Some games weren’t meant to be played.The lights are bright in New York City, but after losing her husband three years ago, all Evie Diaz can see is her mission to keep life rock-steady for her young daughter – including holding on to their little Queens apartment, the beloved nanny, and her night manager position at a luxury Manhattan hotel. It isn’t easy, and stroke after stroke of bad luck … luck threatens to undo it all. Her one reprieve from reality is liaising with a high-stakes poker game held at the hotel, where she hobnobs with movie stars and millionaires and can, for just a few minutes, escape. It doesn’t hurt that player Kieran Carr, a handsome, confident art dealer, seems to like flirting with Evie as much as he likes playing poker.
But that all ends when trouble erupts at the game, evidence points to Evie as the culprit, and the betrayed host goes after her with a vengeance. Warned by Carr just in time, Evie runs, aided by the quietly protective hotel driver who secretly also harbors feelings for her. With the host on their heels threatening everyone Evie loves, they scramble to unravel the plot and clear Evie’s name before she pays the ultimate price for a game she never intended to play.
The first book in The Criminal Collection – a series of stand-alone suspense novels.
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Evie helps to run a high stakes poker game for Jamison. Kieran is one of the players in the poker game, who flirts with Evie. Evie lost her husband and has not dated since his death, but feels an attraction to Kieran. Something happens at one of the games and Evie gets in the middle. Evie go into hiding when someone attacks her, but a hotel driver, Rune rescues her. Evie does not know who to trust. Murder, kidnapping, and a very valuable piece of property goes missing. This is a page turner and thriller that will keep you reading.
A Criminal Game by D.L. Wood was my first suspense novel by this author and I really enjoyed it in audible form. It follows Evie who works at a hotel as the night manager. She works there to support her 5yr. old Gabriella and to pay for their nanny, Eleanor, who is necessary due to Evie’s husband, Mark, died three years prior in a car accident. The hotel holds a weekly high stakes poker game on their top floor and Evie helps out to make extra tips. The game brings some interesting characters and questionable characters. After one of the games something has been stolen and Evie becomes the head suspect. As she flees, with the help of another hotel employee, she needs to figure out who the main players are, why they are after her and must save her own life as well as her daughter and Nanny’s. A fun action-packed story full of interesting characters who keep you guessing. I recommend this novel.
Loved it !
I just finished this book and I loved it! This is my first D.L. Wood book but it won’t be my last. She got my attention right away and kept it until “The End”.
The setting was perfect for the story. Where else but New York City could all these things happen! The characters are very believable.
Some you want to hug. Others you want to give them a one – two punch!
I couldn’t put it down. I know you will enjoy
A Criminal Game as much as I did.
I’m starting another one of D. L. Wood’s books right now. I can’t wait!
I love a good mystery story & this one fits that category. It is long but needs everything that is in it. I could not figure out what was going to happen which makes the book that much better. I look forward to reading more books
A Criminal Game, the latest suspense novel by D.L. Wood, is intriguing and hard to put down. I just lived vicariously through Evie for a thrilling 12 hours in NYC! A must read!
On the train riding back to where her daughter and her lived. She works the night shift at a luxury hotel , liaising with a high stake poker games. A nightmare began from one that went wrong, the host wants revenge and is after her, is she the culprit. The game is on, to save her who will help. A fast action pace, good character in Evie. Will look forward to more stories in this series. Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.
This book gripped me from the first chapter and I stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish it. I immediately liked Evie and wanted the best for her, but it just kept getting worse and worse. She was gritty and never gave up even when it looked as though all was lost. Besides, you have to like a woman who wears sneakers to work to save her only pair of Jimmy Choo heels that she wears because of the high-end hotel where she works.
Most of the book happens in a twenty-four hour period so it moved very fast with twists and turns I never saw coming. But it wasn’t so fast-paced that I lost sight of the budding romance between Evie and the hero. This is a book I think everyone will like!
Well-written and interesting. It was a good book, but I didn’t love it. I can’t pinpoint why, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
It was a good read and fast-paced.
This is an enjoyable, involving and exciting read, I really liked the central character, Evie, who was a very strong, caring, believable character.
The plot, which starts off at a regular poker game at the hotel where Evie is the night manager, is clever and fast moving, and I liked that virtually the whole story takes place within a day.
The descriptions of the locations the adventure takes place over are really evocative, so that I felt as though I was right there along with the characters.
The relationship between Evie and Rune is extremely well written, and I really liked the way that Rune develops and grows in confidence through the book as he gets over his nervousness.
This isn’t a ‘blood and guts’ thriller, although there is violence and even death, but it is definitely a real thriller with a great plot and very exciting. I can wholeheartedly recommend it.
I did receive an advance copy of the book, but have voluntarily written this review.
This is a fast-paced story that keeps you wondering what is going to happen next. It draws you in and keeps you engaged. Evie is a great character for this story, I couldn’t imagine it with anyone else, Wood did an amazing job creating her for this story.
This is an intriguing read, 5 Stars!
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
“Well, that’s the thing about con artists. We lie.”
“I can’t believe this is how it ends.”
DL Wood has once again delivered a well-written, action packed Christian thrill ride! If you have never read any of her books, do so immediately. You will not be disappointed. As a huge fan of her Unintended series, I was very excited to read this standalone book. You get high stake poker games, chase scenes, shootouts, kidnappings, and all kinds of action. You also get a love interest as well as a family dealing with loss.
I love the various settings of her books. In three great suspense reads, she has taken us to the island of St. Gideon, Miami, Tennessee, and now Manhattan. DL Wood is a true master of describing each scene, making you feel like you are with the characters. Sometimes in action packed books like these, authors rely more on dialogue than describing scenes; Wood gives a great mix of both.
As far as the characters are concerned, there are some fantastic ones! The main characters were great and the secondary ones were well developed. It’s easy in books like these to have cliches and wooden characters. Not so in A Criminal Game!
And now for the most important part; the faith aspect. What I love about DL Wood books is that she is never preachy. The faith aspects are very natural and also does a great job of showing good versus evil. This is what I describe as clean, gritty fiction. No bad language, spiritual aspects, but real life events. And I can’t wait for more DL Wood books!
I received this book courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review.
For more of my reviews, please check out my blog!
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I have to admit that I had a hard time getting into this book at first. But once you get more into the book, the action picks up, and it keeps your attention. There were a lot of twists and turns along the way, and it kept you guessing who was really the bad guy.
This book revolves around Evie Diaz. Evie is a single mom who is a night manager at a hotel, while also helping at a high stakes poker game which is held at her hotel. All is well until trouble erupts between some players and the man in charge of the poker game. Evie finds herself in the middle of this mess, and she is trying to find out what is going on and how to get out of this mess!
If you enjoy good, clean, suspense fiction, you will enjoy this book. I received an ARC from the author for my honest opinion.
Loved this book!!! Kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next!!! The romance was there, but that’s not the main story!! Loved the way Evie and Rune worked together, and especially the way he helped her to focus on God being on their side! It was great that they were both believers, and their faith was real, even in the face of all that was going on when it seemed like God didn’t know them. We all feel like that, sometimes, when life gets in our way. Really great read!!!
I received an advance copy of this book, and was not required to leave a review. The opinion expressed is my own.
. A Criminal Game is a wild ride from the very beginning. The entire book happens in less than 24 hours and is packed with action.
The way the relationship between the protagonists grows is refreshingly different than in most books in this genre. Evie’s personality jumps right off the page, whereas the picture of Rune develops more slowly.
When a high stakes poker game goes awry, Evie is unwittingly stuck in the middle of the fallout. Danger lurks around every corner, and knowing who to trust could literally be the difference between life and death.
Rune blundered his attempt to gain Evie’s interest, but that doesn’t mean when he sees trouble he won’t jump in with both feet.
Opposing parties are quickly closing in. As Evie and Rune race against time, can they figure out the end game, and stay alive at the same time?
This was a great book with lots of suspense, a bit of romance, and a touch of faith.
This book was given to me courtesy of the author and this is my honest review.