Review: Shiver of Fear

Making the Grade: B+

For My Thoughts

The latest case outsourced to the Guardian Angelinos by the FBI is to find Devyn Sterling in Belfast and convince her by whatever means necessary to leave the country immediately. No real details are revealed as to why the FBI wants her gone, but for former FBI agent and newest consultant for the Angelinos Marc Rossi - it should be a piece of cake.

Devyn Sterling is a complicated heroine. To understand some of her less than stellar decisions, it’s important to understand her motivation. Devyn’s recently discovered she was adopted and since then she’s been of a single mind to find her birth mother and father. She’s convinced that her “bad gene” pool has shaped the woman she has become. She discovered her father Finn is a known Irish Mobster and now it seems her scientist mother Dr. Sharon Greenburg may not quite be on the up and up either. Two strikes and as far as Devyn is concerned...she’s out.

Devyn’s obsession with her mother almost borders on stalkerish behaviour and a number of decisions Devyn makes whether you agree with them or not - are done with the soul purpose of finding, meeting and bonding with her mom. There are factions out there who are very aware of Devyn’s desire to make the acquaintance of her mom and use that knowledge to lead Devyn around like a puppet on a string. Did she make some bad moves? Yes. Did she get herself and Marc into unnecessary danger? Yes on more than one occasion. It seemed like Devyn had nine lives since in very other chapter she was being threatened, attacked, almost knifed and shot at because she was asking too many questions and getting too close to the answers.

Here’s a quote from Devyn about what drives her to make a connection with her mom:

“You’ve never known what it’s like to belong to no one, to have no real reason for being on this earth, no connection to anyone, anywhere. “ I want a relationship with her. I want to...I want to love her. And have her love me. Is that so wrong?” That’s some pretty heavy emotion.

Marc Rossi desperately wants to keep her Devyn safe, follow orders and not jeopardize his job with the Guardian Angelinos biggest client the FBI - don’t wanna be pissing those boys off. It doesn’t take long for Marc to realize that there’s a lot more going on in Northern Ireland than meets the eye and he’s going to have to stick close to Devyn because with or without him she’s on a quest. For Marc, trying to derail Devyn from her mission was like trying to corral a run-away train.

Both Marc and Devyn are wary of their developing feelings for each other. Marc’s been burned once before by a woman he was involved with and he is gun shy about getting close to another woman with an agenda. But being in such proximity, their chemistry undeniable, it’s only a matter of time before their emotions burn out of control.

Here’s a little taste of Marc and Devyn:

“That wasn’t sex,” she whispered, the words out before she even realized it.
He still couldn’t breathe but managed to lift his head and look at her with a rueful gleam in his eye. “Can’t wait to hear what you call it.”
She was still floating, high on the sensations, numb to reality, all the pain deep inside her just...gone.
“It was like that aloe I put on you, “ she whispered, no control over the words. “Soothing and healing, taking away the wound. Such a touching scene.

Shiver of Fear is fraught with danger and suspense, bio-terrorism, biological warfare - issues relevant today, all manner of secret agent alphabet agencies involved and seriously I really couldn’t tell the good guys from the bad. Especially Dr. Sharon Greenburg - is she or isn’t ? Good or evil? St. Claire did a great job of keeping you guessing on whose side all he players were really working for right to the very end.