Wow! eBook
Below the Radar
Author(s): Dana Ridenour (Author)
- Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
- Publication Date: August 12, 2019
- Language: English
- Print length: 400 pages
- ISBN-10: 1634892240
- ISBN-13: 9781634892247
Book Description
After her last assignment went horribly wrong, everyone tells FBI Special Agent Lexie Montgomery she needs a break. But Lexie is determined to keep going with her undercover work–so when a Dutch constable goes missing, she jumps at the chance.
Along with Blake Bennett, her unfamiliar new partner, Lexie is thrown into the Gathering, a haven for environmental activists planning illegal activity. It’s a dangerous situation, but she blends right in–a little too well, Blake thinks. As the pair of them try to get closer to the vanished constable, he begins to suspect that Lexie may be hiding an affinity for the eco-extremists’ cause.
With her loyalties in question from both sides, Lexie will be forced to prove herself as an undercover agent and as a new recruit for the terrorists’ cause. But as time starts to run out, staying below the radar may prove harder than she’d planned.
Editorial Reviews
Review
In Ridenour’s (Beyond the Cabin, 2019, etc.) third thriller featuring FBI agent Alexis “Lexie” Montgomery, the protagonist, now age 33 and barely recovered from her last harrowing mission, ignores the advice of her therapist. Lexie agrees to infiltrate an ecoterrorist group linked to an international animal rights workshop called The Gathering. The workshop, held in the Netherlands, aims to teach the use of illegal action, such as bomb-making and countersurveillance, purportedly to save animals from suffering and exploitation. A Dutch police constable, working undercover investigating the eco-extremists for two years, has vanished, and Lexie, familiar with animal rights activists, seems perfect to learn what happened to him. Her new partner–fit, long-haired, bearded Special Agent Blake Bennett–feels attracted to her. Although initially a romance seems a slam-dunk, one of the leaders of the animal rights movement gives him some competition. Flirty, golden-skinned Holden Graham looks like a surfer and tugs at Lexie’s heartstrings, in part because he reminds her of a lost love. Others in the group appeal to the agent because of their desire to keep animals free from harm. But The Gathering is no peaceable kingdom; episodes of kidnapping, cruelty, and murder occur mid-book. Teetering between tension and anticipated passion, the novel zips along. Dialogue never feels forced, and humor weaves through, as when Blake confuses a European foot wash in the men’s room with a urinal, and uses it accordingly. Descriptions of Amsterdam’s museums, bars, Magere Brug, and surrounding countryside read like a travel blog, and the author’s past life as an FBI agent brings veracity to the investigation aspects of the story. In Lexie, readers meet a well-rounded, smart, sexy character, and one with a penchant for fresh-brewed coffee and Pat Conroy. Although the book works as a stand-alone, reading the three volumes in order obviously helps in the understanding of Lexie’s history and appreciation of her development as an agent and a woman.
A taut thriller, well told and deftly paced; highly recommended. – KIRKUS REVIEWS READERS’ FAVORITE 5 Star Review (October 2020)“Reviewed By Viga Boland for Readers’ Favorite
Below the Radar is a captivating read and its creator, Dana Ridenour, is a writer you’ll want to add to your “favorite authors” list. A now-retired FBI agent, Ridenour knows from first-hand experience what protagonist Lexie Montgomery is getting herself into when, against her therapist’s advice, she accepts an undercover assignment in the Netherlands. Lexie’s task is to help locate a Dutch constable who has gone missing. To do so, she has to infiltrate a fiercely fervent, but seemingly peaceful group of animal welfare activists. But, as should be in any riveting thriller, this is rarely as benign as it seems: what Lexie uncovers, together with her new partner, nearly costs her her life.
Ridenour’s many years of FBI experience gives the engaging, fast-paced plot and its credible cast of characters authenticity. Her considerable writing skills, especially her ease with creating realistic dialogue, evoke strong emotions in both readers and characters. Lexie is living a lie and the trouble with living a lie is that “…it’s easy to become that lie. What we pretend to be, we become.” That’s an uncomfortable concept that the majority of us, regardless of our professions, live with daily, and Lexie’s journey to a deeper understanding of the person behind the lie, herself, is a relevant theme in Below The Radar. With its winning combination of intrigue, suspense, humor, romance, excellent dialogue, and solid characterization, Below The Radar ticks all the boxes for your next “must-read”. Enjoy.”
