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A Brit in
the FBI Series #2
Catherine Coulter and J.
T. Ellison
Putnam
9/30/2014 / ISBN 9780399164767
Mystery/Thriller
Reviewed
by Elise Cooper
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The Lost Key, the second
installment in “A Brit In The FBI Series”, written
by Catherine Coulter with J. T. Ellison, is a page-turner. This
novel features former Scotland Yard detective, Nicholas (Nick)
Drummond, now a rookie at the FBI, and his partner Michaela
(Mike) Caine. The plot is extremely insightful in that it keeps
the reader thinking about future dangers.
Nick is introduced in the first book of the series, The
Final Cut. He is able to join the FBI because his mom is
an American although he was raised in England. Having been in
the Foreign Service and a Scotland Yard Chief Detective Inspector,
he uses his previous skills of being tough, smart, and a computer
genius. He can be thought of as a modern day James Bond. To
view his picture go to this link: (http://www.pinterest.com/jtellison/the-lost-key-nicholas-drummond-2/)
Coulter commented, “At the beginning, we didn't see the
characters the same way, understandable. I happened to see a
photo of a male model in a store window and said, "Hello,
Nicholas!" This solved the problem.” While Ellison
noted, “Nicholas is all Catherine while Mike is one of
the characters we worked on together. In fact, I found the picture
of Mike. Since every author has different views of the world
we were going back and forth about these two characters. Once
she sent me the picture of Nick and I sent her the picture of
Mike, from that moment, everything came together.”
Nick’s partner, Mike Caine is a strong, intuitive, and
take no prisoners’ female heroine who is becoming an important
part of the team. This becomes obvious when comparing the quotes
from the first book to this one. In The Final Cut,
Mike was asked about her partnership with Nick, “You take
orders rather well, don’t you, Mike?” While in The
Lost Key, Mike’s attitude is “I guess it’s
up to me to keep you (Nick) safe, and yes, then the world.”
The authors stated, “Mike is unmarried, completely independent.
She's a cowboy, free and roaming the range. Mike is becoming
Nick’s equal even though Nick is more of a smart aleck.
She is smart, sassy, a hard worker, and currently her job is
her life. She is a study of contrasts. She looks like a librarian
with her glasses, yet wears biker boots. I based her on the
Federal Marshall character in BACKFIRE, Eve Barbieri. So, who's
the peach? Who's the pineapple? You decide.”
The plot takes place within a two-day time frame where Mike
and Nick must find who is behind the fatal stabbing on Wall
Street. Through the investigation it becomes clear that the
person who killed, Jonathan Pearce, was more than just an antiquities
book dealer. After the disappearance of his children the case
takes a turn into the dangerous world of terrorism. The villain,
Manfred Havelock, is pure evil who enjoys torture. But that
should come as no surprise since he is German and appears to
fit in perfectly with any Nazi. The plot has Mike and Nick traveling
throughout Europe attempting to find and prevent Havelock from
achieving his goal, placing implants in humans that would detonate
a mini-nuclear bomb that takes suicide bombers to a new level.
Intertwined within the story is the history surrounding World
War I. From the discovery of polonium by Marie Curie to the
sunken German U-boat filled with gold and her scientific notes,
the readers are once again taken back to an era sometimes forgotten.
Incorporating Curie into the plot makes for a very interesting
read, reminding people of her brilliance, especially since she
is the only woman awarded the Nobel Prize twice. The
Lost Key is an action packed story with an exciting climax.
The interesting and riveting characters, both fictional and
non-fictional, enhance the plot. Readers will be terrified and
on the edge of their seats throughout the book.
As a side note Catherine Coulter and J. T. Ellison will be supporting
veterans by signing books at the military book fair on November
8th in San Diego aboard the USS Midway.
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