Shoot / M.P. McDonald

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Availability

Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: NO Smashwords: NO Paper: NO

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“M.P. McDonald makes a living from taking your breath away... then giving it back via a tube or two. She lives in a frozen land full of ice, snow, and abominable snowmen. On the days that she's not taking her car ice-skating, she sits huddled over a chilly computer, tapping out the story of a camera that can see the future.”

McDonald is the author of the Mark Taylor Thriller series. This book is the first of the C.J. Sheridan Thriller series, a spin-off of the Mark Taylor series.

For more, visit McDonald's blog.

Description:

“Interning at the CIA prepared CJ Sheridan to be a bureaucrat, not a hero. But, when he's handed a camera that offers teasing glimpses of potential tragedies, what else can CJ do but try to change the future?

No stranger to the camera’s power, CJ’s father is dead set against the idea. He understands all too well the horrifying price the previous owner, Photographer Mark Taylor, paid for its use.

CJ’s knows the camera’s history, but with the support of an experienced team behind him, including his FBI Bureau Chief father, he’s sure that won’t happen to him.

Heedless of the dangers, when offered the chance to save the life of a murder victim, a young nurse named Blanche, CJ charges to the rescue.

Only to find himself alone, a suspect… with only his wits and courage to help him change the course of fate.”

Appraisal:

Fans of M.P. McDonald's Mark Taylor thriller series are already familiar with the characters in this new series. In the prior series, Mark Taylor bought an old-fashion camera in an Afghanistan bazaar, and discovers that the pictures he takes sometimes show a future event. These events are usually deaths or murders and if he's able to figure out where and when they're going to happen, he's sometimes able to prevent them.

In this new series, CJ Sheridan is assisting, if not taking over for Mark, as the keeper of the camera. CJ, who long-time series followers met in the last Mark Taylor book, is the son of CIA agent Jim Sheridan, who evolved through the series from one of Mark's enemies into a key component of his support system.

With CJ as the protagonist, much remains the same as in the Mark Taylor stories with the overall premise of the camera being the same. If this story is indicative of what's to come, the stories remain fast-paced and intense, with multiple issues of life-or-death to be resolved.

However, some things will change. CJ is still learning, sometimes the hard way. In this book, he decides that the best way to protect himself is to carry a gun, with unexpected consequences. I enjoyed CJ's adventures in Shoot and I'm eager to see what new directions McDonald has in store for him.

FYI:

Some adult language.

Although the first of a new series, this book has most of the main characters from McDonald's Mark Taylor series. It can be read as a standalone, but I'd encourage those who start with Shoot and like it to try what comes before this starting with No Good Deed.

Format/Typo Issues:

I read a pre-release beta version of this book and am unable to judge the final product.

Rating: ***** Five Stars