A prisoner responsible for a mall massacre that occurred the night The Preacher was taken down is executed, with a well-placed bullet fired from nearly a mile away. The sniper is clearly a professional—either military or law enforcement—and leaves zero evidence, other than a note.

When a series of suspected rapists and murderers turn up dead, the killer’s pattern becomes clear: they’re acting as judge, jury, and executioner for cases that were brushed off by the cops. How could a person not cheer a little?

Until the spotlight is shone on one of the FBI’s own.

Ultimately, it’s a matter of right or wrong. Winter knows just where that line is—she learned the night her parents were slaughtered and her baby brother disappeared. That night made her who she is, and she’ll uphold the law, even for scumbags who deserve to die. Even while the ghosts of her past grow closer and closer.

Well, what a departure from the disappointment of book 4!

I read this in 3 hours, and I’d say that was time well spent.

The plot of this book was vastly more entertaining and adrenaline pumping than the previous book, so I felt like I was right back in the middle of things again.

The central plot was well thought out and both complex and simple in the way it played out. It appreciated it more because it was a plot that causes the reader to think as much as the characters were thinking. It was more of a grey plot rather than a clear black and white one.

Characters, characters…

Winter – Being the MC, Winter is more resilient than the other characters in terms of what she can take and what she can survive. I saw more of the Winter from books 1 and 2 in this plot. Her determination and passion for the job were both shining through her character. At times I found her to be the voice of reason in a sea of conflicting opinions.

Winter’s character at the end of the book feels more like a fresh start. Although the vendetta against The Preacher has come to an end, I don’t think Winter had given herself time to realise what that meant for her future. She has focused so much of her time on being the one to end The Preacher’s life that I don’t think she even thought about what life would be like after that point or even whether she’d be alive to see it.

Noah – Lovable Noah. We see a different side of Noah here. He has more anger and finds it hard to separate how he feels for the suspects and victims. In this instance, Winter ends up being the calming force to Noah and not the other way around. Noah, whether he realises it or not, has set clear boundaries between himself and Winter. I can understand his reasoning though, with Winter and her unexpected and awkward invites of something more backfiring, Noah has become more reserved in wanting to open that particular can of worms.

Aiden – Aiden again, was different. He started to change in book 4 but it wasn’t enough for me to change my opinion on his character. Through books 1-3 I detested Aiden and couldn’t find anything morally redeeming for him. I can now see the changes, and while I know the parts that made me detest him are probably not going to fade away, I can see how light can be brought in to make some subtle changes. With the direction I think I see forging for him, I am neutral towards it.

Autumn – Autumn was the new addition to book 4 and I immediately enjoyed her character. I could see exactly why she had been introduced and what she would bring to the gaggle of already established characters. In this book we got to see more of her talent and whether she wanted to be involved with the FBI or not, she definitely made use of her talents and helped in the investigation.

Clearly there is to be some kind of future between Autumn and Aiden and while I still feel lukewarm with Aiden, I hope Autumn doesn’t give in too quickly.

Sun – We had more of a return from Sun. She was mostly absent from books 3 and 4. Sun is a career driver character who is constantly out to prove herself, but she is also someone who doesn’t make friends easily, and someone who is their own worst critic. She is put in an unusual spot within this book that allows the reader to understand her character a little more and see more of a ’behind the scenes’ view of her. While I haven’t warmed to her character, I did feel a more compassion towards her.

I’m hoping that book 6 will answer some questions on the search for Winter’s brother. Just like when I worried The Preacher storyline would be drawn out too long, I worry the same thing will happen with the storyline of Winter’s brother.

As I briefly mentioned in my character explanations, there is more of a push towards a Winter and Noah pairing in this book. It mostly comes from Winter realising that her feelings for Noah aren’t so complicated after all. We get a brief insight into how Noah feels, which basically confirms that he is waiting for her to make the first move. I hope this comes to fruition soon or the union may end up being anticlimactic.

I give this book: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐