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Concealed Weapon Harlequin Intrigue 751
Concealed Weapon by Susan Peterson released on Dec 25, 2003 is available now for purchase.
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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28 people want to read
About the author
Susan Peterson
99 books4 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 24, 2015
Unfortunately, just about everything about this book rubbed me the wrong way. It's odd, because I seem to remember quite liking it when I read it four or five years ago, but this time round I found it irritating.
ATF agent Teagan Kennedy has gone undercover in a cult, hoping to investigate rumours of weapons stockpiling and explosives. She was chosen for the mission because she knows the surrounding area well - her college boyfriend Zach McCoy grew up in this town, and now serves as the county sheriff. Teagan and Zachary have to sniff out the explosives and discover what they're being stockpiled for.
This is more of an action than an intrigue book - there's very little suspense here. I guess maybe that's part of what annoyed me, because I like the crime-solving aspect of the Intrigue novels. It's not what I disliked most, though. Not by a long shot. That honour would go to Teagan.
I tried to like this girl, I really did, but I just couldn't warm to her. She's such an odd mix of icy cold and belligerent. She continually refuses Zach's help. She fails to apologise for walking out on him out of the blue back when they were lovers. She insists on saying it was for the best, but never shows any kind of regret or remorse for breaking his heart. Until, two thirds of the way through the book - she suddenly wants to jump his bones again, with no explanation of her change of feelings.
What I can't understand is why Zach wants her. She's beautiful, and has guts, but that's about it. Man, that guy is whipped. She doesn't even seem like a very good undercover agent - she's always talking about the mission, just because she doesn't see anyone close enough to hear. Uh, hello - aren't secret agents supposed to worry about hidden cameras and stuff?
Three quarters of the way through, we find out why Teagan left Zach. Turns out her father gave her an ultimatum: split with Zach, or he'd stop paying the medical bills for Tea's mother (who it is implied is bipolar, although never said outright). Outraged? Well, yeah - except that they're divorced, and when mom was in a manic phase, she ran through all the money from the divorce settlement in one month. Now she has no money for things like medical treatment, and Teagan hates her dad because he doesn't want to keep paying for his ex-wife's bills.
God, that grated on me. Mental illness is an awful thing, I get that. My mom has bipolar disorder. We've lived with her manic phases and depressive phases for my whole life, although she's more balanced now than when I was a kid. But I can guarantee you that if she did something stupid like run through an entire divorce settlement in a month, she wouldn't expect an endless supply of money. It's a really hard balancing act, to figure out how much responsibility people with mental illness need to take for their own lives. But there has to be some kind of accountability for your own behaviour. I'm not saying that Teagan's father wasn't an utter shit to force her to make the choice between mom and Zach, but if I were her I'd be pissed because my Dad put me in the middle of a horrible decision, not because he didn't want to keep throwing money at my Mom.
The ending was kind of cool, although I rolled my eyes at Teagan's initial incompetence at getting herself and Becca away from the camp. She did sort of redeem herself by her actions at the end, but I still wasn't overly keen on her.
Part of me feels like I should add a star for the horribly realistic portrayal of life inside a cult. Reverend Daniel Mercy seems shockingly similar to a famous, real-life cult leader with the initials DM, and Susan Peterson's descriptions of both him and the general conditions that cult members live with are unpleasantly familiar. Clearly plenty of research has taken place here, which I feel should earn extra points. Ultimately, though, I try to rate based on enjoyment, and I really didn't enjoy Concealed Weapon. 2 stars.
ATF agent Teagan Kennedy has gone undercover in a cult, hoping to investigate rumours of weapons stockpiling and explosives. She was chosen for the mission because she knows the surrounding area well - her college boyfriend Zach McCoy grew up in this town, and now serves as the county sheriff. Teagan and Zachary have to sniff out the explosives and discover what they're being stockpiled for.
This is more of an action than an intrigue book - there's very little suspense here. I guess maybe that's part of what annoyed me, because I like the crime-solving aspect of the Intrigue novels. It's not what I disliked most, though. Not by a long shot. That honour would go to Teagan.
I tried to like this girl, I really did, but I just couldn't warm to her. She's such an odd mix of icy cold and belligerent. She continually refuses Zach's help. She fails to apologise for walking out on him out of the blue back when they were lovers. She insists on saying it was for the best, but never shows any kind of regret or remorse for breaking his heart. Until, two thirds of the way through the book - she suddenly wants to jump his bones again, with no explanation of her change of feelings.
What I can't understand is why Zach wants her. She's beautiful, and has guts, but that's about it. Man, that guy is whipped. She doesn't even seem like a very good undercover agent - she's always talking about the mission, just because she doesn't see anyone close enough to hear. Uh, hello - aren't secret agents supposed to worry about hidden cameras and stuff?
Three quarters of the way through, we find out why Teagan left Zach. Turns out her father gave her an ultimatum: split with Zach, or he'd stop paying the medical bills for Tea's mother (who it is implied is bipolar, although never said outright). Outraged? Well, yeah - except that they're divorced, and when mom was in a manic phase, she ran through all the money from the divorce settlement in one month. Now she has no money for things like medical treatment, and Teagan hates her dad because he doesn't want to keep paying for his ex-wife's bills.
God, that grated on me. Mental illness is an awful thing, I get that. My mom has bipolar disorder. We've lived with her manic phases and depressive phases for my whole life, although she's more balanced now than when I was a kid. But I can guarantee you that if she did something stupid like run through an entire divorce settlement in a month, she wouldn't expect an endless supply of money. It's a really hard balancing act, to figure out how much responsibility people with mental illness need to take for their own lives. But there has to be some kind of accountability for your own behaviour. I'm not saying that Teagan's father wasn't an utter shit to force her to make the choice between mom and Zach, but if I were her I'd be pissed because my Dad put me in the middle of a horrible decision, not because he didn't want to keep throwing money at my Mom.
The ending was kind of cool, although I rolled my eyes at Teagan's initial incompetence at getting herself and Becca away from the camp. She did sort of redeem herself by her actions at the end, but I still wasn't overly keen on her.
Part of me feels like I should add a star for the horribly realistic portrayal of life inside a cult. Reverend Daniel Mercy seems shockingly similar to a famous, real-life cult leader with the initials DM, and Susan Peterson's descriptions of both him and the general conditions that cult members live with are unpleasantly familiar. Clearly plenty of research has taken place here, which I feel should earn extra points. Ultimately, though, I try to rate based on enjoyment, and I really didn't enjoy Concealed Weapon. 2 stars.
July 20, 2016
2 stars for Concealed Weapon
Thoughts and plot
My thoughts can be chalked up to one sound..."Meh."
The long version on my thoughts would be, it was okay, mildly interesting but completely lacking in the suspense/mystery department.
Teagan is an AF agent who is undercover as a follower of the New Jerusalem cult trying to find where a large stash of guns may be and what the hell the crazy leader is up to.
Zach was her college boyfriend she was blackmailed into giving up in order to have her mother's medical bills paid for (her mother is bipolar and divorced from her father). He's now the Sheriff of the tiny town of Bradley, the nearest town to the Temple compound.
I found Zach slightly more interesting as a person than Teagan. Didn't feel the chemistry and sighed at the stupid ending (aka the hospital scene, not the climax of the story, which was okay). While I picked up this book expecting an intriguing read about cult life, undercover investigations and lost love found, what I actually got was a pile of meh. i read it, but I felt very little about it. I'll probably forget the majority of this story in a matter of days.
In Conclusion
This book sounds interesting, and should be interesting, but to me it was an average story that unfortunately didn't grab my interest and pulled. The only reason I finished this book on the same day I started it is because I was procrastinating folding my laundry and literally had nothing else that needed attending.
This is one of those books you could put down and never pick back up without feeling the slightest guilt about. If you want an okay story without any real pull in the way of suspense, this one might be for you.
Unfortunate because so much could have be done with this premise.
Thoughts and plot
My thoughts can be chalked up to one sound..."Meh."
The long version on my thoughts would be, it was okay, mildly interesting but completely lacking in the suspense/mystery department.
Teagan is an AF agent who is undercover as a follower of the New Jerusalem cult trying to find where a large stash of guns may be and what the hell the crazy leader is up to.
Zach was her college boyfriend she was blackmailed into giving up in order to have her mother's medical bills paid for (her mother is bipolar and divorced from her father). He's now the Sheriff of the tiny town of Bradley, the nearest town to the Temple compound.
I found Zach slightly more interesting as a person than Teagan. Didn't feel the chemistry and sighed at the stupid ending (aka the hospital scene, not the climax of the story, which was okay). While I picked up this book expecting an intriguing read about cult life, undercover investigations and lost love found, what I actually got was a pile of meh. i read it, but I felt very little about it. I'll probably forget the majority of this story in a matter of days.
In Conclusion
This book sounds interesting, and should be interesting, but to me it was an average story that unfortunately didn't grab my interest and pulled. The only reason I finished this book on the same day I started it is because I was procrastinating folding my laundry and literally had nothing else that needed attending.
This is one of those books you could put down and never pick back up without feeling the slightest guilt about. If you want an okay story without any real pull in the way of suspense, this one might be for you.
Unfortunate because so much could have be done with this premise.
May 2, 2019
Struggled to get thru this Intrigue. It just didn't flow well; definitely wasn't one of those books which you "can't put down". At least not for me.
July 9, 2017
Sheriff Zach McCoy is not sure what to make of his new neighbors. A religious cult lead by a zealot does not fit well in the country. And one that keeps so many secrets is bound to be up to something. But, not until he finds his old ex-girlfriend inside the cult does he realize just how dangerous things are.
Teagan Kennedy is working undercover for the ATF inside the compound run by religious leader Daniel Mercy. She knows that things are not as they seem, and things take a very dangerous turn when her partner is murdered. Having the man she had suddenly dumped coming to her aid is almost too much. But, they find that both are ready to make a change and take a chance. If they live that long.
An ok story. Some parts totally unbelievable, but ok for a story.
Teagan Kennedy is working undercover for the ATF inside the compound run by religious leader Daniel Mercy. She knows that things are not as they seem, and things take a very dangerous turn when her partner is murdered. Having the man she had suddenly dumped coming to her aid is almost too much. But, they find that both are ready to make a change and take a chance. If they live that long.
An ok story. Some parts totally unbelievable, but ok for a story.
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April 13, 2016It's a good book..
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews