Crossfire

High Risk #2

by JoAnn Ross

Caitlin Cavanaugh likes being in charge. Maybe that's why she's an FBI special agent. Her latest assignment: Stop a violent madman in Somersett, South Carolina. But even more challenging is working with former Navy SEAL Quinn McKade, who --- though Cait would never admit it --- makes her feel deliciously out of control.

It takes a sniper to catch a sniper, and McKade begins spending steamy summer nights with Cait, investigating the murders. But when the killer starts leaving chillingly familiar clues, the pair knows that the murders aren't random ... and Cait and Quinn could be next.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Military Fiction, Contemporary, Suspense, Contemporary Romance, Fiction

374 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

New York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross has written over a hundred novels for a bunch of publishers. Two of her titles have been excerpted in Cosmo and her books have also been published by the Doubleday, Rhapsody, Literary Guild, and Mystery Guild book clubs.

A member of the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll of best-selling authors, she's won several awards, including Romantic Times's Career Achievement Awards in both category and contemporary single title.

Currently writing a new Honeymoon Harbor series for HQN set on the Washington peninsula, that will launch in April, 2018, JoAnn lives with her husband (her high school sweetheart, who proposed at the sea wall where her Shelter Bay books are set), in the Pacific Northwest.

Reviews

[jenjn79 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was going to give this one 3.5 stars, but then the ending was rather lame so it got knocked down to 3. But at least I thought this book was much better than Freefall, the first book in the High Risk series.

Crossfire continues Ross's series about a bunch of former Navy SEALs trying to figure out civilian life after a mission gone wrong that had them all leaving the service. This book features Quinn McKade, the sniper of the SEAL team. Quinn is living in Somersett, SC and is now writing military fiction books. He also works with the private security group, Phoenix from time to time. The heroine is Cait Cavanaugh, a cop turned FBI agent who has been in several other of Ross's books. Quinn and Cait have a history together - they first met years ago when Quinn dated Cait's roommate. Both felt the connection, but Cait didn't want any part of a military man, and Quinn was dating the roommate. But neither forgot the other. Then when the both attended the same wedding, they ended up in bed, but Cait was afraid and ran off the morning after. Quinn's never stopped wanting her, and Cait hasn't been able to push him from her mind.

Now, years later, the two are thrown together again when a sniper starts targeting innocent victims in Somersett. Cait reluctantly uses Quinn's sniper expertise to aid the case and Quinn is more than happy to help, and to get closer to Cait. As the body count rises, Cait begins to see Quinn isn't quite who she thought he was and her heart softens toward him. But before they can think of moving their relationship forward, they have to catch the person making target practice of ordinary citizens, and who plans to make Cait a target as well.

One of the biggest things I didn't like about the first book in the series, Freefall, was how segregated the romance and the suspense plot were. You had the romance on one side and the suspense on the other and the two didn't meet until rather late in the book. It made things kinda weird and rather dull. But in Crossfire there's much better integration between the romance and the suspense. The two are very heavily intertwined as Cait's investigating the crimes and Quinn's unofficially assisting. It makes the story read much better and feel more whole, not like reading two separate stories. So on that aspect, this book was heads and tails better than the previous one.

On the flip side, unlike Freefall where the romance is very prevalent and quick in developing, the relationship between Quinn and Cait is very slow in progressing. There's an obvious chemistry, and many references to what happened between them in the past and that they wanted each other now. But it's not until rather late in the book that things move forward between them. Even saying that, I can't say I minded too much. It kinda worked for the story. I did think Cait did a rather abrupt about face regarding her feelings for Quinn. She just suddenly goes from trying to keep him out to thinking orange blossums. It was a little too sudden.

I also thought the characters lacked some depth, to a certain degree. Quinn's got a very complicated past and I felt Ross glossed over that too much. I wanted to know more about what he'd went through as a child because the details she gave were rather sketchy.

The suspense aspect was pretty good, if a bit disturbing, and more plausible than one would like to think considering something like that has actually happened in real life at least once. Like the first book, I do wish Ross hadn't given quite so many details about the upcoming victims before they got whacked. It's so damn depressing. There were also some procedural things that didn't seem quite kosher. Quinn was more involved in the investigation than he probably should have been.

If I had to make two main complaints, though, one would be that Ross has a bad habit of sticking completely random scenes in where they don't seem to fit. There was one section where you're reading a discussion between Cait and Quinn about the nature of snipers. It's an important thing for the investigation and for Cait to learn more about Quinn. Then the chapter abruptly ends and a new one starts that about some little boy you've never met and know nothing about who is thinking about how he's starting a new school and worried about his stuttering problem. Then the chapter ends and you go back to Cait and Quinn discussion snipers. As a reader, it's like, wait? What? Where that come from and why is it there? It ruins the flow of what you're reading and seems completely illogical. The boy ends up playing a small, somewhat important role, but there's got to be a better way to fit those scenes in than sticking them in the middle of a scene with the H/H. Ross just has a bad habit of sticking non-sequitur chapters that break up the flow in a bad way.

The second complaint would be the ending. Which seemed rushed and a bit incomplete. The whole suspense plot is about an anonymous wannabe-sniper seemingly picking people off at random. Then the end rolls around and all you really get is the person's name and a few spare facts about him...and the revelation that another person was involved with only the barest of facts about that. When I finished, I didn't really have that feeling of closure regarding the suspense aspect of the book. I just wanted to know more and felt rather frustrated that the author skipped over so much. It was disappointing and knocked my overall opinion of the book down.

Still, I enjoyed this one much more than Freefall. It was much more interesting and engaging. I wouldn't call it a great book, but if I'd bought it (instead of taking it out of the library) I wouldn't have considered it a waste of money. And I enjoyed it enough to want to move on to the next book, which just came out. So for those of you who felt Freefall fell flat and debated whether to read more, you might want to give this one a chance. It's not a perfect book, but it was good enough.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crossfire
4 Stars

A serial sniper is on the loose in Somersett, South Carolina and FBI agent, Caitlin Cavanaugh is called in to investigate. Proud and independent, Cait has difficulty sharing responsibility, especially when she is forced to share with former Navy SEAL, Quinn McKade, who has always known exactly which of her buttons to push. As the clues and the bodies begin piling up, Cait and Quinn will need to put aside their differences as the killer has them both in his sights...

Crossfire continues the on going story arc revolving around a number of former military men attempting to acclimate to civilian life after a disastrous mission in Afghanistan While book #1 was more of a contemporary romance with some suspense elements, this installment is a better mix of romance and suspense as Ross successfully merges the technical details of the sniper case with Cait and Quinn’s second chances relationship.

The murders are well plotted with just enough description to grip the reader by the throat without too much gratuitous violence. My one small nitpick is the lack of foundation for the ultimate motive behind the selection of victims.

Quinn and Cait’s romance builds slowly but surely with excellent integration of both their emotional bond and physical chemistry. The inclusion of their backstory only enhances the depth of their connection. Again, one minor problem is the lack of closure regarding Quinn’s role in the Afghan mission, which is left hanging. As this in a continuing storyline, more information will probably be forthcoming in the next book.

All in all, a strong, action packed sequel and I look forward to Shane’s book next.

[Liz · Rating 1 out of 5]

so unbelievably boring. so unbelievably bad. don’t know how this could even be considered a romance. was SUCH a fight to get through it. i’m so glad it’s over!

[Marleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could say I enjoyed this book, but I didn't. I thought the characters deserved a much better plot. Essentially, it could have been a good story, but it just wasn't: the characters really lacked depth and the entire plot lacked credibility. I was so disappointed.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each Joann Ross book I read makes me more of a fan. I love the stories. The are a good escape and wonderful love stories.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the action and all of the characters I look forward to reading more. It was a great story mixed with the right amount of love.

[Cruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author: JoAnn Ross
First published: 2008
Length: 355 pages, 6243 kindle locations
Setting: Contemporary. Somersett, South Carolina.
Sex: Very Explicit. Very Frequent.
Hero: SEAL sniper, retired. Now Military teacher.
Heroine: FBI agent.
Trigger: Death and battle in Afghanistan.
Trigger: Sniper shootings in US city. Murder and violence.
Includesexcerpt from Shattered

Not as dark as Freefall but still more violent that Ross’ linked series, Shelter Bay , Crossfire is quite a ride.

Nice romance, lots of sex, healing. A good story.

High Risk:
Book 1 Freefall - Zach Tremayne and Sabrina Swan
Book 2 Crossfire - Caitlin Cavanaugh and Quinn McKade
Book 3 Shattered - Kirby Campbell and Shane Garrett
Book 4 Breakpoint - Dallas O'Halloran and Julianne Decatur

Shelter Bay:
Book 1 The Homecoming - Sax Douchett and Kara Conway
Book 2 One Summer - Gabriel St. James and Charity Tiernan
Book 3 On Lavender Lane - Lucas Chaffee and Madeline Durand
Book 4 Moonshell Beach - J.T. Douchett and Mary Joyce
Book 5 Sea Glass Winter - Dillon Slater and Claire Templeton
Book 6 Castaway Cove - Mac Culhane and Annie Shepherd
Book 7 Christmas in Shelter Bay - Cole Douchett and Kelli Carpenter
Book 8 You Again - Meghann Quinn and Adam Wayne
Book 9 Beyond the Sea - Conn Brennan and Sedona Sullivan
Book 10 Sunset Point - Tess Lombardi and Nate Breslin

References:
Author's website: http://www.joannross.com
Author on w’pedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JoAnn_Ross

(ISBN …)

-CR-

[May Mostly Romance · Rating 3 out of 5]

แม็กซ์ไม่ได้ตั้งความหวังมากมายอะไรกับการอ่านหนังสือเล่มนี้เลยนะคะ เพราะอ่านงานของโจแอนมาหลายเล่ม ไม่มีเล่มไหนโดดเด่นจนน่าจำจด

สำหรับหนังสือเล่มนี้ก็อาจจะเข้าข่ายเดียวกันก็ได้ แม้กซ์ไม่มั่นใจว่าหลังจากนี้ไปสองเดือน เราจะยังจำเรื่องราวในเล่มนี้ได้มากน้อยแค่ไหน แต่อย่างน้อยในระหว่างที่อ่านเล่มนี้ เราก็รู้สึกลุ้นไปกับเนื้อเรื่องตลอดเล่ม ซึ่งนี่ถือเป็นพัฒนาที่ดีขึ้นมากแล้วล่ะสำหรับโจแอน รอสส์

หนังสือเล่มนี้เป็นเล่มที่สองในชุด High Risk ซึ่งแม็กซ์ไม่แน่ใจเหมือนกันว่า มันหมายความว่าอะไร เพราะมันไม่ใช่ชื่อบริษัท หรือหน่วยงานที่ตัวเอกสังกัดอยู่เลย แต่คิดว่าคงจะเป็นนิยายที่เกี่ยวเนื่องกับบริษัทที่ชื่อว่า ฟินิกซ์ ซึ่งเป็นบริษัทรักษาความปลอดภัยชั้นหรูที่ทำงานคุ้มกันบุคคลผู้มีชื่อเสียง และงานอื่น ๆ เกี่ยวกับเรื่องความปลอดภัย ซึ่งบริษัทแห่งนี้ตัวเอกของหนังสือทั้งสองเล่มในชุดต่างทำงานให้ (แม้ว่าในเล่มแรก พระเอกของเราจะยังไม่ได้เข้าทำงานในบริษัทนี้หรอกนะ) แต่ก็นั่นแหละ เพราะเนื้อเรื่องของเล่มนี้ไม่มีอะไรเกี่ยวข้องกับบ.ฟินิกซ์สักนิดเดียว

เรื่องเปิดตัวได้อย่างน่าอ่าน เมื่อมีมือปืนออกไล่ล่าฆ่าคนอย่างไม่เลือกในเมืองซัมเมอร์เซ็ต ซึ่งเป็นที่ตั้งของโรงเรียนนักศึกษาวิชาทหารชื่อดังของอเมริกา นายทหารระดับสูงสองคนถูกฆ่าตายภายในวันเดียว และนั่นดึงเอาเคท คาเวนนอร์เข้ามาเกี่ยวข้องกับคดีนี้ในฐานะเจ้าหน้าพิเศษแห่งเอฟบีไอ ในคดีฆาตกรรมที่สองที่เกิดขึ้นในโรงเรียนวิชาทหารชื่อดังแห่งนั้น เคทก็ได้พบกับควินน์ แม็คเคด อดีตทหารหน่วยซีลที่ปลดประจำการ โดยปัจจุบันควินน์เป็นนักเขียนนิยายชื่อดัง ในขณะเดียวกับที่ทำงานพาร์ทไทม์ให้กับบ.ฟินิกซ์ ไปพร้อมกับเป็นอาจารย์พิเศษในโรงเรียนดังกล่าว ควินน์ซึ่งยังเป็นนักแม่นปืนประจำหน่วยซีลอยู่ในเหตุการณ์ฆาตกรรมศพที่สอง ด้วย ลูกปืนวิ่งผ่านศีรษะของเขาไปเพียงนิดเดียว และปลิดชีพเพื่อนอาจารย์คนนึงในโรงเรียน และนั่นนำควินน์เข้ามายุ่งเกี่ยวกับคดีนี้อย่างไม่อาจเลี่ยงได้

แต่ควินน์และเคทไม่ใช่คนแปลกหน้าระหว่างกัน ควินน์เคยออกเดทกับเพื่อนร่วมห้องของเคทในสมัยที่เธอเรียนมหาวิทยาลัย และเมื่อตอนที่เคทเพิ่งหย่าขาดจากสามีใหม่ ๆ และยังเจ็บปวดกับการเลิกร้างครั้งนั้น เคทก็ยังเผลอใจมีความสัมพันธ์ลึกซึ้งชั่วข้ามคืนกับควินน์อีก ความสัมพันธ์ที่เคทพยายามลืมว่ามันเกิดขึ้น แต่เป็นความสัมพันธ์ที่ควินน์ถวิลหาอยู่เรื่อยมา

การที่ต้องมาทำงานร่วมกันทำให้ทั้งสองมีโอกาสที่จะได้รู้จักกันอย่างลึก ซึ้งมากขึ้น แม็กซ์ชอบพัฒนาการความสัมพันธ์ของทั้งสองตัวเอกค่ะ มันแตกต่างจากหนังสือหลายเรื่องของโจแอนที่ดูเร่งเร้ามากเกินไป เราพบว่าในเรื่องนี้จังหวะของความสัมพันธ์เป็นไปอย่างสอดคล้องกับเนื้อ เรื่อง และทำให้ดูน่าเชื่อมาก ๆ ว่าทั้งคู่มีใจให้กันอย่างแท้จริง

จุดอ่อนที่แม็กซ์ไม่ชอบงานเรื่อง Freefall ของโจแอน ซึ่งเป็นเล่มแรกในชุดก็คือ จังหวะการมีความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างพระนางดูไม่น่าเชื่อ และไม่ถูกที่ถูกเวลาสำหรับเรื่องแนวโรแมนติคสืบสวน แต่ในเล่มนี้โจแอนทำได้ดี และนั่นทำให้เรารู้สึกว่าหนังสือเล่มนี้น่าอ่าน แม้ว่าเรื่องราวในส่วนสืบสวนจะยังทำได้ไม่ดีนัก โดยเฉพาะเมื่อเฉลยตัวคนร้ายออกมาแล้ว ดูจะกลายเป็นแอนตี้ไคลแม็คซ์ไปซะงั้น

อย่างที่บอกนะคะ แม็กซ์ไม่แน่ใจว่าจะจดจำเรื่องราวในหนังสือเล่มนี้ได้มากน้อยแค่ไหน แต่อาจะเป็นเพราะว่าเล่มนี้เ็ป็นเรื่องของโจแอน รอสส์ที่เราคิดว่าเธอมีพัฒนาการในทั้งส่วนของคาแร็คเตอร์ และจังหวะในการดำเนินเรื่องขึ้นอย่างชัดเจน เราจึงมองหนังสือเล่มนี้ด้วยสายตาที่อ่อนโยนพอควรเลยล่ะ

คะแนนที่ 63

[Dewey · Rating 2 out of 5]

New to me author; I like her dialogue and main characters plus good mystery; good beginning, but halfway through the story just sort of collapses. It needs tighter editing; too many pages of extraneous detail such as how to set up the FBI task force (need a projector etc), deciding on a sexy name for their task force, the difference in the paint color & setup in the TV studio vs the police station; how ever does this advance the story!? Why do we need to know the brief backstory of the little boy, or any of the victims? Also not sure what Quinn's war remembrances have to do with the story. Half way through and skimming all the unnecessary detail.

[measure twice]

+++ military aspect / details / headspace

- - - audiobook / terrible (!!!) bedroom voices; I hope no one ever EVER speaks like this. Otherwise middle of the road story; romance did not click but not offensive either.

- - - I don't buy it that idealistic, elite, young, and career minded FBI agents or journalists would be working in this suburban town in NC.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. Interesting characters, a little suspense, action, some steaminess, emotions and a good ending. Great for passing time or something to read. Enjoy.

[Ceh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cait and Quinn were cute. In the series however, I think this one scored the least

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

It became apparent on page 1 that this style of writing wasn’t going to be enjoyable. It’s that wordy, long-winded, dry and boring that is so wrong for a romance novel. It’s like reading a book for school and not pleasure. It would be better suited for manuscripts or something. It was so heavy with inside talk, bogged down military lingo, suffocated with federal mumbo jumbo, that I couldn’t even enjoy it. In these instances I feel like the author is completely forcing it and is being too liberal with the military aspect that they go overboard. She’s just smacking you in the face with all of it.

The 8 year old that had the stuttering problem was unbelievable. He’s using words like radical and utilities. I always dislike when authors put these little kids in there and try to make them really smart because I don’t believe it, it’s just unrealistic that an 8 year old would know the definition of these words, much less be able to pronounce them. Young teenagers wouldn’t even be able to grasp these words much less use them in everyday vocabulary. We didn’t need a little prodigy in here. And having all of these people die in here was tragic and gruesome. I really hate when there’s killers in a book, and it’s made all the worse by a writer’s morbid way of writing, like they never saw the bullet coming that ended their life or something creepy along the lines of this that is so morbid and dark to read about. I kept waiting for Cait and them to prevent any more deaths, but they never did. People kept dying, and the author made sure she put us in their perspective long enough for us to root for their success and feel sorry for them, right before she wacked them off. Bad writing. I was really getting sick of people dropping like flies.

Quinn said he’d driven by her house a few times. That was sweet. There were some nice moments between them, but they only lasted a line or two and they were so few and far between, like once in a blue moon. And that isn’t enough for a romance book. When I read a romance book, I want romance. Romantic suspense novels are just too much suspense, too much drama, and only a smidgen of romance, with the sex brushed over completely, no details, just a quick scene where you only get a grasp that they’re having sex before it’s over. It’s a tease, not nearly enough. It just didn’t offer me enough at all. I was left wanting so much more and was disappointed at every turn.
I kept wanting some progress to be made between these two, but she was literally giving nothing away. She kept putting him off, changing the subject, and avoiding their past. She was strictly being professional and I just wanted her to give in, so it was really frustrating being put off for so long.
Then around pg. 300 he asks her does she know how many women he slept with to forget her. He didn’t know. And it didn’t work. Aw, that’s sweet. He slutted it up with so many women he can’t even keep track of, but he did it to get over her, so that makes it romantic! Yeah. Right. And then he tells her before they’re going to have sex that he slept with a double-crossing Russian agent name Sletvana or something. Real nice. You know these slutty, disgusting details of their past sex lives are supposed to stop. Actually I’d prefer they not be in here at all, especially this late into the book when we’re supposed to be focusing on these two in the present, not them sleeping with other people in the past. And it would’ve been nice if neither had slept with anyone after each other, as some testament to their feelings for each other.. But it’s more romantic this way…


They didn’t say the loved each other. The romance just wasn’t resolved. In fact, nothing was resolved to my satisfaction at all. What she brought up from the past she quickly dropped, never provided an adequate explanation This book was too much business with very little romance at all. I was getting so sick of the killing and Cait’s professionalism. She kept things very controlled and it was so boring. Cait kept wearing suits the entire time, and I know she took her job seriously but I just wanted her to let loose and show some warmth or humanity. She was just tough and hard and cool and I didn’t like her, especially when I found out she slept with two men she worked with I think, one of which was a one night stand with her partner, the guy that didn’t care about people at all and was such a jerk and cussed all the time. That reflected badly on her that she would never sleep with him when she didn’t even like him. Quinn was interesting

[Katie(babs) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a crazed sniper loose in Somersett, South Carolina, and the victims he picks make no rhyme or reason. It is up to FBI Special Agent Caitlin Cavanaugh to find this madman before he strikes even more fear into the hearts of the residents of Somersett. But Caitlin has an ace in the hole besides her crusty old partner, Frank Angetti, who is up for retirement. The one person she doesn't count on is former Navy SEAL and best selling author, Quinn McKade. Caitlin and Quinn haven't seen each other in years, but in the past, they had a one-night stand during a wedding. Caitlin walked out the next morning without a second thought, or so Quinn thought. Caitlin may have never gotten over Quinn, but she knew a one-time fling was all she could handle.

Quinn is more than pleased to help Caitlin because he wouldn't mind recreating that special night together with her and many more. But until they can catch the sniper creating havoc all over town, he must put his plans on hold. Not even Quinn's insights and Caitlin's investigation techniques can help them. They have more questions than answers, and there are no solutions in sight. And things become even more tense when local news reporter Valentine Snow begins to receive letters from the sniper. Is this an obsessive lovesick individual, or an evil mastermind with something else up his sleeve? Will Caitlin and Quinn be able to stop him before everyone is too afraid to walk the streets for fear of getting shot in the head?

JoAnn Ross has written another thriller with a killer who has no remorse and a town at a standstill in fear of his next move. CROSSFIRE showcases the skills of the Navy SEALS along with the FBI who work together to stop a madman. Both Quinn and Caitlin are two solid characters who have great heads on their shoulders. These two work so well together, if only they can get over their animosity towards each other. I wanted to shake some sense into Caitlin because Quinn is such a great guy. She is so afraid of her intense feelings for him that run over the course of years. Quinn feels the same way for Caitlin, but he no longer wants to be her sex plaything. He wants sex with intimacy, which means a relationship between the two, and because of that, I quickly decided he was my favorite character in this story.

There is also another sweet love story between Valentine and her landlord, Brendan O'Neill, who is a former Irish barrister turned bartender at the Black Swann Pub where Valentine lives in an apartment above. These two are great friends, but when Valentine becomes the subject of the sniper's sick obsession, Brendan admits his undying love for her, which almost made me swoon. And then there is the sexy Mike Gannon who is a doctor and a former priest who runs a group for troubled Vets. Hopefully, Mike will get his own story in the future.

CROSSFIRE is another suspenseful romance by JoAnn Ross that you will not want to miss. With tension that you can cut with a knife, definitely pick up CROSSFIRE and get lost in world of the Navy SEALS and FBI that only JoAnn Ross can deliver

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I went ahead and bumped up to 4 stars since part of my problem with the book was my being distracted while listening. This one took concentration to keep up with all the different background stories running simultaneously with the main story.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crossfire is the second book in the High Risk series. It is about Quinn, a former Navy SEAL sniper, and Caitlin, a former detective turned FBI agent. Quinn teams up with Caitlin to catch a sniper preying on the people of Somersett, South Carolina.

I enjoyed this book, but I have to say that I didn't think that it was as good as the first book in the series, Freefall. I liked the characters well enough, but I felt that the romance was lacking. Throughout the entire book Caitlin constantly pushes Quinn away, not wanting to get involved with a military man. Then she suddenly does a complete 180 by jumping into bed with him and acting like they are meant to be together, as if she never had those reservations to begin with.

Then there is the end of the book. The author glossed over the real reason behind the sniper's rampage. She drops a bombshell by telling us who was actually prompting the sniper to act, but she doesn't tell us why this person did what they did. I felt that the ending was too rushed, and after finishing the book I was left with unanswered questions and the feeling that the story was incomplete.

[Rjsmommy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this second novel in the High Risk series. I loved that we got to see the Afghanistan incident from another POV and it also got expanded upon. I was intrigued by the military sniper mentality that explored in this novel and contrasted with the shooter. I liked that we had not only the primary romance of Quinn and Caitlin but a secondary romance of Valentine and Brendan too. I thought it added to the suspense of the shooter plot line that we met the victims before they were killed. In many books and movies, you read/see these random people getting killed but there's no real connection, by giving me just that 2 or three pages of insight into the people before they become victims, my sympathy and reactions to their deaths were compounded.
Quinn and Caitlin made an appealing couple. I liked Quinn as the sniper turned successful author and occasional lecturer. His desire for Caitlin and need to discover why she runs away from him was engaging. Caitlin as a strong-willed and capable FBI agent made her a perfect complement to Quinn. I loved seeing how Quinn skillfully maneuvered his way into Caitlin's investigation and finally her heart.

[JoAn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crossfire by JoAnn Ross is the second book in her High Risk series and was an enjoyable and quick read for me because I couldn't stop listening to it. The narrator did a good job of distinguishing the different characters.

I thought the main characters, Cait and Quinn, were fully developed and I loved their interactions throughout the story. They are both strong willed and independent people who know how to do their jobs. The addition of the continuation of the mission in Afgahnistan that went so wrong I also found interesting. I had read it in the first book from Zack's POV, so it was enlightening to see it from Quinn's POV. The secondary characters helped to move the story along; and getting to know Valentine and Brendan was a plus. Dialogue from the sniper's POV added some insight into his mind and his fragile emotional state. I felt JoAnn did an excellent job of revealing through Quinn the mindset of a military sniper and I found this information to be quite interesting.

The story moved quickly with plenty of action and the twist at the end made this reader eager to read the next book in this series.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

The h/h were not really separated but they had had a marvelously intense encounter *ahem* after a wedding a ways back -- and neither could forget it. I'm not crazy about war flashbacks in books so even tho these were important, I sorta glossed over them.

I liked all the interactions between the h/h and their friends, family and the people they worked with. The heroine was a real person, not perfect but the sort of woman that would make a great friend.

The body count, again for my taste, was a bit high but all in all, I liked it and I have another JoAnn Ross from this series on hold at my library.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oddly enough, just before I read this book I read a true story called Robert's Ridge. It's about a failed SEAL mission in Afghanistan. The mission described in the front of this novel is taken almost directly from that action. Turns out the rest of the books in this series also all start with the Robert's Ridge situation.

Okay, I liked this book. It was pretty well written and pretty believable. I did like it better than the first one.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author writes great characters but terrible plots. I get so excited to read more about the characters and then get disappointed by the plot. The ending in this book didn't even make sense until I read it the second time. The shooters motive turns out to be something that has nothing to do with the rest of the story. I still don't understand why the person that hired the shooter even hired him.

[Jane Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this story 4.5 stars if possible. The plot has many twists and turns that keep the reader on the edge of his/her seat. All of the characters are interesting and complex. The story is horrifying at times, not unlike the news we hear every day. The author shows us how challenging it is for the system to find demented criminals whose twisted goals overshadow their morality.

The love story is maybe a little predictable, but as a reader, I enjoyed it tremendously!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the 2nd in a series about vets with PTSD who remain heroes by helping solve murder cases. In this case, a fellow vet seems to be killing random individuals and terrorizing the local town. Cait, and FBI special agent, ends up joining forces with Quinn, a SEAL sniper to figure out who dun it.

[Barbara ★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one is just as boring as Freefall. Too much sniper info and war stories. More like a training manual than a romance novel. I just couldn't connect with Quinn or Caitlin and the killing was just too much. I won't be continuing this series.

[Jennifer Macleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read

If you like you romance books to be filled with action and suspence then this is the book for you.

Great writing with well rounded characters Ms Ross will have you trying to guess who the killer is and what his motives truly are through the whole book. The story is told from multiple POV's. I would definatly recomend fhis book.

[Pam Koenig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story, rushed ending

I enjoyed the story, and characters both major & minor, but felt the ending lacked something. The reason for the murders came out of nowhere, and just seemed to just end. It left me wishing there was more, it was good, but left me wondering about some of the other characters that seemed so much a part of the story, but we're never mentioned in conclusion .

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the High Risk novels and I enjoyed it very much. Of course there was a romance between old friends Quinn McKade and FBI agent Caitlin Cavanaugh. They have been thrown together in the face of a serial sniper and even though you think you have it figured out, there is a twist which is interesting. Good read

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Main story was good. Romance between the 2 main characters was not as good as she usually writes. Most of the book dwelt on the antagonism between them and there wasn't a good explanation of how they got past that. But overall, a good read.

[Jane]

Lame and not very convincing. Thin plot, thin characters... The sort of story that was full of holes and left me thinking but why didn't they? Afterward. Not for me, I expect more. I finished it, which was something, but disappointing overall.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

F.B.I. Special Agent Caitlin Cavanaugh’s latest assignment: to stop a violent madman on the rampage in Somersett, South Carolina. Even more challenging is working with sexy former Navy SEAL Quinn McKade