The Mist

Ireland #3

by Carla Neggers

When Lizzie Rush uncovers evidence that thrill-seeking billionaire Norman Estabrook may be at the center of an international criminal network, she finds herself playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Raised in the elite world of her hotelier family, educated in reality by her spy father, Lizzie is the perfect choice to slowly amass information that will take down Estabrook. But no good deed goes unpunished.

Despite Norman's arrest, Lizzie knows she's not safe. Estabrook will stop at nothing to exact revenge against the people who took him down—unless she stops him first. When she learns of a bomb that's about to go off in Boston, her instincts are proven right. But her warning doesn't come quickly enough. One detective is seriously injured in the blast and another, the FBI director's daughter, disappears. Then intelligence officer Will Davenport arrives with a single, simple message: Norman Estabrook is gone.

Lizzie doesn't know how Will found her or whose side he's on, but she does know he can help her prevent the killers from striking again. Now Lizzie—a woman who's spent the past year shrouded in a fog of deception—has no choice but to trust Will, a man who lives by a code of personal honor and answers to no one. At least until the mist clears and the frightening truth is revealed.

Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Fiction, Audiobook

352 pages, Hardcover

First published June 24, 2009

About the author

Carla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sharpe & Donovan series featuring Boston-based FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan, and the popular Swift River Valley series set in the small, fictional New England town of Knights Bridge. With many bestsellers to her credit, Carla loves to write now as much as she did when she climbed a tree at age eleven with a pad and pen and spun stories perched on her favorite branch.

A native New Englander, Carla and her husband divide their time between their hilltop home in Vermont, a sofa bed at their kids' places in Boston and various inns, hotels and hideaways on their travels, frequently to Ireland.

Find out more and sign up for Carla's newsletter at CarlaNeggers.com.

Reviews

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found The Mist in my neighborhood Little Free Library. Didn't realize it was book three in a series. While the writing is good, the story didn't intrigue me enough to seek out other books by the author. I enjoyed the Irish setting and the references to fairies.

Favorite Passages:
He nodded to her book, still open at the mesmerizing illustration of the farm. "Is that the Ireland you've come here to find?" His eyes, Lizzie saw, were a rich hazel, with flecks of blue, green and gold that changed with the light. "Fairies, thatched roofs and pretty gardens?"
Lizzie smiled. "Maybe it's the Ireland I have found."
"Do you believe in the wee folk?"
"I'm keeping an open mind."
________

Lizzie smelled pipe smoke and noticed an old man in traditional farmer's clothes seated on the front bench of a wooden picnic table by the pub door. His face was deeply lined, his eyebrows bushy above steady eyes that were a clear, even fierce, blue. He held up his pipe, smoke curling into the mist. "You'll be wanting to go to the stone circle."
She eased her pack off her shoulder. "For what?"
"For what you're looking for, dearie."
"How do you know what I'm looking for?"
He pointed his pipe up the quiet street. "There. It's down the land and up the hill. You'll find your way." His eyes, gleaming with intensity, fixed on her. "You always do, don't you, dearie?"
Steadying herself against a sudden gust of wind that blew up from the harbor at her back, Lizzie peered past the rows of brightly painted houses - fuchsia, blue, yellow, red, mustard, all a welcome antidote to the gray weather. She loved the unique light, the special feel of being back in Ireland.
But find her way to what?
When she turned to ask, the old man was gone.
________

"Belief only gets us so far."
________

"An Irish gale, an ancient stone circle, a black dog out of nowhere. Spooky."
________

"So much of life is about ripple effects. Drop a stone into a pond, and you don't always know what and who will be affected as the ripples make their way across the water."
________

"Don't go near him. He's dangerous, Jeremiah."
"Who is he?"
"My guess? A British spy."
Her cousin rolled his eyes. "You think my golden retriever's a spy."
"He is, but of a different sort."
________

"Vengeance is a temporary high. When it's over, you've nothing to show for it. You're left with an empty hand."

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent installment in this series. All the same players with some new ones to get to know.

[JPT · Rating 2 out of 5]

ebook
C-/D+

Not a review, just my personal thoughts for future reference. Spoilers.

Maybe it's unfair to rate a book I couldn't finish, but I'm going to do it anyway. I made it to about the 45% mark then skipped forward to the ending. It may also be unfair to read book 3 in a series without reading the first two and saying it's confusing, but I'm doing that, too.

--There are lots of characters from the earlier books who make appearances in this one.
--Many of the characters are law enforcement types from the US and UK.
--They're all very involved with one another, both personally and professionally. Some live in the same house (together or on different floors).
--There has been an ongoing storyline about an evil billionaire--I envision someone like Richard Branson who dabbles in crime, some of it pretty nasty, for kicks. He was apprehended in an earlier book, but is let go on a deal in this book. Instead of lying low, he's out to get all the people from the earlier books.
--The main character, Lizzie, works in hotel management (she's from a family of famous hoteliers which means she's well off and can travel the world). She's not in law enforcement but she's apparently learned badass skills from her father, who may or may not have been a spy before becoming a somewhat dissolute, but wealthy, gambler.
--She somewhat attached herself to EB and used her position to feed information on him to the head of the FBI (who is friends with many of the of the characters and whose daughter is a cop who's involved with another mystery LE type).
--Lizzie feeds FBI guy info anonymously. Because he evidently doesn't have the resources to find her identity and every bit of info on her right off the bat.
--Some of this is due to the book being several years old and technology has rapidly moved forward in that period. But I don't think that accounts for all of it.
--All the good guys get attacked in various ways. FBI guy's daughter is kidnapped.
--Lizzie gets a love interest right away in the form of an aristocratic former SAS guy (Will Davenport) who knows many of the other characters. He even has a sidekick he refers to as Moneypenny.
--Fancy guy is the younger son of a peer (a marquess, I think). Younger sons are not members of the peerage, but are permitted to use a courtesy title of Lord Firstname. In this case, Lord Will. Not Lord Davenport. And not both from one scene to the next.
--That, and the typos really started to bug me.
--And the instalust between Lizzie and Will. They see each other twice (briefly) then end up sharing a hotel room. No sex (yet), but it was so weird and awkward, imo.
--I bailed shortly after this (life's too short and all that) and skipped to read the happy ending, with some loose ends for the future.
--This book was so confusing to me with all the similar LE types. (I found myself constantly trying to remember which one was Bob, Simon, Owen, etc., and what their backstories, jobs, and personal relationships were.) Granted that it's #3 in a series, but I don't usually have this much trouble jumping in. It definitely doesn't work as a standalone, imo.
--It's been many years since I last read a Neggers book, but I have quite a lot of them, including the rest of the books in this series, on my Kindle. This book was such a disappointment to me I'm not sure I'll ever pick any of them up. A shame.

[Megan Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the plot of this book, and there was a lot of action, but there were way too many characters in it. It was confusing to remember who was related to who and who was dating who, and that was a little frustrating. Her writing is good, and she’s great at developing a story, I think the book would have just been delivered better with fewer main characters.

[Cherry-Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, contrary to RT Book Reviews assignment of the term "absorbing" to The Mist I dare to differ. The book was a drag. Perhaps I am more apt to follow spy scenes through physical rather than mental enactments.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

has been interesting and good so far. was a really good book

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many characters, hard to follow

[Beth Lechman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Romance, Mystery, Suspense and a lot of action all rolled into one.

[Alice Harbin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The plot was almost lost in the maze of so many characters who are so poorly developed that I was often turning back to recall who was who. This was such a negative for me that I couldn't enjoy the book. I read it in its entirety, though I thought the book had ended 2-3 chapters before it did. Those chapters were unnecessary as I had already expected these things to occur.
Fairies were hinted at and a "special" family was touched on lightly, but no magic or special skills were evident.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

gr read

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book is part of a series, its not necessary to read the others prior to this one, which I like.
Overall, this was better than I expected. I've read one of Carla's books in the past and I was not satisfied. This one however, was more enjoyable and it definitely held my interest. I know there were some parts that probably would have made me roll my eyes into the back of my head, but since my previous book was a slow, tough read, this was refreshing. I was easily able to overlook those parts that would have bugged me under normal circumstances. Mind you, nothing is that significant to imply a different rating outcome either.
I just have my usual minor beefs - the physically too perfect, stereotypical characters (although I liked most of their personalities) and the areas where I felt there was unnecessary drama or repetition and perfection. Everything works out so perfectly....
But as I said, it wasn't that bad, minor flaws to me.
I'd read another book by this author and see if I'd find it enjoyable as well.

[Danielle Urban · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mist by Carla Neggers is another thrilling adventure. One full of surprises. The female heroine is quite refreshing. She's raised to be tough and to be practical. Yet her heart and mind want that dreamy tale in fairytales. Lizzie is a strong, clever, and kind woman. She has gone undercover to getting a dangerous man arrested. However, there are rumors he may be able to walk free. Danger, risks, and plenty of action. The sexy yet mysterious Brit, Will Davenport, adds to the story. Lizzie feels the attraction. But her life doesn't call for it. Will is a puzzle that she's still trying to solve. Mayhem and danger may bring them closer than either thought. The Mist is a great read. I enjoyed following the heroes as the plot unfolded. Overall, I recommend Carla Neggers' latest book to all.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one the most of the series so far. Having gone through book three, I think they're mis-numbered. If it's going to be called "Ireland Series," then The Widow is really a prequel to The Angel and The Mist. It's odd that these are considered romance, as the suspense and action is written so much better than the random "romance" and boudoir scenes that awkwardly pop up, but the general story is compelling enough that I quit being annoyed by them and just kind of chuckle. I wonder which character will meet their man of mystery in book 4?

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook: I was very frustrated with the narrator saying M16 (sixteen) instead MI6 when referring to the British Intelligence agency. You’d think this would have been caught during production. The story itself was ok and if you plan on reading or listening you should read or listen to Books 1&2. Most of the characters were developed on those books.

[Luise · Rating 3 out of 5]

War leichte Lektüre. Muss sicherlich eine Reihe sein. Wurden viele Charaktere vorgestellt, jedoch erschienen mir alle sehr ähnlich zu sein, auch wegen der zu oberflächlichen Beschreibung. Das Buch war schneller durch, als man überhaupt eine Bindung zu den Protagonisten hätte bilden können. Ausbaufähig eigentlich.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was suspenseful. I wasn’t a fan of how the author kept repeating stories about the characters that must have occurred in earlier books in the series ( which I haven’t read). They didn’t really add anything to this story and felt contrived. I kept losing track of who was connected to who and how because there was just too much intertwining going on here. The story did wrap up okay.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one read like one of those primetime procedurals - where it's enjoyable and suspenseful but without a whole lot of depth. It also read very much like it was part of a series - which I didn't realize, when I picked it up at the local library. It took me a loooong time to get through, but I did, and it was a satisfying story. I probably won't pick up another by Neggers, though!

[Ann C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring and confusing. I would have been even more confused if I had not read the previous 2 books. This book just went on and on. There was no romance. Will and Lizzie do not get together until the final few pages. Lizzie confused me. Why did she think she needed to investigate everything? She was not law enforcement. She came across as a busy body.

In all, just a boring book.

[Jackie Tipton · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars. I got this as a blind date with a book. Saw it was part of a series and decided to try it anyway. It was slow and didn’t hold my attention until maybe the last 75 pages. I might have been more invested had i started with book one but this one didn’t really interest me enough to want to read more. Maybe eventually I’ll try book one but not likely.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the voices. I really enjoyed the story and the romance. But for as nice a job and she did building the romance in the beginning and the middle I felt like she could’ve done a much better job in the end with it. The main story was good throughout.

[Karla Cabcam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me gusto la historia, aunque creo que esta es una de esas series donde de verdad es importante haber leído los libros anteriores porque me sentí un poco perdida en ciertas partes.
El "Romance" entre los personajes principales es muuuuuuy mal e innecesario.

[Flewts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always enjoy reading Carla Neggers's books! She tells a good story, and there's some continuity of characters between her novels which makes it feel like looking in on family. OK, family with a lot of drama, sometimes trauma, but always love and support and eventually a satisfactory ending.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

another great read lying around the pool and sitting on the balcony in the sun in beautiful Cabo. I thoroughly enjoyed this book--mystery, love, adventure, characters you are not sure--and a happy ending. What else could you ask for. Read this one!!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the Rush family. The way the cousins try to look after Lizzie is so cute. I read the first one, didn’t read the second so some of the characters I’d get mixed up. I liked Fletcher. I’d read more about Fletcher.

[Rebecca Burmesch · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Lorene Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not care that much for book 2, but LOVED this one!

[Aaron Polish · Rating 3 out of 5]

some parts were good others, I got lost in

[Elaine Tucker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suspence, Murder & Romance

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read

Light reading that kept me entertained. Always love series books and books that are set in Boston and Ireland, this fits the bill.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars