Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
Undercover agent Denise Cleever faces a daunting assignment - infiltrate the shadowy terrorist group who has found a unique method to produce widespread panic. How? By paying amateur contract killers a considerable bounty for every successful murder at random.

The method of murder is up to the contract killer - but it's mandatory that each death be brutally violent and attract the maximum publicity. National exposure gets a substantial bonus; making the international media network doubles the original fee.

As Denise follows the elusive trail, she discovers an unholy alliance between members of the media and the perpetrator of the tide of fear that is engulfing the nation.

Deeply undercover, with no back-up if things go wrong, Denise faces her most challenging assignment as she realizes the fate of thousands is in her hands.

This is the sixth installment of the Denise Cleever Thriller series.

182 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2005

1 person is currently reading
36 people want to read

About the author

Claire McNab

42 books52 followers
CLAIRE McNAB, 1940-2022
Claire McNab died on June 30, 2022, after a prolonged battle with Parkinson’s Disease. She also wrote under her real name, Claire Carmichael, an outpouring of children's literature, textbooks, self-help books, and plays. She became (and remains to this day) a renowned author of children’s books in Australia.

Claire McNab is the pseudonym of Claire Carmichael. She was born in 1940 in Melbourne, Australia. While pursuing a career as a high school teacher in Sydney, she began her writing career with comedy plays and textbooks. She left teaching in the mid-eighties to become a full-time writer. In her native Australia she is known for her self-help and children's books. She moved to Los Angeles in 1994 after falling in love with an American woman, and now teaches not-yet-published writers through the UCLA Writers' Extension Program. She is best known for three lesbian mystery series featuring Inspector Carol Ashton, Agent Denise Cleever and Detective Kylie Kendall. She is the recipient of the 2006 Alice B. Medal.

From the publisher's website: Claire McNab has written over 50 books and is known in her native Australia for crime fiction, children's novels, picture books, self-help, and English textbooks. Her first mystery, Lessons in Murder, was published in the U.S. in 1988. Now a Los Angeles resident, she teaches not-yet-published writers through the UCLA Extension Writers' Program. She is the author of three lesbian mystery series featuring Inspector Carol Ashton, Agent Denise Cleever and Detective Kylie Kendall. She has served as the president of Sisters in Crime and is a member of both the Mystery Writers of America and the Science Fiction Writers of America. She lives in Los Angeles and is working on the finale of the Carol Ashton series, Lethal Care.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
10 (30%)
4 stars
13 (39%)
3 stars
8 (24%)
2 stars
2 (6%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
444 reviews18 followers
November 9, 2025
Agent Denise Cleever against right wing terror in Australia
Although originally published in 2005 this spy novel is as up-to-date and relevant now as 20 yrs ago: Denise Cleever, undercover agent of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, has a new assignment: To investigate the ties between a newly established newspaper and random terrorist attacks and maybe even a new-fangled right wing party in Australia. The name of the newspaper is The Trump (short for Trumpeter) - McNab nailed the name in 2005!
McNab tells the story without frills. The prose is to the point, the storyline goes straight for the jugular. I would have liked a bit more details at the end. But it was a satisfying, quick read with chilling parallels to today. And Denise might even get the love she deserves.
The whole series is a captivating read and reminds us that fact and fiction in today‘s world are very close together. Hopefully the Denise Cleevers will keep us safe.

I received an ARC from the publisher. The review is left voluntarily.
Profile Image for Sarah Thornton.
777 reviews10 followers
Read
November 19, 2023
A little lackluster for the final of a series. Introduced family conflict and an old flame, but the ending felt extremely rushed for the length of the book.
Profile Image for Jennifer.
468 reviews12 followers
July 20, 2009
A solid light, entertaining, mystery. A new main character for me as well. Hey, it's a BellBook (formerly Naiad title) so you pretty much know what you're going to get.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.