty good, but I was left wanting more substance to the story.
This has been a review from Once Upon a Time, I Read a Book. If you liked this review, I hope you’ll tag along on the crazy ride of randomness I’ve created.
(2.5 Stars)
48 Hour Lockdown started so strong! It was a heart-pumping, nail-biting hostage situation right from the start and I was excited to see how the author was going to bring this second chance together. I loved Annalise! She was a strong, capable individual doing her best to keep her students safe. Unfortunately, I didn’t like Evan as much and I almost wish we had more time to get to know him outside of his role as a hostage negotiator. It was great to see him in his element though.
The nature of the story severely limits the author’s ability to make the rekindling of this second chance romance believable. As it stands, it feels more like the adrenaline and rescue impacting Evan and Annalise. In fact, even the characters themselves question that at one point. The main concern that prompted Annalise’s departure was Evan’s over management/ controlling of the relationship and not being emotionally involved. In essence, he wasn’t speaking her love language. I get it, buddy, it’s tough. I had to seriously stress my ability to suspend belief because I seriously doubt Evan would truly be allowed to negotiate when his ex-something was a hostage. This won’t bother everyone though!
Overall, it was enjoyable but the pacing was far too fast with limited time for that relationship to truly be kindled in a crisis and still last. So maybe a HFN? I would still give Cassidy’s work another chance in the future. Since the rest of this series is written with other authors, I will get around to the rest of the team too. I’m just a bit bummed that I enjoyed the suspense and mystery more than the romance.
**I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
48 Hour Lockdown is an edge of seat romantic suspense that kicks off the Tactical Crime Division series in style. I love a good second chance romance and Evan and Annalise’s second chance starts off under high tension circumstances, and Carla Cassidy builds on that tension steadily as the story progresses. We get a double whammy on the suspense side of this one. On the one hand, there are the bad guys we can see, and on the other, there’s the bad guy working behind the scenes who remains a mystery until the end. Now, I did eventually guess the identity of the mystery man or woman, but the author didn’t make it too easy. Then we have the romance, and I’ll admit that I was a little worried about how this one would work under the circumstances, but it’s very well done, and I love that time is taken for these two to take a look at what happened the first time around. All in all, this first TCD book is a fast-paced, entertaining read with characters you genuinely want to root for. It’s full of tense, sit up a pay attention moments as well as a plenty of feels romance. Carla Cassidy has set the bar high for the rest of this series, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
4.5 stars.
Oh I love this suspense romance book, I’m new to this author, but now I’m a fan.
A hostage situation in a school, where children in jeopardy always got my heart racing, I’m so scared for the children and wondering how this ugly situation will end and will everyone will survive, although the reason behind the hostage is unbelieveable for me, but the suspense and thrill made up for it. There’s also second chance romance that makes everything sweeter, I root for Annalise and Evan from the beginning.
This one is a perfect fast-paced suspense romance read with a perfect amount of suspense and sweetness and definitely a MUST-READ for easy-to-read suspense lovers.
This is a first book from Tactical Crime Division series and it’s start with a great suspense, I knew this would be an awesome series, super exicited for the rest of the books.
Great book