Great story!

Wow! Please tell me this isn't the end! Loved the story between Malcolm and Liv.....tension, in a good way! I really hope we get to see the Gravediggers again! ( )

Dante revealed.

Tight prose only adds to this episode of the Gravediggers. (Lord) Dante Malcolm is front and centre, a former British Intelligence force agent and art thief extraordinaire, now an agent with Gravediggers. He is equally matched by Liv Rothschild. Sadness encompasses Liv. Her twin sister Elizabeth disappeared, taken when they we playing hooky in Harrods. No trace of Elizabeth was ever found. Liv blames herself. This effects all her actions. She is driven by her sister's disappearance. She spends her life trying to make up for that. Liv is a Detective with Interpol and is on the hunt for art thief Simon Locke, an alter ego for Dante. Of course things are complex. This is a Gravedigger's novel after all. Their paths first cross prior to Dante joining the Gravedigger's team.
It seems Liv and Dante had an intense sexual relationship that always seems to have its outlet in dark and dangerous situations. Added spice or just no time?
The international political backdrop of the novel is so today that I really had to take a step back. I don't think we'd quite reached the level of today's international angst when Hart was writing this.
Eve Winter is still her cold hard self. That woman really freaks me out. I so want to see her story, or maybe not. Can't help but wonder how she came to be.
Elaine the computer is hilarious. Her innocently matter of fact questions about being human and what that entails keep you shaking your head.
I am wondering how and if she's going to develop.
Apparently she's "the perfect union of technology and robotics... She was free to think on her own and had developed her own personality, much to the amusement of them all."
The body she going to choose when she finally has a physical manifestation if she does have one will be fascinating, and a little creepy.
A slick, many faceted and engaging thriller that holds your interest.

A NetGalley ARC ( )

I picked up this book with great anticipation. The first two in the series were top notch—The Darkest Corner, and Gone to Dust.

While two of the gravediggers fell in love with Tess and Miller from Last Stop, Texas, this book comes at a different angle.

Our hero, Dante Malcolm, formerly worked for British Elite Intelligence Force, aka Simon Locke, a renowned thief. He is so good as a thief, he never gets caught, while thoroughly enjoying the adrenalin kick and necessary preparation to make a perfect steal. It challenges him. He also enjoys the art he collects for himself while out on the job as Simon Locke. He has a code of honor, of sorts. He never thieves anything that hasn’t previously been thieved from the present owner. Hmm. Does that make him a good thief?

He met Liv Rothschild in his Elite Intelligence connection, while she worked with Interpol. Their mission? To catch Simon Locke. Dante was in the perfect position to have that never happen.

What Dante didn’t prep himself for, is the all-consuming desire to be with Liv. They were mutually attracted and worked well together. He admired everything about her. Through time, this pull only gets stronger. Dante’s biggest flaw when it comes to life in general, is he is conceded, overly so, however, he does have some right to believe himself above the common thief.

Apparently, one Eve Winter thought the same way, targeting him for her gravedigger team. She gives him a choice—to be caught because she has all the dirt on him, or die and join a team of guys who save the world. He chooses the latter.

Just a comment about Eve Winter. She is ruthless, heartless, cold-blooded and despised by the gravediggers. If you are new to the series, she is the gravedigger’s boss. She’s a very scary individual with lots of power. Her gravediggers are dead men; she gives them a new life. They work for her for seven years—that’s the contract. She in turn reports to agencies who work outside the normal channels, but are considered the good guys.

Even though Eve Winter is who she is, I feel there is a story behind the woman, and I feel a bit sorry for her. There must be some humanity in her if she let two of the five gravediggers marry. I’m hoping the author will share her with us. Who knows? Love conquers all and just maybe she’ll change.

There were some real precious, funny moments. Elaine is the name of the computer the gravediggers work with. If you followed Star Trek (I did), you know the type of computer I mean. It answers verbal questions. But Elaine, not only has access to world-wide information, she has a personality she’s working on. She reads, watches movies and picks up all manner of things.

The following excerpt has Dante stealing into a palace to get some necessary documents from the bad guys. He is now with the gravediggers. This scene is full of suspense, and then I’m laughing.

Excerpt:

Making a split-second decision he ran back down the hallway to the sitting room door and let himself in again, closing the door behind him. And then he waited, his heart pounding wildly in his chest as the footsteps made their way down the hall. He heard the guard pass by, a jangle of keys in his hand as he prepared to unlock the other sitting room door, and then Dante slipped out behind the man. He had him in a choke hold and his air cut off in three seconds, and then he dragged him back into the sitting area. He used more zip ties to bind the man’s hands and feet and put a piece of tape over his mouth.

“Elaine,” he said, activating her on this watch.

“Your heart rate is elevated, Dante. Is everything all right?”

“Just a little unexpected surprise. I’m heading to the vault now. Time is going to be of the essence. We’ll need to move quickly."

“I’ll be ready for your commands” she said. “Going back into silent mode.”

He left the guard in the room and ran down the hallway, expecting a squad of guards to be waiting for him. But still there was no one, and he started to get a little tingle at the base of his spine. Or maybe he was just paranoid and reading more into the silence than he should.

He cut across the large open space between the east wing and the north wing, using the large columns for cover, as he all but ran toward Mittal’s office. The white carved doors with gold swans as knobs were original to the palace, but the security panel next to the door was twenty-first-century technology.

“Elaine,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Approaching office door.” [at this point, reader, my heart is in my throat]

“Ten-four, kemo sabe,” she said. [here’s where I crumble with laughter]

“Now’s not a good time, Elaine.”

“My apologies, sir. I’ve been practicing my pop culture. The panel to your right is keycard-operated. It’s a ten-digit binary code that’s changed weekly.”

*******************
I’m in love with Elaine. She’ll keep you entertained, that’s for sure.

Lastly, I come to Liv Rothschild. All her life she’s felt guilty about the abduction of her twin sister. At six, Liv was the more adventurous, goading her sister to do things she shouldn’t. Elizabeth was abducted from Harrod’s Department store one Christmas holiday, never to be traced again. Liv, all her life, kept looking for her sister. Hence, her work in Interpol. Liv has few friends. In her line of work, she can’t indulge, but lately, she’d like to let someone into her life, Dante Malcolm, that is, until he dies.

Super, super book for fans of suspense, romance, and like their heroes and heroines strong who are not afraid to right wrongs and save the world. Great pacing, a page-turner and just simply a delightful series. I highly recommend it. ( )