She dies…and only then are her beliefs put to the test…. He is an assassin with a perfect record. The CIA had barely idea he existed. The FBI had no idea. It’s how was he able to do his job in the US…and not get caught.It cost a brilliant young scientist her life. To catch the nearly-myth assassin, the two security agencies are forced into an uneasy cooperation. Ted Bester and Rick Brannigan, … uneasy cooperation.
Ted Bester and Rick Brannigan, their respective agents, start asking questions about who is this shadowy individual. But what they should be asking is what is the one thing connecting a brilliant young scientist, two agencies, and an assassin…and can this deadly connection be broken before it’s too late?
Setback is a fast-paced action-adventure thriller with paranormal elements that will take you on a journey like no other. Join Amelia, Ted, and Rick – and try to survive the ruthless killer determined to fix his one and only career mistake!
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I flew through this book!
SETBACK by Edita A. Petrick was a fast paced mash-up of CIA/FBI spy novel, supernatural novel with a witch’s heirloom locket that protects the rightful heir, corporate corruption by a cadre of CEO’s, and a psychologically damaged hitman who always succeeds. Scientific and supernatural coexist side by side throughout this fast paced thriller with romantic elements and irreverent humor.
CIA Agent Ted Bester “Beast” is called in to work with his counterpart in the FBI to solve a series of brutal killings that are all tied to a scientific conference on cold fusion that could radically change America’s energy dependence. The FBI has a source for him. Amelia is in an FBI safe-house because she was killed by the same hitman he is trying to find. (Yes, you read correctly – killed!)
Amelia now goes by ‘Randi” and is a doctor who was set to testify against corrupt pharmaceutical companies. Her heirloom amulet is passed down to first born daughters in her family from an ancestor witch from Salem who cursed all who harmed the owner. She survived her execution and is now able to sometimes slip into the hitman’s mind because he stole the amulet as a trophy.
The two work together with all the secondary characters you would expect in a usual spy thriller to find and eliminate the hitman and retrieve the cold fusion documents before they can be turned over to a foreign government.
Ms. Petrick has written a fast paced thrill ride that brings together many different genres into one. Even with all the characters and subplots, the writing is crisp and never confusing. This is a creative story with unexpected twists, especially in regards to the hitman. The characters are well developed and believable. I cannot recommend this book enough and I can’t wait to read more from this author. If you want something different and well written, this is it.
Our heroine should be dead, shot in the head by an assassin, but she recovered and now is psychically linked to him. Can that link help stop him from killing others?
This is a complex blend of genres including spy, action, and the paranormal. Sometimes this sort of blend can be confusing, but I actually found it to be well done. I can’t call it in easy read because of all these elements, but I can say it was entertaining and well worth my time. I rather enjoyed the way the elements were woven together and how the characters worked with what was presented to them. Overall, I found the story highly enjoyable and look forward to more from the author.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from Hidden Gems for review purposes.
This book by Edita A Petrick was the most exciting and attention-holding story I have read in a long time, as various Federal alphabet organizations, such as NSA, FBI, CIA, etc. as well as the White House, attempt to stop a very talented professional assassin from completing his contract and stealing valuable technology. The storyline moves briskly towards a very sharp and surprising ending, with a whole lot of unexpected and special paranormal activity in between. The characters are very identifiable and relatable to many public and private figures a reader would normally see in their minds based on their job positions and social status. I have enjoyed each book by Ms Petrick I have read, and this one is no exception. This is a voluntary review of an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Hidden Gems Books.
Setback is a book that sets down lots of details to build to an explosive ending. I was somewhat mind-boggled through the beginning chapters, wondering how these tidbits all fit together; but, like all of the author’s books I’ve previously read; about halfway through, things start to happen quickly and you care more about the tense situation. I always marvel at Petrick’s intricately-detailed plots, and her ability to suck me in. This is an author you must read if you like ever-building suspense, action, good vs bad characters, and a touch of the paranormal.
This was tricky at first. There were a bunch of things going on that seemed unrelated. Then with a masterful touch, this author wove together a hitman and a witch and the FBI/CIA into a fast paced thriller with paranormal elements that made this a real page turner. I wasn’t sure when I started but by Chapter 3 it was starting to come together. I enjoyed the story, the characters, the suspense, and the paranormal elements that fit in perfectly. (I voluntarily reviewed an ARC).
Cold fusion and hot lead – with a paranormal aura and a kiss of romance
I love Edita Petrick’s writing. With a wide background of knowledge and the imagination to launch it into familiar places, and yet make them seem new, unknown, and dangerous, Petrick glues us to the pages with her latest, Setback. We’ve all read the CIA thrillers, the FBI manhunts, the industrial espionage whodunits, and the psychic police procedurals. Now we can have them all – in one novel. From foggy London to gritty New York, from the White House to a private Bahamian bastion of crime, from back alleys to corporate boardrooms, a couple of CIA agents and an FBI guy join forces with a remarkable survivor to bring down an international hit-man and expose the conspirators who hired him. The hit-man and his lone surviving victim share an inadvertent connection, thanks to a spell cast by one of the victims of the Salem Witch trials – WHAT??? No more hints, no more mini-spoilers, just get the book and read that puppy from cover to cover (like you’ll able to put it down -HAH!). _ARC review